Bassist Brian Bromberg goes viral unapologetically #jazz

Over 1.2 million video views sparks the release of the furiously funky “Minneapolis, 1987”

Every recording artist dreams of having a video go viral, but jazz bassist Brian Bromberg never imagined that one of his clips would receive over one million views. The Grammy-nominated musician who thrives in both electric and acoustic bass settings unassumingly posted a live performance video with his Unapologetically Funky Big Bombastic Band on his Facebook pages featuring a monster bass solo on the funk throwdown “Minneapolis, 1987.” Something magical happened. Amassing over 1.2 million views to date across multiple social media platforms, the voracious response to the video spurred Bromberg to drop the track as a single, the fourth from his “Thicker Than Water” album. The single goes for playlist adds on October 14.

Filmed during last spring’s Berks Jazz Festival, Bromberg’s “Minneapolis, 1987” blows the roof off the building as the bassman unleashes a torrid, bass-in-your-face solo. Bromberg thumps away feverishly accompanied by saxophonist Everette Harp, guitarist Ray Fuller, keyboardist Tom Zink, drummer Tony Moore and the fire power of the five-piece Berks Horns. 

“I knew this project (“Thicker Than Water”) was special and the band was special, so I wanted to have some videos from some of the festivals we played. I recorded in front of a live audience at three different venues. This is the first time in my career that I have done that,” said Bromberg, a musician, producer and songwriter who has crafted a diverse 25-album catalogue, resulting in five No. 1 hits and more than a dozen Top 5 and Top 10 singles.

Bromberg posted the “Minneapolis, 1987” video on his Facebook pages where it struck a chord instantaneously, long before he added it to his YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86aHMo3hds0). Conceiving the song happened just as organically as the video’s popularity.

“I was doing something in the house while the TV was on and there was a commercial that came on that got my attention because the music was slammin’! I have no idea what the commercial was for, but the vibe was great and got me in a funky mood. The next thing I know, I have my bass on, and I am playing and grooving. Poof! The song just came out and wrote itself. The first thing I thought of and came to mind was the music that came out of Minneapolis in the mid-80s. The sound, the feel, the vibe, the energy, etc. So, the song wrote and named itself. What else could I call it? You hear it and you instantly know the city and the era that inspired it,” Bromberg recalled.
 

The jazz-funk-R&B jam session that is “Thicker Than Water” has thrived ever since Artistry Music dropped the collection last year. The first single, “Coupe Deville,” drove into the No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart. The title track followed, going Top 10 at Billboard and No. 2 on the iTunes jazz chart. “Thicker Than Water,” which topped the Billboard albums chart, showcases Bromberg collaborating with Harp, Randy Brecker, Paul Jackson Jr., Najee, Marion Meadows, Brian Simpson and the late George Duke. The unexpected reaction to the live video has given the album new life and may be the inspiration for Bromberg’s next project.       

“We actually might release a live CD, which would be cool as I have never done a live CD of my own music,” said Bromberg, who may opt to do another studio project first. “I have a ton of ideas and snippets of parts of songs and vibes. I’m not sure if I am going to do some special reissues, remixed-remastered CDs of previous recordings, a live CD or a new album of all original music. I would imagine it will be on the funky side if it is a new CD.”

For more information, please visit https://brianbromberg.net.

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Urban-Jazz pianist Kayla Waters is in “Full Bloom” with the hope of blossoming into a GRAMMY® nominee #jazz

After launching her recording career with back-to-back No. 1 Billboard singles, urban-jazz pianist Kayla Waters is truly a blooming artist on the rise. The third single from her “Coevolve” album is the aptly titled “Full Bloom,” which goes for playlist adds on Monday. The single drops during the period that voters are considering Waters’ music and video for nominations in four categories in first-round voting for the 62^nd GRAMMY® Awards.

