Month: May 2019

HIT-MAKERS PIECES OF A DREAM CONTINUE INSPIRED JOURNEY WITH NEW RECORDING ON ANOTHER NOTE TO BE RELEASED ON SHANACHIE MAY 24, 2019

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Dubbed the “Steely Dan of smooth jazz” by All About Jazz and praised by JazzTimes Magazine for their “consistently winning contemporary jazz,” Pieces Of A Dream has been churning out chart-topping hits for four consecutive decades. Even the iconic Count Basie declared Pieces Of A Dream “A tough act to follow!” Hailing from The City of Brotherly Love, the celebrated band has joined the ranks of some of Philadelphia’s most revered music-makers including Grover Washington, Jr., Patti LaBelle, The Roots, Jill Scott, John Coltrane and Stanley Clarke. Throughout their illustrious career, childhood friends, pianist James Lloyd and drummer Curtis Harmon, have managed to stay true to their mission. “I don’t feel the vision for Pieces has changed at all,” explains Lloyd. “It’s a very simple one, to spread peace through our gift of music.” Curtis Harmon adds, “The band has changed a lot from 1976 to now. I mean just think about it – when we started we were only 3, now we’re 7!” Pieces Of A Dream, whose name is inspired by Pittsburgh tenor titan Stanley Turrentine’s song “Pieces Of Dreams,” remains one of the architects of contemporary jazz and has no plans of slowing down. “Our fans keep us alive and kicking,” declares Harmon. May 24, 2019 Shanachie Entertainment will release On Another Note, Pieces Of A Dream’s 24th recording. “We’re back folks with one more to add to your collection,” says James Lloyd. “I hope the new music shows the passion we put into the performances on this project and our constant drive to improve on everything we deliver to our fans.”
Pieces Of A Dream has toured the world, sold over one million albums, and scored both Smooth Jazz and R&B radio hits along the way. Curtis Harmon reflects, “So far our fans and the DJs seem cool with what we have been doing so I say if the recipe works, keep cookin’ with it!” Crowned “Pioneers of Smooth Jazz” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pieces Of A Dream’s longevity is a testament to the brotherhood shared between James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon. On Another Note was truly a labor of love. Lloyd shares, “These songs very much reflect both of our hearts and vibes. I believe we are all products of our environment and if one creates music from the heart it contains all of their emotions.”
On Another Note finds Pieces Of A Dream doing what they do best – serving up their irresistible signature fusion of Jazz, R&B, Funk, Pop, Blues and beyond. There is something for everyone and for every mood. “This CD should play like the set list of life,” says Lloyd. “It is for moments of joy, melancholy, high activity, retrospection, party-mode, pain, hopefulness, and sometimes just plain fun.” The CDs first single and title track is a sweet and soulful groove showcasing the tenor of Tony Watson Jr. The sultry and R&B laced “Floating” follows and features the fluid and enchanting guitar of Chris Harris. Lloyd and Harmon provide the right vibe with their high-octane groove “Kickin’ & Screamin’.” The spirited anthem joins the duo with both Chris Harris and co-writer Tony Watson Jr. Together the ensemble kicks it up a notch for a funk showdown. “This song is my favorite track,” shares Harmon. I just think that this song is a true funk instrumental that’s going to be a whole lot of fun for our audience to hear and for us to perform. Tony and I had a lot of fun writing it.”
Pieces Of A Dream shifts gears with the gorgeous ballad “Take Me There,” which provides the right showcase for James Lloyd to demonstrate just how he makes the keys sing. The spirited and jubilant “A Pieces Fiesta,” is a Latin-tinged affair and cause for celebration showcasing the multi-dimensional range of Pieces Of A Dream. The explosive track features the percussive wonder of Curtis Harmon along with Elec Simon. The tranquil and graceful “Images of Peace,” which James Lloyd cites as his track favorite, offers a sublime meditative oasis from the rushed pace of our daily lives, while “Rolling Along” is a bluesy anthem with a kick and groove that is sure to elevate your mood.
On Another Note also features the sweet bounce of “Smooth Dreams” and the uplifting “Real To Me.” The album comes to a rousing finale with the swinger and stepper-esque groove of “Last Call.” But don’t worry it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. James Lloyd says, “Here’s the game plan folks; create and release music to try to touch people, perform live and try to touch people there and along the way, teach others what we’ve learned along our way and repeat it until we expire.” So let the music play!
Not many groups manage to stay together for 42 years and amass a catalogue of 24 recordings. The story of Pieces Of A Dream is remarkable considering James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon were 16 and 18 respectively when they released their first recording in 1981. Not long after that they hit the road performing in Grover Washington Jr.’s rhythm section and opening for him as Pieces Of A Dream. “Mr. Magic” himself took Lloyd and Harmon under his wings and signed the band as the first group with his brand new production company. Danny Harmon, Curtis’ father and a jazz musician himself, became their manager and had the guys listening to the Modern Jazz Quartet, Ahmad Jamal and Oscar Peterson as they developed their unique sound, blending their jazz roots with R&B, soul and funk. Pieces released three albums in quick succession, firmly establishing its place in the world of smooth jazz with the CDs Pieces of a Dream (1981), We Are One (1982) and Imagine This (1983). Those albums include some of their biggest early hits, including “Warm Weather,” “Mount Airy Groove” and “Fo Fi Fo.” Pieces Of A Dream recorded their Shanachie debut, In The Moment, in 2013, followed by 2015’s All In and Just Funkin’ Around in 2017.
“Hopefully On Another Note will take our fans on a joyride like no other ‘Pieces’ album or CD ever has. The range of influences on this one are broad, from Funk to Latin ballads. You can’t help but feel a wide range of emotion. We just want everyone to enjoy the entire journey,” concludes Curtis Harmon. James Lloyd adds, “We’re looking forward to Pieces Of A Dream’s Golden Anniversary. We’ve already been blessed with so much but that is an incredible milestone that few are able to reach…fingers crossed!”

