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| Randy Napoleon collaborates once again with composer Gregg Hill Gregg Hill is one of the most interesting people I've met in my travels in music. He has lived ten lifetimes. Gregg is the only composer I know who has been a professional truck driver and a CFO of a major tech company. His spirit is wide open. He is game for anything, and his feeling of adventure is contagious. The composition of this music is a true collaboration. Gregg sends me scores with very little instruction to allow maximum freedom of interpretation. He is profoundly trusting. I use his themes almost as writing prompts, they inspire introductions, bass lines, reharmonization, development and counterpoint. Gregg's voice is in my ear as I write, whispering, "nothing is off the table." As I listen back to this session, I'm reminded of the old Ouija board game, where none of the players are consciously moving the planchette. This music is somehow neither Gregg's nor mine, it is a fusion of minds. This is our second record with the core group of Rick Roe, Rodney Whitaker, Quincy Davis, and Aubrey Johnson. Rick Roe is Michigan's secret weapon. When I moved to New York City in 1999 I met musicians from all over the world. We would all brag about the musical cultures we came from. My friends from New Orleans, Washington D.C., Paris, Russia etc. would play me recordings of the cats they learned from. I'd listen politely, then I'd drop my trump card: Rick Roe!! I loved watching musicians' eyes widen in amazement. Rick is a true continuation of the Detroit school of piano. He is a bebop master, with a unique poetic approach. Like Rick, Rodney Whitaker has been my teacher and inspiration for nearly thirty years. These guys raised me. Rodney is a global icon as a bassist and educator. So much of my philosophy and musical approach comes from playing with and talking to Rodney. He plays with a deeply danceable beat and profound poignant lyricism. His playing captures the happiness and sadness of life. Quincy Davis (QD) has always inspired me with his forward leaning musical vision. He is also influenced by Rodney and Rick, the four of us are cut from the same cloth. I met Quincy when we were both nineteen years old, and he was already quite amazing. He has continued to deepen since then. QD has always influenced me to avoid cliches, to search, to stretch. His playing begs you to go further than you think you can. We have a powerful friendship and musical connection. Aubrey is a newer friend for me, she is the magic element that takes the music into unpredictable waters. My musical background is Bebop and the Blues. Aubrey brings a different kind of soulfulness to the mix. Contrast makes music, and life, interesting. Aubrey sings with Air and Fire. I was drawn to the emotional honesty in her music and imagined our sounds together. Sometimes I write lyrics for Aubrey, sometimes she functions as another instrumental voice. Her broad musical understanding gives her a large tool kit which expands the sound of our band. Airlines are rough these days! Rodney got stuck on the east coast for our first day in the studio. Luckily, he has trained an army of young masterful bassists at Michigan State University, where I also teach. I called on one the best: Lucas LaFave. He stepped in at the last minute and "LaFaved" the day. Lucas has the heart and soul of a bassist! Inspiring. On five of the tunes, we added three horns. I love writing soundscapes, and what an amazing pallet this was! Like Rodney, my colleague Michael Dease provides me with incredible students to work with. I delight in bringing the young cats into my thing. How about trombonist Andrew Kim?! He was all of nineteen years old on this date… He exceeded my high expectations for him. Andrew is an incredibly positive person and dedicated player. We can expect big things from Andrew and Lucas. The other two horn players are also on our faculty at MSU. It's amazing to live in this little Midwest town and have the greatest players on the planet as my neighbors. Walter Blanding joined our faculty after thirty years with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He goes for broke every time. The energy he puts out lifts us all up. I believe Anthony Stanco is the next big thing in jazz trumpet. You heard it here first. Language, sound, creativity, composition: it's all happening with this guy. Don't sleep on Stank! We have an incredible engineer here in Lansing. Corey DeRushia owns Troubadour Studios and has become an important part of my creative process. In addition to mastery of the technical art of recording, Corey has a keen musical understanding. He is instrumental to putting a complex project like this together. His shock of red hair (I call him "Ruddy Van Gelder") and big smile keep things positive. As for the tunes, I hope that you will experience some of the same joy that we had in creating it. I made an effort to reach beyond myself on this one. We touch on a lot of moods and styles. I'm proud of this record. Thank you for checking it out. by Randy Napoleon PLAYER & INSTRUMENT: RANDY NAPOLEON: guitar AUBREY JOHNSON: voice RICK ROE: piano QINCY DAVIS: drums RODNEY WHITAKER: bass (2, 3, 6, 8, 9) LUCAS LAFAVE: bass (1, 4, 5, 7) ANTHONY STANCO: trumpet (2, 3, 4, 8, 9) WALTER BLANDING: tenor saxophone (2, 3, 4, 8, 9) ANDREW KIM: trombone (2, 3, 4, 8, 9) TRACKS, TIMES: 1 The Lost Tune 7:34 2 The Door is Open 6:28 3 Escape to Cat Island 5:01 4 Motel Blues 5:52 5 Spa-Teneity 6:20 6 April Song 7:35 7 The Last Pop Tune 4:45 8 Skyline 5:34 9 Triple Play 4:10 All music composed by Gregg Hill Recomposed & arranged by Randy Napoleon Lyrics on Skyline & Motel Blues - Randy Napoleon Lyrics on The Lost Tune by Randy Napoleon & Aubrey Johnson Artist: Randy Napoleon Album: The Door is Open The music of Gregg Hill Label: OA2 Records Street Date: February 23, 2024 Add Date: February 19, 2024 Label Website: originarts.com/oa2 Artist Website: randynapoleon.com YouTube: https://youtu.be/YykrA9cpYh0 write your comments about the article :: © 2024 Jazz News :: home page |