Under consideration in first-round GRAMMY voting for Jazz Instrumental Album and Engineered Album, Non-Classical, Waters composed the material for “Coevolve” conceptually. To tell the story of a seedling’s evolution into a blossoming plant on “Full Bloom,” she collaborated with Michael Broening. The Washington, DC-based musician-songwriter-producer jetted to Broening’s Phoenix, Arizona studio for the session. The night before meeting with Broening, Waters doodled on a baby grand piano into the wee hours of the night eager to come up with something fresh. The next day, she presented her ideas, which became the essence of the song.     

“During that late-night session, I created the chords to what are now the piano verses of ‘Full Bloom.’ I wanted to come up with a unique concept for the song and with Broening’s help, it naturally came to life. When composing, I wanted the musical construct of the song to literally sound like the blossoming of a flower or in the case of ‘Coevolve,’ the evolution of a seed into a beautiful plant. In the song’s intro, you’ll hear me play a glissando upward on the piano to emulate the sound of blossoming,” said Waters, an inspired 28-year-old artist of substance, style, and divine depth.

“Full Bloom” is the only song that Waters wrote with a collaborator for “Coevolve” thus the process was different than that of the rest of the record’s creation. With Broening programming the invigorating track, Waters’ ebullient piano is bolstered by guest soloist Nick Colionne’s crisp electric jazz guitar licks. Freddie Fox adds rhythm guitar to the melody and Mel Brown’s bass enhances the brisk groove.

“The embryonic stage of the song was conceived in Phoenix during our first studio session together. From that point, we worked over cyberspace to get the song done. It was actually the longest song to complete for ‘Coevolve,’ likely due to the collaborative efforts, but it’s also significant and symbolic as a plant takes time to grow, to be nurtured and to bloom,” said Waters, who is signed to Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm Records.

When Waters’ sophomore album, “Coevolve,” was released last fall, she scored her second consecutive No. 1 hit when the collection’s premiere single, “Zephyr,” topped the Billboard chart. The accompanying video for “Zephyr” (http://bit.ly/2mzMhp6) is on the first-round GRAMMY ballot in the Music Video category. Also appearing on the first-round GRAMMY ballot for Instrumental Composition is the second single from “Coevolve,” “Obsidian Rain,” on which Waters passionately pours her classically trained piano prowess throughout the ethereal jazz-rock-fusion amalgam that she artfully crafted.       

   

Waters debuted on 2017’s “Apogee,” powered by the defining No. 1 Billboard single, “I Am.” She won the Rising Star in Jazz award from the Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Foundation and was named Best Jazz Artist at DC’s Wammies. For more information, please visit http://www.iamkaylawaters.com.

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - September 30, 2019 #jazz

TW - LW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - Rick Braun - "Crossroads" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
2 - 2 - David Benoit - "David Benoit and Friends" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
3 - 3 - FOUR80EAST - "Four On The Floor" - (Boomtang)
4 - 6 - Dave Koz & Friends - "Summer Horns II: From A to Z" - (Concord)
5 - 9 - Althea Rene - "Flawsome" - (Althea Rene Productions)
6 - 7 - Brendan Rothwell - "Sentiment" - (Independent)
7 - 5 - Ragan Whiteside - "Five Up Top" - (Randis Music)
8 - 4 - Nicholas Cole - "The Weekend" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
9 - 8 - Pieces Of A Dream - "On Another Note" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
10 - 15 - Adam Hawley - "Double Vision" - (Kalimba)
11 - 11 - Eric Darius - "Breakin' Thru" - (SagiDarius Music)
12 - 10 - Jazmin Ghent - "The Story Of Jaz" - (Jazmin Ghent Music)
13 - 12 - Nick Colionne - "Just Being Me" - (Trippin N' Rhythm)
14 - 13 - Nelson Rangell - "By Light" - (Independent)
15 - 14 - Kim Scott - "Free To Be" - (Inntervision Records)
16 - 21 - Chris Standring - "Best Of Chris Standring Remixed" - (Ultimate Vibe)
17 - 19 - Paul Brown - "Uptown Blues" - (Woodward Avenue)
18 - 18 - Dr. Dave & The Housecall Band - "Midnight Daydream" - (Hatherill)
19 - 16 - Keiko Matsui - "Echo" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
20 - 20 - Butch & Rhonda Coleman - "Moment Of Your Time" - (Jeremee Records)

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Van Morrison Announces His Sixth New Album in 4 Years, Three Chords and the Truth #jazz

Van Morrison is back with more new music.

