Cafe Jazz Rates Fervor Artists In Top Ranks for End of Year Round Up

Greg Anderson (left, photo by Kimberly Jarman), John Costello

 

Canadian radio station and premiere international jazz destination, CafeJazz.ca, is known for not only its tasteful selection of new and classic material, but also its in-depth reviews of songs, albums and artists.  The critically acclaimed program, which is broadcast on FM and web affiliates in over 20 different countries, specializes in the smooth jazz variety and has become a trusted source for the community to discover new music and get to know their favorite composers and performers.

At the end of 2011, Cafe Jazz (led by award-winning programming pioneer Ted Hasiuk) published its 8th Annual Recap of the recent ‘musical fabric’ and listed the best-of picks from their playlist.  The choices came from a compilation of 1068 unique selections by 569 artists on 42 original programs.  Among them were many mentions of two artists from the Fervor family: Greg Anderson and John Costello.  Both are solo artists who collaborate often.

Guitarist Greg Anderson, whose 2011 release Blue Ocean has been in heavy rotation, made quite a splash.  The album was produced by John Costello and features Greg’s soaring guitar work with minimalist vocals.

On Cafe Jazz, Blue Ocean was the #12 most played album of the year, right behind six-time Grammy nominee Dave Koz.  John Costello’s solo release, Beyond Smooth (which features sax and keys) made the top 50.

In the ‘Top Artists’ category, Greg Anderson came in at #19, ahead of the original smooth jazz godfather himself, David Benoit.  Individual tracks from Blue Ocean also got a little attention, as the title track was the #15 most played song, with deeper cut “Cool Jungle Rain” snagging an honorable mention.

Producer and artist John Costello was profiled several times throughout the year on Cafe Jazz.  Songs “Sunrise Mist” and “Fine Wine” from Beyond Smooth were spotlighted last summer (and recently), while November’s ‘Vintage Collection’ feature dug into “Oceans of Sand” from a previous Costello release (A Cooler Shade of Jazz).

Both Anderson and Costello were named in the final category, ‘Discovery, Debut, Break Through and Comeback Artists of the Year’.

See the full 2011 Cafe Jazz Recap here

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