background
After
several albums of quite impressionistic jazz and world music
jazz fusion, around 1995 I was getting a lot more work singing
jazz and playing piano in bars and restaurants. This tended
to be jazz of a more mainstream blues influenced kind. Kind
of Ray Charles influenced plus songs from the 30s movies I loved.
I had written quite a few jazz songs by then so it seemed a
good idea to record them.
The
TRG Studios I was using then had a bar, so for the ambience
I set up there and, on my own, recorded my songs - no overdubs
then - using different kayboard sounds to vary the feel.
15
years later when I decided to remaster the album for CD I
decided to add harmonies, and light percussion on a couple
of tracks - I've always heard the harmonies in my head on
those songs - I just hadn't the means to record them back
then.
I've
written more jazz songs since, but this album captures my
bar room set of songs nicely - so pull up a stool, let Joe
the bartender pour you a drink and listen to songs of depression,
madness, celebration, and love gone wrong.
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