The legendary “Brown Eyed Girl” singer is set to release his upcoming album, Three Chords and the Truth, on Oct. 25. It’s his sixth record in four years and the 41st of his career.

Three Chords and the Truth will feature fourteen new original compositions, including the first track from the album, “Dark Night of the Soul,” which was released on Sept. 18. All of the songs on the record were written and produced by Morrison, 74, except for “If We Wait for Mountains,” which was co-written with lyricist Don Black.

In a statement, Morrison said of recording the album, “You’re just plugging into the feeling of it, more the feeling of it … when they’re playing … It’s like reading me. So, I think there’s more of that connection.”The album also features contributions from legendary guitarist Jay Berliner and a duet with The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley on the track “Fame Will Eat the Soul.” Other titles on the album include “March Winds in February,” “In Search of Grace,” “Nobody in Charge,” “You Don’t Understand,” “Read Between the Lines,” “Does Love Conquer All?,” “Early Days,” “Up on Broadway,” “Bags Under My Eyes,” “Days Gone by” and the title track, “Three Chords and the Truth.”

Starting on Oct. 2 in Reno, Nevada, Morrison will play several shows in the U.S. before heading abroad to play his shows in the U.K. beginning on Oct. 21. In January 2020, Morrison will return to the U.S. to play five shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Then, in March, he’ll kick off his residency at the London Palladium.

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - September 23, 2019 #jazz

TW - LW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - Rick Braun - "Crossroads" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
2 - 3 - David Benoit - "David Benoit and Friends" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
3 - 2 - FOUR80EAST - "Four On The Floor" - (Boomtang)
4 - 10 - Nicholas Cole - "The Weekend" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
5 - 6 - Ragan Whiteside - "Five Up Top" - (Randis Music)
6 - 8 - Dave Koz & Friends - "Summer Horns II: From A to Z" - (Concord)
7 - 5 - Brendan Rothwell - "Sentiment" - (Independent)
8 - 7 - Pieces Of A Dream - "On Another Note" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
9 - 4 - Althea Rene - "Flawsome" - (Althea Rene Productions)
10 - 9 - Jazmin Ghent - "The Story Of Jaz" - (Jazmin Ghent Music)
11 - 32 - Eric Darius - "Breakin' Thru" - (SagiDarius Music)
12 - 13 - Nick Colionne - "Just Being Me" - (Trippin N' Rhythm)
13 - 12 - Nelson Rangell - "By Light" - (Independent)
14 - 16 - Kim Scott - "Free To Be" - (Inntervision Records)
15 - 14 - Adam Hawley - "Double Vision" - (Kalimba)
16 - 11 - Keiko Matsui - "Echo" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
17 - 15 - Jazz Holdouts - "Summer Nights" - (Palm Beach Jazz)
18 - 19 - Dr. Dave & The Housecall Band - "Midnight Daydream" - (Hatherill)
19 - 21 - Paul Brown - "Uptown Blues" - (Woodward Avenue)
20 - 24 - Butch & Rhonda Coleman - "Moment Of Your Time" - (Jeremee Records)

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Brandon Robertson – Bass’d on a True Story - #jazz

Bassist Brandon Robertson is a ten year veteran of the Florida jazz scene. Bass’d on a True Story – his debut album as a leader – represents the first chapter of his musical autobiography. Its eight original songs were written over the course of the last 14-years. Each tune reflects something important in his development both as a person and as a musician. “Each song is attached to a memory that I hang on to; memories from significant moments in my life. From the birth of my kids to my experiences in New Orleans,” says Robertson. For this project, Robertson assembled a fine mix of collaborators from a range of jazz scenes in order to best fit each tune’s particular flavor. Throughout the aptly named album, you’ll quickly discover that Brandon is not your typical bass player. He’s as comfortable taking the lead on a tune as he is keeping time in the background. His solos reveal a deep sense of melody and are filled with unexpected rhythmic accents that enhance the musical conversation with his collaborators.

