“Seems Like I Know You” EP due April 16th, first single features Lorber, Haslip and Braun
Transitioning from straight-ahead jazz and inspirational music to
showcase her skillset as a contemporary singer-songwriter, classically
trained pianist Peggy Duquesnel got to know jazz fusion keyboard pioneer Jeff Lorber and bassist Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets) in order to co-produce “Seems Like I Know You,” a five-song EP that will be released April 16th by Joyspring Music.
Duquesnel wrote or co-wrote four songs for the collection, including
the first radio single, “When I Think of You,” a soulfully sophisticated
R&B groove that gets tasty horn-powered highlights from Rick Braun’s trumpet and flugelhorn.
Gifted
with a voice as cozy and as comfortable as Sunday morning, which
perfectly matches her girl-next-door demeanor, Duquesnel’s piano pop
songs fortified with jazz intonations provide snippets of real-life
experiences embellished and enhanced by sterling instrumentation. A
joyous love song of immediate familiarity, “Seems Like I Know You” opens
the EP with a celestial call and response chorus. Duquesnel and Lorber
co-wrote the music for “When I Think of You,” a song of patience,
longing and hope with lyrics and melodies that the pianist hatched while
on a nature hike. On “That’s How It Always Goes,” Haslip’s somber bass
seems to symbolize fleeing love amidst an enchanting sea of sunny
optimism in the search for lasting love with Michael Thompson
providing a fiery final word on electric guitar. Clouds and heartache
don’t stand a chance of lingering on a soothing rendition of the Carpenters’ “Rainy Days and Mondays.” Backing vocalist Dee Dee McNeil
penned the lyrics to “Bird on a Leash” for which Duquesnel composed the
music for the elegant track about the loneliness and isolation that
results when a romantic partner is smothered and taken for granted.
“Songwriting
has been a natural gift and form of expression for me that I have
enjoyed doing since I was 12 years old. I had already recorded several
albums of jazz and gospel standards as well as many of my straight-ahead
originals, but I wanted this project to showcase my songwriting placed
in a more contemporary setting. Many of my songs have been born out of
life experiences and it is my hope that the music will touch and inspire
others,” said Duquesnel, who went on to explain about her accomplished
collaborators that will perform with her at a pair of hometown album
release concerts on March 11th in Seal Beach (Spaghettini) and April 22nd
in Irvine (Concordia University). “I met Jimmy (Haslip) a few years ago
in the recording studio while we both worked on a project for another
artist. When he and I first connected to discuss my new direction, he
suggested that Jeff (Lorber) would be a good fit as a co-producer. I had
been a fan of Jeff’s since high school so the thought of collaborating
with both Jeff Lorber and Jimmy Haslip on this project was very exciting
for me. Both of them have become mentors and friends.”
Born
in Bethpage, NY and reared primarily in Orange County, CA, Duquesnel
discovered the piano when she was three years old and grew up singing,
playing and writing songs. After earning her degree in classical piano
at California State University, Northridge and mentoring by esteemed
jazz pianists Alan Broadbent and Terry Trotter, Duquesnel performed and recorded with Dionne Warwick, Henry Mancini, John Pattitucci, Jeff Hamilton, Grant Geissman and Grammy-winner Broadbent. Her first foray as a featured artist came in 1995 as a member of jazz crossover combo Pocket Change (“Higher Altitude”) while her debut disc as a solo artist, “Where is Love?,”
was released in 1999 and spotlighted Duquesnel in a trio setting with
orchestral accompaniment arranged by Broadbent and engineered by
Grammy-winner Al Schmitt. Her five subsequent releases spanned
the jazz spectrum along with a couple of inspirational recordings. A
passionate proponent of music education, Duquesnel shares her vast
knowledge while serving as the Director of Jazz Studies at Concordia
University. Additional information is available at www.joyspringmusic.com.
The songs contained on Duquesnel’s “Seems Like I Know You” EP are:
“Seems Like I Know You”
“When I Think of You”
“That’s How It Always Goes”
“Rainy Days and Mondays”
“Bird on a Leash”
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com
No comments:
Post a Comment