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| Composer Suzanne Dean Releases Come To Paradise  Suzanne Dean is an arranger, composer, keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist and educator. In addition to releasing two albums on Nova Records, she worked as an orchestrator on the television series Jake and the Fatman, and has taught at Berklee College of Music since 1997.Suzanne received an Associate's Degree in music from the University of Maine in Augusta, after which she spent some years performing and was the leader of her own jazz quartet. She then attended Berklee College of Music and received a Bachelor's of Music in Film Scoring. After a move to LA, and releasing her first two albums, she attended the Master's program in music composition at California State University in Northridge, California. Suzanne released her first album on Nova Records in 1987, entitled Dreams Come True. Her second album was released in 1991, entitled I Wonder. These albums featured some of L.A.'s finest studio musicians, such as contemporary jazz greats John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Peter Erskine. These recordings received worldwide distribution and continue to receive airplay in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. The writing and arranging vary from acoustic jazz to fusion and incorporate orchestral elements. In addition to composing and arranging music on the albums, she also served as the keyboardist and vocalist on several of the tracks. Suzanne's newest CD Come to Paradise once again features well-known LA session musicians including saxophonist Bob Sheppard and guitarist Dean Parks. The music is eclectic but this time consists entirely of original songs for which she wrote both the music and lyrics, with the exception of one song, which was co-written. For this new CD, Suzanne features Nicole Zuraitis, a New York based vocalist versed in a multitude of styles. Suzanne adds some vocals on a few tracks and plays 8 string ukulele on the title track. Suzanne is currently an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music in the Contemporary Writing and Production Department. She teaches Music Application and Theory, Arranging 1, Harmony 2, The Music of Laurel Canyon, Women Songwriters of the 20th Century, Artistry Creativity and Inquiry and Arranging for Songwriters. She also authored and teaches Arranging 1: Rhythm Section, for Berklee online. She has continued to write and record during her time at Berklee but welcomed her year long sabbatical to be able to record her new CD. Come to Paradise offers six new original compositions. It's an eclectic mix of styles. Ngizohamba, (pronounced geezoamba), is an African piece with lyrics in Zulu, that serve as an homage to African wildlife. The other songs are indicative of her roots in acoustic folk music from the '60s and '70s, as well as her immersion in jazz later on, and her appreciation for contemporary singer/songwriter idioms. The album features Nicole Zuraitis on vocals, and a number of seasoned LA session musicians. Track Time 1. Come to Paradise 4:24 2. What Dreams are Made Of 5:01 3. Soulstar 5:38 4. On a Cloud 3:32 5. Dance the Night Away 5:05 6. Ngizohamba 2:09 All composed by Suzanne Dean except "What Dreams Are Made Of" is Suzanne Dean and Henry Gaffney Player and instrument: Rich Ruttenberg - keyboards Nicole Zuraitis - lead singer Trey Henry - bass Dean Parks - guitar Casey Scheuerell - drums Scott Breadman - percussion John Daversa - trumpet Bob Sheppard - soprano Sax Suzanne Dean - background vocals and ukulele write your comments about the article :: © 2016 Jazz News :: home page |