Especially For Groovers
Modern Piano Interpretations of
Jazz and Pop Standards
About Especially For Groovers
(the On-Liner Notes)
Hello again. This is the fourth in a series of albums for my friends, fans and customers. This particular album focuses on grooving rhythms, whether from a chugging Basie-style swing or a pure Afro-Cuban bolero, leaving plenty of room for powerful, romantic ballads and sprightly waltzes – just the ticket for cruising down life’s highway.
Listen to the Music
Beach Girls
Fun and funny take on life in the grooving lane. Sweet drum groove, winsome melody. Ipanema? Move over, girl, you’ve got competition!
By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Jimmy Webb is a great storyteller, his many hits are always mini-dramas with hidden depths. This translates into a powerful ballad, and a moving tale.
S’Wonderful
S’marvelous! S’just so damned perfect I could pop! I always feel like this song perfectly expresses the fusion between jazz, the Star Wars Cantina Theme and Lawrence Welk’s bubble machine…
Li’l Darlin’
The perfect-for-dancing fox trot. The rhythm section feature a Freddie Green-style guitar. (Freddie Green set the standard for rhythm guitar in the Big band era, propelling 15-piece jazz bands with ease.) This groove is just so much fun to play over, I see why Basie left such huge holes. Plenty of breathing (and snuggling) room…
East of the Sun
Authentic Afro-Cuban bolero rhythm, great feel for a close encounter of the romantic kind.
Everything Must Change
Time heals all wounds and wounds all heels. Another power ballad for the slow dancers in the audience. For the rest of us, another mellow drama…
Watermelon-Man
Classic Herbie Hancock funk powerhouse. Soulful, evocative and fun. Highly recommended for those close encounters of the close encounter kind…
Hey There
Swinger – with Attitude. If you are not on your feet during this tune, you must not be listening…
Memory (from Cats)
Hmm, I can’t seem to remember why I picked this one…
Oh yeah – lots of requests. But with good reason. A song of peak moments, a song of bottom moments, a song of quiet moments.
This song is especially evocative when you are in a reflective mood, or bouncing off the walls (frequently the same thing, except in one you do it all inside…)
Waltz For Debbie
Bill Evans wrote this, and in almost every recording I can find, plays the solo in 4/4 time. But the melody is so Viennese in character, I decided to honor the title, rather than the history. (The song itself is actually so sweet, Bill should have called it Waltz for Little Debbie, and is probably the reason he swings it…)
In a Mellotone
Another Freddie Green-style guitar on a Count Basie classic. Get on the dance floor, you know you want to…
Somewhere
Afro-Cuban bolero again, on the legendary Leonard Bernstein West Side Story classic.
Friends and Strangers
My take on Dave Grusin’s take on a soul classic. Energetic, funky and moving, but probably not really for dancing – though you are welcome to give it a whirl. Never know who you might meet…’
Jeremy
An original composition for my son, who passed unexpectedly in June of 2013. Played with much love.
Four (in 3)
Miles Davis jazz standard, with a twist. This oxymoronic arrangement is as much fun to play as it is to listen to – or twirl your partner…
Michelle
Michelle, Ma Belle. A song about the CEO of the phone company? Naah, just an attempt to get English kids to sing in French… But it makes a great samba! And an excellent closer to the album – if it actually were the last song…
But Wait! There’s More!!!
Watermelon Man on Electric Piano
This is what is known as an Easter Egg. An extra, unannounced surprise just for fun. I used the same rhythm track to record a version for electric piano, just because the groove is so funky! But I didn’t advertise it, so if you have bought the CD and not seen this page – surprise…
About the Recording
Producing A Groovin’ Album
For my fourth piano solo CD, I wanted to find a more authentic sound for the backing band(s). Previously, my backing instruments were largely generated from sample libraries, recordings of single notes or short licks that I perform on keyboard. This time, the phrases are longer, and are played in context and the result is massively superior. The end results are much more fun to play to, and the feel is far more intense and personal. Enjoy the new grooves – I do. To keep the groove fluid and relaxed, timing between tracks is a bit longer than most CDs, so you have a bit more time to appreciate the vibe…
