CD PICK OF THE WEEK: KENNY G RHYTHM & ROMANCE

Posted on August 6, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Jazz Music | Leave a Comment

Fukkiit

Smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G delivers more of his trademark romantic saxophone sound, but with a Latin tinge on 2008’s Rhythm and Romance. Rather than simply delivering a standard smooth jazz album with a few Latin beats, G has crafted a more of a straight-up Latin dance album. Moving from the frenetic and up-tempo salsa of “Sax-O-Loco,” to the romantic and elegant orchestral ballad “Sabor a Mi” and the steamy fun of “Miramir Bailar,” this is a rhythmically compelling and passionate affair that finds G in newly energized form. Where G can sometimes seem a little too programmed and predictable, here he and his fellow musicians are fired up with a kind of organic, playful joy. We even get to hear him burning through his solo on the gypsy-inflected “Peruvian Nights” with a visceral fortitude that’s more post-bop than instrumental pop. Joining G here are such Latin music luminaries as former Weather Report drummer Alex Acuña, percussionists Paulinho Da Costa and Michito Sanchez, and guest vocals featuring Barbara Muñoz and the Mexican pop trio Camila.

For full download go to: Kenny G on Fukkiit.com

YELLOWBOAM - VEUVE CLICQUOT

Posted on August 6, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Food and Wine, Luxury | Leave a Comment

Luxist One of my personal favorites is at it again with a new expensive limited edition bottle. To celebrate the 130th anniversary of the company’s non-Vintage Yellow Label Brut Champagne, they are releasing the Yellowboam. The hand-blown Jeroboam (contains four standard bottles worth) with a gold-leaf painted neck instead of the standard gold foil and a yellow label in ostrich, alligator, or stingray. The bottle costs $2,000 and there are 3,600 bottles available. The Champagne was feted at a special party in New York City that featured yellow art installations and a small dance performance.

CHEERS!

COHIBE BEHIKE………THE MOST EXPENSIVE CIGAR?

Posted on August 6, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Smoke Shop | Leave a Comment

Finally, one of the Cohiba greatest secrets came to light. Behike from Cohiba, taking the name of the doctor of the Taino Tribe for the 40th anniversary of the Cuban brand.
These cigars come with an Elie Bleu designed humidor, made with the best decoration materials in the world; Galuchat, black ebony, mother of pearl, sycamore, cedar and ox bone. The humidor will also be personalised with its number, the cigars number and the owner’s name. Only 100 humidors, with 40 cigars each will be sold upon exclusive order of Habanos distributors for the price of 15000 euros each, double ringed and numbered from 1 to 4000. That’s why the best plants of Vuelto Abajo and growers were selected and manufactured by Norma Fernandez.
The cigars measurements are 52 ring gauge by 192 mm length (perfect combination of Siglo VI and Lancero respectively)

Origin - Cuba
Manufactored - Hand Made
Gauge - Thick
Length - 192
Format - Behike
Ring - 52
Score - 9.1

Presentation: Humidor containing 40 cigars (Price: $440.00 Per Cigar)

WINE PICK OF THE WEEK: ERATH DUNDEE HILLS ESTATE SELECTION PINOT NOIR 2005

Posted on August 6, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Food and Wine | Leave a Comment

WINE.COM Erath produces Pinot Noir from six different sites in the Dundee Hills viticultural area. “Reserve” quality lots are chosen from the best wines from these sites and blended to make this Estate Selection cuvée. The iron-clad Jory soils predominate this growing area and give the wines their distinctive aroma and flavor profiles, and elegant, age-worthy structure. Fruit focused in their youth, Erath Estate Selection Pinots gain additional complexity and sophistication when cellared for three to eight years. Excellent with wild mushrooms, duck, roast beef, lamb or other red meats, chocolate, garlic and salmon.

PRICING: $35.00

“Pie cherries with smoky and seductive herb garden aromas of sage and lavender. Cherry vanilla flavors with a hint of anise offer a sweet entry that leads to a satisfying even finish. Drink from 2007 through 2013.”
- Gary Horner, Winemaker

CAPITAL JAZZ PRESENTS THE SUPER CRUISE

Posted on August 6, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Travel and Leisure, Jazz Music | Leave a Comment

cAPITAL sUPER cRUISE This year’s SuperCruise features a new talent lineup, which includes Patti Austin, George Duke, The Brand New Heavies featuring N’Dea Davenport, Rachelle Ferrell, Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Michael Franks, and many more, plus the return of two of the stars of last year’s SuperCruise: Grammy-nominated vocalist Ledisi and keyboardist Brian Culbertson, who will do a special performance with his new funk band The Funk Experience. The midnight jam sessions on this year’s cruise will be hosted by DC’s own Marcus Johnson.

Here are some of the new events planned for this year’s SuperCruise:

SuperCruise Golf Classic — Tournament & Clinic. This exciting event will take place at Riddell’s Bay Golf & Country Club in Bermuda on Day 3 of the cruise. Click here for more GOLF TOURNAMENT details. (Additional fee applies. Open only to SuperCruise passengers.)
SuperCruise Finale Show. On the final evening of the cruise, enjoy a special two-hour finale mega-show, arranged by Brian Culbertson, which will feature many of the performers from the SuperCruise.
Closing Night After-Party. Following the Finale Show will be our big closing night after-party. This year’s special guest DJ will be the legendary DJ Grandmaster Flash
Football Party. NFL football fans are invited to our Sunday football party at sea, to be held in the ship’s Singin’ in the Rain Lounge.
“Fuzzy Monday” Open Mic Night. Join the Hampton Road’s own Fuzz Band, winners of the 2004 Capital Jazz Challenge competition. A spinoff of the band’s weekly “Fuzzy Wednesday” event, this will be a fun evening of impromptu entertainment, including spoken word, poetry, and music.
SuperCruise Challenge Talent Competition. This year, our annual Capital Jazz Fest Challenge competition comes to sea! Amateur musicians are invited to participate. Prizes will be awarded. Don’t forget to bring your instrument!
The Soul Lounge featuring Terry Bello. After a fun day hanging out on the ship, come mix and mingle with other SuperCruisers in a cool lounge set with neo-soul and acid jazz music played by DJ Terry Bello.
Belly Dancing & Funk Yoga with Dr. Sunyatta. Learn how to belly dance with health & wellness expert Dr. Sunyatta, aka “The Belly Dance Doctor” from The Michael Baisden Show.
New Smoking Policy. This year’s SuperCruise will be smoke-free! In accordance with Royal Caribbean’s new smoking policy, smoking will be prohibited in all interior areas of the ship.