www.brandonrobertsonmusic.com

Brandon Robertson – Bass

featuring

Avis Berry – Vocals
Adrian Crutchfield – Soprano Sax
Lew Del Gatto – Tenor Sax
James Suggs – Trumpet
Mason Margut – Piano*
Leon Anderson – Drums*
Zach Bartholomew – Piano**
Gerald Watkins Jr. – Drums**

*Tracks 1, 3, 5, 8

**Tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9Release Date: September 13th, 2019 on Slammin Media/Believe Distribution

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Poncho Sanchez Tribute Album “Trane’s Delight”, released on Sept. 20th, | Listen to New Single “Blue Train”! #jazz

On his first new album in seven years, GRAMMY Award-winning conguero Poncho Sanchez celebrates the life and music of the iconic saxophonist John Coltrane. Released on September 20, 2019 via Concord Picante, Trane’s Delight is a love letter from one musical pioneer to another, as the Latin Jazz legend pays homage to one of his earliest and most indelible influences.

Throughout his career Sanchez has held aloft the torch lit by such Latin Jazz innovators as Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente and Cal Tjader, embraced by each of those icons and entrusted to carry forward the traditions of Latin Jazz. But Sanchez’s influences are numerous, and Coltrane looms large in Sanchez’s pantheon alongside those pioneers. On his latest album Trane’s Delight, Sanchez pays tribute to the late jazz legend with Latin-tinged reimaginings of Coltrane classics as well as new pieces composed in honor of the tenor titan.

“I’ve always loved John Coltrane,” Sanchez says, “ever since I was a kid and first learned about jazz. I’ve recorded tributes to a lot of my heroes in life – Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader – so I thought it was definitely time to do a tribute to the great John Coltrane.”

Trane’s Delight also continues Sanchez’s remarkable 37-year relationship with Concord, a rich legacy that has now yielded 27 albums. The album features the conguero’s longtime band, featuring trombonist and musical director Francisco Torres, trumpet and flugelhorn master Ron Blake, saxophonist Robert Hardt, pianist Andy Langham, bassists Rene Camacho and Ross Schodek, and percussionists Joey DeLeon and Giancarlo Anderson.

The 11-track album features three classic Coltrane compositions and a pair of new compositions written in honor of the sax master, alongside a host of original pieces and classic favorites chosen to represent Sanchez’s wide spectrum of influences. At its heart, though, Trane’s Delight provides a direct link from the 67-year old conguero to his 11-year old self, staring in the window of his local record store at the entrancing, blue-tinged cover of the 1962 album Coltrane.

“I had eyeballed this record for about a month, looking at it with not enough money to buy it,” Sanchez recalls. “I played a couple little gigs around town and saved up the money, so it was the first album I ever bought by myself. I used to have a little space in my mother’s garage with my record player and my drums and congas. I put that record on, and that first track, ‘Out of This World,’ kicked in and I was blown away. I listened to that record daily for years.

The wonder with which Sanchez first heard Coltrane’s singular voice is still present more than a half-century later in his vibrant reimagining of the saxophonist’s compositions. Trane’s Delight features a buoyant Latin spin on “Liberia,” from 1964’s Coltrane’s Sound; the classic “Blue Train” rendered as a cha-cha-chá; and a rumba twist on the immortal “Giant Steps,” that perennial proving ground for jazz musicians, its challenge not only embraced by Sanchez’s virtuosic collaborators but taken at a breakneck pace that leaves no room for trepidation.

In collaboration with Torres, Sanchez also penned two brand-new pieces inspired by Coltrane. The bustling title tune is a lively encapsulation of the saxophonist’s adventurous spirit, highlighted by DeLeon’s rollicking timbale solo. “Yam’mote,” meanwhile, coins a new hybrid term combining two cultures’ words for the same food: yams and camote. The music, as warm as the comfort food that it references, was inspired by another of the young Sanchez’s brushes with his idol.

“When I was in high school, I would lay in bed listening to Los Angeles’ jazz radio station,” he says. “One night, the DJ announced, ‘Tomorrow I’m going to interview John Coltrane at 11am.’ It was during the week, but I had to hear this interview, so the next day I woke up and started coughingand told my mother that I didn’t feel good, so I didn’t have to go to school that day. It ended up being a short interview, but the part that stuck with me the most was at the very end. The host asked Trane his favorite food. My ears grew huge and I leaned in to the radio, thinking he’d say BBQ ribs or fried chicken or something, but he said sweet potato pie.”

Dumbstruck, Sanchez asked his mother if she knew how to make sweet potato pie. Instead, she offered to make the candied camotesthat is a favorite dish in Mexico and across Central America. “I ate that camote every day for like two weeks because I loved John Coltrane,” Sanchez laughs. “I just thank God that he didn’t say dog food, because I would’ve run out and got some dog food. That’s how much he meant to me.”

As always with Sanchez’s wide-ranging interests, Trane’s Delight casts its sonic net much wider than just Coltrane’s sphere of influence. The blissful Duke Ellington composition “The Feeling of Jazz,” provides a bridge: the lovely, relaxed tune, here featuring eloquent turns by Torres and Camacho, was recorded on 1963’s Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, the sole meeting of the two jazz icons.

Trane’s Delight opens with “Soul Bourgeoisie,” a Hubert Laws composition originally recorded by the Jazz Crusaders on their 1965 album Chile Con Soul. Featuring a soulful Hardt solo, the upbeat tune sets the exuberant tone for the album. The classic bolero “Si Te Dicen” slows things down to an elegant sway, with Sanchez’s heartfelt vocal harkening back to Joe Cuba’s 1966 version featuring singer Cheo Feliciano.

Pianist Andy Langham contributed “Sube” (which translates as “ascend” or “go up”), a bristling 6/8 piece ornamented by the mesmerizing kalimba playing of Cornelius Alfredo Duncan Jr. Sanchez befriended the percussionist more than 40 years ago, and reconnected when he saw a YouTube video of Duncan playing the African thumb piano. He immediately reconnected with his old friend and invited him to join the band for the occasion.

A sequel to the medley of classic tunes that appeared on the conguero’s last release, Live in Hollywood, “Poncho Sanchez Medley #2” combines three old favorites: “Baila Mi Gente,” from 1979’s Poncho, which Sanchez cites as his first original composition; “El Sabrosón,” co-written by Sanchez’s longtime pianist and musical director, the late David Torres; and “El Shing-A-Ling,” a song born from Sanchez’s impromptu singing in a Fayetteville, Arkansas convenience store.

The album closes with “Todo Termino,” a song written by Bobby Manrique and immortalized by another Sanchez idol, the great Puerto Rican singer and bandleader Tito Rodríguez. For the occasion he invited the Los Angeles vocalist Norell Thomson, a standout voice on the city’s salsa scene, to front the ensemble.

Ultimately, Trane’s Delight offers a tribute not only to the stellar music and influence of the great John Coltrane, but a spotlight for the myriad ways that the tenor giant’s explorations have fueled courageous artists like Poncho Sanchez. The results, as on this passionate new album, would no doubt delight Trane’s searching spirit.

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Spyro Gyra taps vinyl for inspiration #jazz

Seminal contemporary jazz band mines a collection of vinyl classics for their first album in six years. “Vinyl Tap” drops October 11 with the first single, “Can’t Find My Way Home,” going for playlist adds September 23.

