David Garfield

Keyboardist David Garfield is joined by George Benson and David Sanborn on the next single previewing his “Jammin’ Outside the Box” album

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“Jammin’” with legends 

Keyboardist David Garfield is joined by George Benson and David Sanborn on the next single previewing his “Jammin’ Outside the Box” album. “Stay” features the Rufus hit’s co-writer, Moon Calhoun, on lead vocals.

LOS ANGELES (23 May 2018): When asked how he got Grammy-winning legends George Benson and David Sanborn to perform on his new single, “Stay,” keyboardist David Garfield responds dryly with a gleeful grin, “You ask them.” The third single from Garfield’s forthcoming “Jammin’ Outside the Box” album is a remake of the Rufus classic featuring the vintage R&B-funk band’s former drummer Moon Calhoun singing lead on the song he wrote with Chaka Khan. “Stay” goes for radio adds on June 11 and drops digitally from Creatchy Records on June 15.

As Garfield was gathering material for his multi-disc, multi-genre “Outside the Box” series, he decided to give his long-time friend, Calhoun, the chance to sing the first song he ever wrote, which appeared on Rufus’s “Street Player” (1978). Calhoun was paralyzed in a bike accident 25 years ago and although he can no longer play drums, he can still sing. After inviting Benson and Sanborn to participate, Garfield let Calhoun cast the rest of the track’s musicians, which includes original Rufus guitarist Tony Maiden, along with Maiden’s daughter, Amanda Maiden, on backing vocals. Among the prominent players is a powerhouse sax section comprised of Sanborn on alto, Eric Marienthal on tenor and Tower of Power’s Doc Kupka on baritone; Paul Jackson Jr. (rhythm guitar), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), Freddie Washington (bass) and Lenny Castro (percussion). Sanborn and Benson take turns in the spotlight soloing.

“Both George and David were very gracious. It was great to put them together. They compliment each other,” said Garfield, who is Benson’s long-serving music director and has collaborated with Sanborn on numerous occasions. “Initially George was only going to play the solo, but when he heard the guitar tracks, he added some rhythm guitar as well. This track really embodies the idea of musical community, where everyone works hand in hand, gifting each other with their talents. All I think about when I hear the finished song now is, ‘Moon finally got to sing his song!’”

Scheduled to street on July 20, “Jammin’ Outside the Box” is the second volume of the star-studded “Outside the Box” collection. Released in late March, Garfield’s first ever straight-ahead jazz date, “Jazz Outside the Box,” continues to gather radio spins and receive accolades. “Jammin’ Outside the Box” mixes it up in the smooth/contemporary jazz sandbox showcasing luminaries Benson, Sanborn, Smokey Robinson, Michael McDonald, Ray Parker Jr., Oleta Adams, Phil Perry, Marcus Miller, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun and many more. The outing’s first single, “Go Home,” hit No. 2 on the Billboard chart, while the follow up, “Jamming,” rose to No. 8.

Garfield will perform music from “Outside the Box” on May 31at Cleveland’s Night Town and celebrate “Jazz Outside the Box” on June 12 in Hollywood at the Catalina Jazz Club featuring special guests.

For more information, please visit www.DavidGarfield.com.

No Lie: Jazz/R&B keyboardist David Garfield hits the country charts

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David Garfield

No Lie: Jazz/R&B keyboardist David Garfield hits the country charts 

 He wrote the heartbroken ballad “I Lied” with legend Smokey Robinson. 

 LOS ANGELES (5 April 2018): There is no telling where your career will take you when it spans five decades, but jazz/R&B keyboardist David Garfield never imagined that he’d hit the country charts let alone for a song that he wrote with Motown icon Smokey Robinson. “I Lied,” the power pop ballad that they penned, has reached No. 60 on the Music Row singles chart and gained New & Active status on the Billboard Indicator chart. The accompanying video for the track featuring vocalist J. Paris has been added to the playlist at the Heartland Network, “the beating pulse of country music for the nation” reaching over 22 million households.

 “It’s amazing and we are thrilled to be receiving a lot of country airplay. Smokey and I wrote ‘I Lied’ with a female singer in mind. It was the second tune we wrote together, and it was just sitting in the archives. It hadn’t been recorded. When I began work on (my current project) ‘Outside the Box,’ I went to Nashville to track the song after hearing a country inflection in the singer’s voice when she demoed it for me here in LA. It was always an R&B/pop song, a product of my relationship with Smokey. He’s a poet, masterful with his lyrics. When we started writing it, it was like a contemporary pop (song) with a little R&B influence. Like all the other stuff we’ve been working on, very traditional and fresh at the same time, but nothing in the world of country,” said Garfield, a St. Louis native who has been long been anchored in Los Angeles. “These songs have stories, that’s the thing. ‘I Lied’ has such an amazing story to it.”

 Robinson wrote the storied lyrics and sweeping melody lines for “I Lied.” “When I write, let me write something that’s going to just mean something for as long as there are people. If I can possibly do it, that’s what I want to do,” said the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy winner and member of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.

 Garfield and Robinson first wrote together when composing “One Like You” for George Benson’s 2009 album, “Songs and Stories.” That same year, Garfield, who serves as Benson’s longtime music director, performed on Robinson’s “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” disc.

 “I Lied” will also appear on Garfield’s “Vox Outside the Box,” part of his ambitious multivolume “Outside the Box” collection showcasing the prolific keyboardist’s collaborations with jazz, R&B, rock and pop luminaries. The first set, “Jazz Outside the Box,” dropped March 23 on Garfield’s Creatchy Records imprint and is his first straight-ahead jazz outing. The first two singles from “Jamming Outside the Box” – “Go Home” and “Jamming” – hit the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart with the former peaking at No. 2 and the latter currently climbing the Top 20. “Jamming Outside the Box” is slated for release this summer.

To watch Garfield and Robinson discuss “I Lied,” click https://bit.ly/2I3iZEi.

To view the “I Lied” video, click https://bit.ly/2BolVeF.

For more information, please visit www.DavidGarfield.com.