Rite On Time
PS
Quite possibly Ernie Watts' biggest album ever -- a set of soulful fusion done for Quincy Jones' Qwest imprint with tight arrangements and production from keyboardist Don Grusin! As with other Watts albums of the time, there's as much soul going on here as there is jazz -- vocals from Phil Perry on 3 of the album's tracks, and an overall sound that picks up plenty of rhythms and instrumental inflections from 80s soul -- yet leaves more than enough solo space for Ernie's work on alto, soprano, and tenor sax.
Titles include "Homeland", "Cowboy Dreams", "She Feels Good", "Taj", "Chinook", "City Speak", and "The Peace Offering".
A definite victory for Narada Michael Walden -- a record that has him pulling all the best elements of previous albums into really sharp focus -- all to serve up some of the most soulful grooves of his career! Walden's miles from his jazzier roots here -- but that previous training also puts him in great shape for the buoyant 80s groove styles of this set -- a tight blend of beats, bass, and keyboards that snaps along with some mighty rhythms at the bottom! There's less of the superstars here than on previous albums from Narada -- which is a good thing, because it lets him and the core group really focus on getting their sound right for the set.
Titles include "Take It To The Bossman", "Get Up", "Lucky Fella", "You Will Find Your Way", "The Real Thang", and "I Want You".
Robbie Dupree
was born Robert Dupuis in 1947. The Brooklyn-native has been along way around in his musical career. It began in the street corners of Brooklyn were he was singing in different a cappella groups.
After a stay in New York were Robbie Dupree tried to be settled as a musicians, but it was more the musical writing that became the strong side of his career at that time. After the stay in New York, Robbie moved to Woodstock in 1973. Over a long period Robbie Dupree played in a lot of band, did all the touring, and became an important part of the musical enviroment in that area.
Robbie Dupree were focused on a solo career, and in 1978 this brought him to the city of music Los Angeles. Here he teamed up with his old friends Rick Chudacoff and Peter Bunetta. Robbie Dupree signed with Elektra Records, and with Rick and Peter as producers the first album "Robbie Dupree" in 1980. It was a great debut for Robbie Dupree and the album gave him two Top 10 singles, 'Steal Away' and 'Hot Rod Hearts', a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. One of the highlights from the album, the song "Steal Away" has to date been played on American radio almost three million times, so you can say that is is a true pop classic.The first album was followed up the year after with the release "Street Corner Heroes", a title that reminds of Robbie´s beginning back in Brooklyn, and you can really hear that on the song "All Night Long", another classic from this period. Robbie did establish himself as a big star these years. Then suddenly a lot of thing changes. Robbie Dupree stopped his contract with Elektra Records, he didn´t like the direction that the record label wanted him to, so he decides to "sit the contract out". After that he took a long break from recording, and first after 8 years he recorded the 3rd album "Carried Away". It was a beatiful comeback, and you could hear that he still is a great songwriter. This album had a lot of highlights and the opening tune "This Is Life" is saying everything.
After "Carried Away" Robbie Dupree has been very active, he has released 4 albums (Walking On Water - 1993, Smoke & Mirrors - 1995, Vintage Vol 1. - 1997, All Night Long Live - 1998), and the next "Vintage Vol. 2" is being released in June 2001.
Beside working with his on own material, he has also produced albums for his longtime friends John Hall and Bill LaBounty, and co-writing materials with others etc.
Robbie Dupree is also still active "live on stage" and if you would like to check that out, you should listen to the livealbum "All Night Long, Live" that he released in 1998.
In 2001 Robbie Dupree did find more rare material in his gemms and these songs was put out on the Vintage Vol. 2 release and followed up by many livegigs in US. Beside touring Robbie Dupree has been playin´ many acoustic performances with the keyboard player David Sancious and this has resulted in the latest 2003 release with a collection of Dupree songs recorded in the acoustic vein.
The Tracks are:
Steal Away I´m No Stranger, Thin Line, It´s A Feeling, Hot Rod Hearts, Nobody Else, We Both Tried, Love Is A Mystery & Lonely Runner.
Musicians on the Robbie Dupree album: Robbie Dupree, Bill Elliot, Miguel Rivera, Bill LaBounty, Brian Ray, Dennis Herring, Bob Bordy, Jerry Peterson, Michael Boddicker, Alan Estes, Kal David, Leslie Smith, Arno Lucas, Matthew Weiner, Joe Turano, Robert Palmer, Rick Chudacoff & Peter Bunetta.
Available from Elektra/Original release year: 1980
David Pack
One of music’s most distinctive voices, David Pack has won acclaim worldwide for both his insightful solo work and as the charismatic lead vocalist—and guitarist—for the celebrated progressive pop-rock group Ambrosia. As a songwriter, Pack’s compositions took the band to the top of the charts repeatedly, and have delivered hits for a diverse group of artists. As a record producer, he’s worked with many of the biggest names in music, his collective works selling over 30 million units. Pack’s imprint producing and music directing truly major events includes the masterminding of President Clinton’s two star-studded inaugural galas.
