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| Tony Scherr "Twist in the Wind" On March 17, 2008, Grammy nominated producer and New York City singer-songwriter/guitarist/bassist Tony Scherr's sophomore recording effort, Twist In The Wind, will be released on Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley's indie label, Smells Like Records. Interviews and photos are available upon request. Tony Scherr is arguably one of the most in-demand sidemen in New York City with recent recording credits on new albums by Broken Social Scene's Jason Collett, Rufus Wainwright, Norah Jones and Teddy Thompson. His tunes have made their way into indie-rock chanteuse Feist's live sets (and on her breakthrough release, Let It Die), and his performance of Jesse Harris' “You The Queen” landed in Ethan Hawke's film, The Hottest State. To many, he is most notably known for his continuing live work with Bill Frisell, Steven Bernstein's Sexmob and Willie Nelson, and his anomalous Monday night weekly residency at Marion's Marquee Lounge on the Bowery (now in its second year running). A prolific guitarist and songwriter in his own right, Scherr delivers his most compelling collection of compositions to date on his upcoming release, Twist In The Wind. A follow-up to Scherr's 2002 debut, Come Around, the new album features 11 original songs and two covers (Cheap Trick's “I Want You To Want Me,” and the jazz standard “The Good Life”) all recorded to eight-track analog tape in his Brooklyn home studio. Having been mentored by longtime Atlantic Records engineer Gene Paul (son of seminal electric guitarist and pioneer of multi-tracking Les Paul), Twist In The Wind is evidence of a musician adept in the art of capturing the moment. Comprised primarily of first-takes, Scherr's jaw-dropping soulful guitar virtuosity and alt-countrified vocals undeniably exposes a rare spontaneity and stark emotive openness in his songcraft. Scherr himself describes the recordings as an intimate document of “an enlightened scene.” Where Come Around “was about survival,” the new record has a more hopeful tone of “coming out of isolation, self-neglect and unhappiness, and getting rid of various crutches.” Twist In The Wind features the same set of ace players who formed Scherr's “dream band” on Come Around including Toronto-raised Chris Brown on Hammond organ, drummer Kenny Wollesen (Sex Mob, Bill Frisell) and his brother Peter, a concert bassist living in Hong Kong, on electric and stand-up bass. The release has special guest appearances by Bill Frisell, Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson's longstanding harmonica player), Mauro Refosco (Bebel Gilberto, David Byrne), Kate Fenner and Michelle Casillas (Ursa Minor). Since moving to New York City in the late 1980s, Scherr has become an integral part of a fertile and interactive music community. His countless collaborations with a laundry list of artists are immeasurable, and its due time for such a talent to return to his own songwriting and offer a new set of uniquely crafted revelatory songs. Twist In The Wind will be available online and in-stores on Monday, March 17, 2008. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |