Thursday, June 11, 2009

Kyle Eastwood - "Metropolitan"

Kyle Eastwood grew up in Carmel, California and is the eldest son of the Hollywood star Clint Eastwood. While doing his homework Kyle remembers listening to records of jazz stars such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Miles Davis playing in the house. Eastwood Senior had been attending the Monterey Jazz Festival since it began in 1958 and when his children were born it became a yearly family outing. Kyle's childhood had jazz as its soundtrack and he credits his father with introducing him to the joys of the bass line. Kyle's first memory of playing music was when Clint taught him how to play the left hand bass line of “Boogie Woogie” while he played the right hand solo over the top.



Studying film in the beginning, Kyle soon realized that jazz was his true passion. After years of paying his dues gigging around Los Angeles and New York, his debut album From Here to There was released on Sony in 1998.

Showing his ability as an accomplished composer, Kyle started to get into films with a contribution to the score for Mystic River. The film later went on to win two Academy Awards.

In 2004, Kyle signed to Candid Records, one of the leading independent jazz labels in the UK, and released his second album Paris Blue. It resonates with swing, groove, and funk overtones. Kyle says, “My roots remain in jazz but I like adding all kinds of different flavors.” The album climbed to No. 1 on the French Jazz charts.

Not being satisfied with just a critically acclaimed record, Kyle continued to work heavily within the movie industry by composing three pieces of music for the 2004 blockbuster Million Dollar Baby which went on to win four Academy Awards.

Kyle’s third album Now was released in 2006. It features songs written by Ben Cullum and collaborations with BBC Jazz Award winner pianist Andrew McCormack, as well as other musicians that make up the who’s who of the London jazz scene. With tracks ranging from the post-modern jazz modalities of the title track, through the flirtatious melodies of “Let’s Play” to the moody electronic groove of “September Nights,” Now captured listeners worldwide.

In 2007 and 2008, Kyle delivered Now to live audiences on 3 continents. His performances with his live band have sold out venues and received the highest critical acclaim. Kyle has also managed to fit in composing soundtracks for a number of popular films by Clint Eastwood’s including Flags Of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima and Gran Torino.

Kyle Eastwood’s latest record, Metropolitain, was released June 2nd in the US. It was recorded in Paris and has formed from collaborations with some of the artists he admires most on the current scene: drummer Manu Katché, trumpeter Till Brönner, French star vocalist Camille and pianist Eric Legnini.

Co-produced by Erin Davis (son of Miles) and Kyle’s long term writing partner Michael Stevens, the new album is set to capture the attention of the jazz world with its forward thinking style and stars which represent the cream of today’s jazz musicians followed by a worldwide tour in late 2009.

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