Free of the tension of having to write great songs, the five members of Spyro Gyra were laughing and having fun in the recording studio. Creativity flowed as the venerable contemporary jazz band revisited the songs that inspired them from their youth when they were listening to music on vinyl. That artistic fount was spun into “Vinyl Tap,” Spyro Gyra’s first album in six years, which drops October 11 on the Amherst Records label.      

                                        

“It was tensionless as we ‘warped’ the tunes. We had a world of brilliant music to choose from and we didn’t have to worry about writing brilliant music. It was a really fun project to make,” said saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, who will lead Spyro Gyra on tour to support “Vinyl Tap” with a string of US concert dates beginning November 15 in Newark, NJ after a three-week international trek that begins at the Cancun Jazz Festival on October 23.

When Spyro Gyra manager Phil Brennan proposed the album’s concept a few years ago to bandleader Beckenstein for their 31st album, he knew that it might take some convincing, so he came prepared with an intriguing concept. Brennan suggested that the band use their arrangement talents to transform the originals into something brand new. The challenge appealed to Beckenstein, who soon overcame any misgivings.

“It’s cliché (to record covers) in saxophone-based contemporary jazz. We did not want to sound like a fantastic wedding band. I was really afraid that if we didn’t do our own thing, that our identity would be lost. It was imperative in the creative process – and everybody (in the band) knew this in a big way – that things had to be mixed up. Things had to be jolted out of the old way of approaching the songs. We really tried to come up with a new take on whatever (song) we were doing. We put solos into tunes that really are complete extensions that never had anything to do with the originals,” said Beckenstein.

What initially stands out on “Vinyl Tap,” which was produced by Spyro Gyra, are the wildly imaginative arrangements. Beckenstein said, “The arrangements were put together with everyone in my basement with all the equipment set up. We were all together in the pre-studio arrangement process. It was all done democratically. Spyro Gyra is a musician’s group collective. When you have five talented guys, you can do some cool arranging things.” 

Spyro Gyra are Beckenstein, Tom Schuman (keyboards), Julio Fernandez (guitars), Scott Ambush (bass) and Lionel Cordew (drums). The musicians have somewhat of a wide range of ages, which explains some of the diversity of the material recorded for “Vinyl Tap.” Beckenstein selected the album opener, “Secret Agent Mash,” a supercharged and ultrahip mashup of “Secret Agent Man” and “Alfie’s Theme.” “Sunshine Of Your Love” is virtually unrecognizable in its new form as a Latin big band number. The first cut going for playlist adds on September 23 is the plaintive “Can’t Find My Way Home,” which takes on a bit of a western feel and benefits from the soulful perspective of Beckenstein’s saxophone protagonist. “What A Fool Believes” is slowed to become a contemplative power ballad that breaks into a mid-song swing cadence.

“I spent a lot of time listening to radio – classic rock radio – looking for material that had fantastic melodies. If there was a beautiful, arching melody, like ‘What A Fool Believes,’ it would definitely translate to my saxophone ‘voice,’” said Beckenstein.         

Adding chromatic and bass harmonicas by Gary Schreiner, “The Cisco Kid” vacillates in time and tempo, letting the band members stretch out into improvisational banter. Exemplative of Spyro Gyra’s ethos, each band member shares the spotlight equitably, adding sweetness and redolent depth to “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away.” “Tempted” always oozed soul, but the band’s reading is deliberate, adding romance and underscoring the sweeping chorus. “Stolen Moments” is another that essentially becomes an “original” composition in Spyro Gyra’s inventive hands after the piece was reconstructed using entirely new, deft and complex rhythms. The set closes with an exhilarating romp cascading through a groovy expanse on “Carry On.” 

“This is the first record we’ve done where we have allowed ourselves to do other people’s material full throttle,” said Beckenstein. “That is not to say in any way that we tried to copy what other people did, but it was really great to reach outside of our writing capabilities for inspiration for us to take off on. And that’s what this album is about.”

Pre-order sales for “Vinyl Tap” begin on iTunes and Amazon on September 23, the same day “Can’t Find My Way Home” becomes available.       