FOR MORE RESERVATIONS INFO GO TO: http://capitaljazz.com/supercruise/

TRAVEL TO PRAGUE,CZECH REPUBLIC….OH SO RICH IN HISTORY AND CULTURE

Posted on August 5, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Travel and Leisure | Leave a Comment

AOL travel Prague The Czech Republic lies at the heart of Central Europe and at its center is the beautiful and historic city of Prague. With a population of some 1.3 million residents, the city lies on either side of the Vltava River in the middle of Bohemia that is one of the three historic Czech territories; the others being Moravia and Silesia. The city has seven “Chapter Divisions” or districts. North and Western Suburbs, Hradcany, Mala Strana, Josefov, Stare Mesto, Nove Mesto and Vysehrad and the Eastern Suburbs

The Czech Republic has a mild climate with warm, sometimes damp, summers and cold winters. The average temperature in summer is 24 °C (74 °F) [can be also 30 °C (92 °F)]. At night, temperature falls to 15 °C (46 °F).
In winter, the daily temperature averages around the freezing point and falls at night into –4 °C (26 °F). January and February are the coldest months when the daily temperature hovers around –5 °C (23 °F).
Spring and summer tend to be the sunniest months, the period between May and August is the rainiest. Snow is rare in Prague during winter.

FOR MORE TRAVEL INFO VISIT: http://www.pragueexperience.com/

COCKTAIL PICK OF THE WEEK: TUXEDO COCKTAIL

Posted on August 5, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Food and Wine | Leave a Comment

1 oz Old Tom gin
1 shot / 30 ml / 1 oz dry vermouth
½ bar-spoon Maraschino
¼ bar-spoon Absinthe
3 dashes orange bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain in to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and a lemon zest twist. cOCKTAIL aDVENTURES

The Tuxedo Cocktail comes from Harry Johnson’s Bartenders’ Manual of 1882. Interestingly it also turns up in the Savoy Cocktail Book, though in the fifty years that separates the two the Old Tom has been swapped out for dry gin - no doubt a reflection of the changing tastes as people clamoured for drier and drier cocktails as the twentieth century progressed.

The Tuxedo features a strong gin presence upfront, with a nice lemon zest tang. A sweet funk from the Maraschino swirls in background with the orange bitters, and a long finish of Maraschino gradually reveals more and more anise from the Absinthe. The flavours are all very understated, but they work really well together to produce a subtle but interesting cocktail.

2008 OCEAN COUNTY CLASSIC JAZZ FESTIVAL

Posted on July 23, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Jazz Music | 1 Comment

oc jazz fest

Orange County Classic Jazz Festival August 7 through August 10 2008. Come join the fun and festivities in Costa Mesa California. Great Music all weekend! Some of the bands performing this year will be Buck Creek, Fulton Street Jazz Band, Yve Evans, Night Blooming Jazz Men, Titanic Jazz Band, Midiri Brothers, Le Jazz Hot, Jean Kittrell and the Riverman, Ivory and Gold and many many more.

Located at the Headquarters Hotel & All Five Ballroom Venues at the Hilton Costa Mesa
3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, California 92626
exit the 405 freeway at Bristol and travel south one block To purchase tickets and find out more about the bands and show schedule and hotel accommodations

Visit http://www.oc-classicjazz.org/

COCKTAIL PICK OF THE WEEK: Crimson Spice Champagne Cocktail

Posted on July 23, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Food and Wine | Leave a Comment

SUNSET

Ingredients

2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail
8 slices (quarter size and about 1/8 in. thick) peeled fresh ginger
2 cinnamon sticks (about 3 in. long)
2 whole star anise
1/3 cup cognac or brandy
8 cups Champagne or other sparkling wine (about 2 2/3 bottles, 750 ml. each), chilled
32 to 48 fresh cranberries, rinsed, or frozen cranberries (optional)

Preparation

1. In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart pan, combine cranberry juice, ginger, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. Boil over high heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 1 hour. Let cool about 30 minutes, then pour through a fine strainer into a small pitcher. Chill syrup until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours.2. For each serving, pour 2 tablespoons of the cranberry syrup and 1 teaspoon cognac into a Champagne flute (6 to 8 oz.). Add 1/2 cup (4 oz.) Champagne. Garnish with 2 or 3 cranberries if desired.

Yield

Makes 16 servings

SCENT-SATIONAL

Posted on July 23, 2008
Filed Under The Brick Vine, Luxury | Leave a Comment

Justluxe Composed of the rarest ingredients in the world with no regard to their cost, Clive Christian No. 1, which has only been produced for the past six years, retails for $2,350 for 30ml of the pure perfume. Only 1000 bottles each of the men’s and women’s perfumes are released each year. The single most expensive bottle of the Clive Christian perfume, the No. 1 Imperial Majesty bottle made of Baccarat Crystal and inset with a white diamond on the neck, was on display Saturday as well at Saks. Valued at over $200,000, only 10 bottles were ever produced.