Jazz guitarist Chris Standring reimagines his best

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Jazz guitarist Chris Standring reimagines his best

The album dropping June 21 consists of a dozen remixes, including the upcoming single, “Kaleidoscope” (Neptune Mix 2019).

STUDIO CITY (1 May 2018): Over twenty years and twelve albums into his career as a solo artist, chart-topping guitarist Chris Standring had no interest in putting out a typical “best of” album. After a gig, a fan approached him with a novel idea that did get his creative wheels spinning.

“I had thought about releasing a ‘best of’ for a long time, but it didn’t make a lot of sense because with streaming and downloadable songs, anyone can grab their favorite songs thus a compilation felt a little redundant. But then a fan brought me the idea to take my most popular songs and do something new with them. It’s nice to breathe new life into some music that has been around a while,” said Standring who drops “Best of Chris Standring Remixed” on June 21 on the Ultimate Vibe Recordings label.

The British guitarist remixed eleven songs from his catalogue of instrumental R&B, soul jazz and electronica, including the No. 1 Billboard Contemporary Jazz Track of the Year in 2010, “Bossa Blue,” and a 2014 Billboard No. 1 single, “Sneakin’ Out the Front Door.” According to Standring, the songs for “Best of Chris Standring Remixed” were selected based on two criteria.

“First and foremost, the popularity of each track. Most of these songs were heavily searched on the internet. Secondly, songs were chosen based on how each might lend itself to a remix,” said Standring, who will celebrate the album release by performing two shows at the Blue Note Napa in the heart of the Napa Valley on the record release date.

The only song not culled from a previous Standring solo album is the 1996 track “Stop It!” from an acid jazz band he was in called Solar System. One of his former bandmates and longtime songwriting partner, Rodney Lee, reconfigured that track along with four others – “Fast Train To Everywhere,” “Liquid Soul,” “Pandora’s Box” and “Sneakin’ Out The Front Door” – adding imaginative bursts of electronic ingenuity over chunky beats. British techno DJ Matt Cooper put a clubby trance vibe on three cuts – “Bossa Blue,” “Oliver’s Twist” and “Ready Steady Flow.” Standring’s only advance directive to Lee and Cooper was “‘Do your thing.’ I didn’t want them to be constrained in any way. And they certainly weren’t.”

Standring remixed four tracks himself, taking two swings at “Kaleidoscope.” The Neptune Mix 2019 version will be released as a single, collecting playlist adds on July 22.

Although placed in entirely fresh contexts, Standring’s guitar work throughout “Best of Chris Standring Remixed” – whether playing an electric jazz guitar or nylon-string instrument – remains at the fore, melodically embarking on lyrical runs, dexterous embellishments and impassioned finger-work forays.

A consistent hitmaker, the classically-trained guitarist basked in the glow of his “Sunlight” album last summer when it went No. 1 on the SmoothJazz.com chart. Standring notched three No. 1 Billboard singles the previous year, including duets with trumpeter Cindy Bradley (“Category A”) and two-time Grammy-winning guitarist Paul Brown (“Piccadilly Circus”). He was a first-call session player when he first came to America, recording with Jody Watley and Bebe & Cece Winans among many others before touring extensively with trumpeter Rick Braun.

In addition to playing spot dates such as a two-night Memorial Day Weekend stand (May 24 & 25) at Seal Beach’s Spaghettini, Standring will spend the year working on an album of all new music for release next year. In the meantime, he’s eager for people to hear his best material in an all-new way.

“My hope is that everyone embraces the experimentation that took place and simply loves it.”

“Best of Chris Standring Remixed” contains the following songs:

“Stop It!” (Mercury Mix 2019)

“Fast Train To Everywhere” (Jupiter Mix 2019)

“Bossa Blue” (Outside Mix 2019)

“Kaleidoscope” (Neptune Mix 2019)

“Liquid Soul” (Venus Mix 2019)

“Pandora’s Box” (Saturn Mix 2019)

“Sneakin’ Out The Front Door” (Earth Mix 2019)

“Soul Express” (Love Mix 2018)

“Oliver’s Twist” (Outside Mix 2012)

“Constellation” (Galaxy Mix 2018)

“Ready Steady Flow” (Outside Mix 2019)

“Kaleidoscope” (Cake Mix 2019)

For additional information, please visit http://www.chrisstandring.com.