“Vinyl Tap” contains the following songs:

“Secret Agent Mash”

“Sunshine Of Your Love”

“Can’t Find My Way Home”

“What A Fool Believes”

“The Cisco Kid”

“You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”

“Tempted”

“Stolen Moments”

“Carry On”

For more information, please visit https://spyrogyra.com.

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Brian Culbertson tells “Winter Stories” in a jazz trio #jazz

“Morning Walk” went for playlist adds on Monday ahead of the October 4 album release.

Inspiration strikes artists even when on holiday break. As pianist Brian Culbertson strolled the frigid streets of Chicago last winter, he felt compelled to write music. Feeling the cold air, seeing his breath and hearing the crunch of snow under his feet spurred the creation of “Winter Stories,” a contemplative collection of melodic musical “stories” recorded in a jazz trio setting. The first “story” that will preface the BCM Entertainment release dropping October 4 is “Morning Walk,” which went for playlist adds on Monday.     

When Culbertson returned from that inspired walk, he started composing the first piece for the album that, over time, will become a four-album series: separate stories for each season. He wrote and demoed one song per day for ten consecutive days. After each day’s session, he’d head back into the cold, taking the demo out for a walk. Upon his return, he’d make adjustments to the composition until “it was just right.”

Best known for crafting a catalog of R&B, jazz, and funk hits, Culbertson felt that this pensive and introspective album would best be presented by a jazz trio. Knowing that drummer Khari Parker has a deft touch with brushes to craft the gentle rhythms, Culbertson had only one acoustic bassist in mind: Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group). They knew each other from the Chicago jingle scene at the beginning of Culbertson’s professional career and Rodby played on a track on the keyboardist’s second album, “Modern Life” (1995). 

“Understanding Steve’s jazz/pop sensibilities and knowing how musical and ‘in tune’ he plays upright bass, I knew that he was the only one who could play on this record,” said Culbertson.

Culbertson describes “Winter Stories” not as a Christmas album, but as a hybrid. “It is very melodic with a pop structure, but utilizing traditional straight-ahead jazz elements - acoustic piano, upright bass and drums with brushes – which give it a ‘holiday’ feel, but also something you can listen to any time since these are all new original songs. However, what was unusual is that the three of us didn’t record together. I produced the album using a layered approach, which also makes it more of a pop-styled record, replacing each demo track one at a time. I first recorded piano, then layered Wurlitzer, Rhodes and B3 organ parts sparsely to add depth here and there. After that was drums and then bass was last. A couple tracks also called for percussion, which was played by Lenny Castro.”

While writing his “Winter Stories” - the inspiration for all ten stories is shared in the accompanying liner notes, which is another first for Culbertson – he spotted a painting online that he felt perfectly encapsulated the album’s motif. So, he bought the painting and made it the album cover.

“It was exactly what was in my mind. I wanted it to be like an intriguing book cover, the kind that after you look at it, you get a sense of what the music is like and then compels you to want to listen,” said Culbertson, who curates, hosts and headlines his second annual Chicago Jazz Getaway running this Thursday through Sunday, a spinoff of his wildly popular Napa Valley Jazz Getaway.      

A second single from “Winter Stories” is planned for just prior to the holiday season. Going for adds on November 18, “City Sleigh Ride” is one of the album’s more up-tempo and fun adventures and the only song with sleigh bells. “While most of the album is on the slower, more ruminative side of things, it was important for me to break up the feel a little bit with a couple tracks,” said Culbertson.

After a recent YouTube Premiere with fans, the video for the album opener, “Sitting By The Fire,” is now available for viewing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkuG5bxnQgc). “I’d say the best time to listen to this record is when it’s the coldest and bleakest outside,” said Culbertson. “These songs will warm you up and keep you cozy.”  

“Winter Stories” contains the following songs:

“Sitting By The Fire”

“Montana Skies”

“Morning Walk”

“Flurries”

“City Sleigh Ride”

“Waltz For M”

“Island Dream”

“Northern Lights”

“Frosted Window”

“Starry Night”

For more information, please visit http://www.brianculbertson.com.

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Rainforest Band delivers a timely album with a timeless message #jazz

“Peace To The Planet” drops October 25 in partnership with The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network

Thirty years before the devastating Amazon rainforest fire and decades before the global climate crisis was one of the crucial issues facing the survival of life on earth, keyboardist Merl Saunders forecasted the future after witnessing the destruction occurring in the Amazon. Teaming with Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, Saunders brought the need to preserve rainforests into pop consciousness by creating an album, “Blues From The Rainforest – A Musical Suite,” featuring Garcia that they described as “environmental earth music.” Merl’s son, bassist Tony Saunders, is continuing his late father’s mission with the October 25 release of “Peace To The Planet” by Rainforest Band, which drops on San Francisco Records with a portion of the proceeds going to The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network.   

“The rainforests around the world are disappearing at an alarming rate. This band has three strong souls as leaders and our mission is to bring awareness with our music to a cause that needs vigilant attention – long before the Amazon fires put the issue back in the news. To honor the history of the music Jerry and Merl made and to do something to help save the planet is why we made this album now,” said Tony Saunders, who is based in the Bay Area along with his Rainforest Band mates, guitarist Vernon “Ice” Black and keyboardist Sylvester Burks.

“Peace To  The Planet” was produced by Black and San Francisco Records chief Ron Umile with social activism at the fore. Umile said, “The band and I have been concerned about the rainforest, climate change and all the related issues. We are also concerned about senseless gun violence in America, the rise of bigotry in our country, the extinction of animals and plants, and the lack of acknowledgement and action from the present administration and general government to address these issues and seek real solutions. The music on ‘Peace To The Planet’ tries to instill calmness for a minute to allow reflection on how we can do our part to be part of the solution. If we can visualize a peaceful planet, we could possibly inspire our audience to take action to save the planet.”

While Garcia crossed genres to collaborate with Merl Saunders, who was an African American jazz musician, the twelve songs composed by Rainforest Band members for “Peace To The Planet” are rooted in improvisational contemporary jazz and soulful R&B. The disc features performances by Billboard chart-topping saxophonist Jeff Ryan, noted keyboardist Gail Jhonson, drummer Austin White and percussionist Maquinto Brasil. The first single garnering playlist adds is the funky “S.I.Z.” on which Ryan’s tenor sax wails up a thunderous storm. 

The continued relationships and support of both nonprofit partners – The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network – was natural. Tony Saunders toured for a year playing in the original Rainforest Band concerts thirty years ago with his father and Garcia, including gigs for Rainforest Action Network. Garcia’s wife and daughter, Manasha and Keelin Garcia, run The Jerry Garcia Foundation and have collaborated with Tony on multiple projects and music catalogue decisions over the years. The foundations are the beneficiaries of the album release concert planned for November 1 at the Terrapin Crossroads Grate Room in San Rafael. 

The Rainforest Band principals are seasoned professionals equipped with lengthy resumes built during accomplished music careers. As a guitarist, vocalist, producer, composer and music director, Black has amassed recording, touring and film credits that list Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Spice Girls. Tony Saunders has played or recorded with legends Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, David Crosby, Joe Sample, Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr. and Paul Brown. He has won two Emmy Awards for writing television scores and is an award-winning composer of jingles and motion picture scores. Burks’ work with ten Grammy winners includes Patti LaBelle and Lalah Hathaway along with gospel superstars Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Shirley Caesar, Bebe Winans and The Hawkins Family. For more information, please visit https://rainforestband.net.

        

“Peace To The Planet” contains the following songs:

“S.I.Z.”

“Consequences”

“Caribbean Sunset”

“My Mellow Ways”

“One More Time”

“Gumbo Groove”

“God’s Nature”

“Annisa”

“Just Before Sunrise”

“Reflections”

“Windows Of Time”

“Verano Dias”

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