On The Secret Of Movin’ On, his long-awaited new solo album and debut disc for Concord/Peak Records, David Pack’s ongoing evolution from his phenomenal stint as Ambrosia’s frontman into the compelling artist he is today is revealed in a way that’s both powerful and intimate. His creative journey paralleled by one of intense personal exploration, Pack’s latest music—as suggested by the album title—is soulful and authentic, driven by his deep commitment to a spiritual path and the earned wisdom of major life-changing experiences. “I was walking through an emotional hurricane when the opportunity came to make this CD,” he explains. “As a result, it’s one of my most personal, and most revealing, to date.”
As ever, Pack’s stellar song craft shines through as well. In speaking about his mentors and friends Quincy Jones and the late Leonard Bernstein, David said recently, “They were larger-than-life figures who taught me that all great things start with a song. For a songwriter, a great song is like discovering a secret code that you can share with the world.” This mysterious alchemy of artistic translation that Pack refers to works magic throughout The Secret Of Movin’ On.
Highlights include four exciting new vocal collaborations with friends and guest artists, among them the moving ballad “A Brand New Start,” featuring the soulful counterpoint of former Journey frontman Steve Perry, who also co-wrote and co-produced the track. “It’s one of the handful of songs Steve and I wrote just after 9/11,” recalls Pack, adding, “we just needed to express ourselves.”
Other harmonic partnerships are the gently seductive title track, the Latin-flavored “The Secret Of Movin’ On (Travelin’ Light),” graced with Heart’s Ann Wilson, and the folksy, “front porch-flavored” “Tell Her Goodbye,” featuring Pack in tandem with Dewey Bunnell of America. The upbeat yet bittersweet “Where We Started From” features a duet with the unmistakable, soaring voice of The Eagles’ Timothy B. Schmidt. These and other tracks also feature the instrumental prowess of several of modern jazz’s top talents, including David Benoit, Vinnie Colaiuta, Luis Conte, Russ Freeman, and Eric Marienthal.
On bringing some of his oldest friends to his newest venture, Pack commented, “Their voices remind us of how we felt at a certain time by triggering something emotionally, but it isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s about connections.”
Also meaningfully connecting Pack’s present to his rich past are transcendent reworks of two of his most famous compositions, “Biggest Part Of Me” and “You’re The Only Woman (You & I).” Both massive Ambrosia hits, these classics sparkle with new life as Pack reinterprets them with a spirited and jazzy contemporary flair. Pack closes the album with songs honoring his daughters, the wistful and lovely “Think Of You (Song 4 Kaitlyn)” and “Elizabeth,” featuring Beth Pack, a special needs child, ending the track with a heartfelt, “Hey dad.”
Another personal touch making The Secret Of Movin’ On extra special to David is the extraordinary album art, featuring the paintings of famed lyricist Bernie Taupin, also a highly respected visual artist. Their friendship dates back to 1992, when Taupin invited Pack to be music director/conductor for AIDS Project LA’s Commitment To Life VI, a benefit concert featuring Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Billy Joel, Natalie Cole, Wynonna, and others that raised over $4 million.
David Pack first rose to stardom when Ambrosia’s debut hit, 1975’s “Holdin’ On To Yesterday,” captured the pop culture consciousness, followed by the blockbuster 1978 #3 Billboard single “How Much I Feel.” Before Ambrosia disbanded in ’82, Pack penned them two more signature smashes (and 3 million plus BMI airplay award winners)—both reincarnated on his new album—“Biggest Part Of Me” and “You’re The Only Woman.” The band’s legacy was honored in 2001 with Warner Bros.’ Anthology, a “best of” compilation also featuring three new tracks.
Pack’s debut solo album was the 1986 Warner Bros. release Anywhere You Go, executive produced by Lenny Waronker, with the stand-outs “I Just Can’t Let Go” and “Prove Me Wrong,” the latter also featured in the Taylor Hackford (Ray)-directed motion picture White Nights. 2004’s Unborn, introducing a dozen diverse songs written over the years but never before recorded, is Pack’s only other solo disc prior to The Secret Of Movin’ On.
The years in between have been filled with a much-lauded career as a visionary producer, which began in 1983 when Quincy Jones connected David with Patti Austin for multiple projects. Two decades-plus later, his production credits include work with artists Kenny Loggins, Aretha Franklin, Michael McDonald, Phil Collins, Selena, Wynonna, CeCe Winans, Natalie Cole, Chick Corea, James Ingram, Patti Labelle, and Trisha Yearwood, among many others. Notable highlights also include the GRAMMY®-winning Best Contemporary Gospel Albums Handel’s Messiah-A Soulful Celebration (’95) and Tribute: The Songs Of Andre Crouch (’96).
The most personally meaningful to Pack of all his many projects as a producer is 1996’s RIAA Gold CD The Songs Of West Side Story (with Phil Collins’s Top 5 hit “Somewhere”), an all-star tribute to music legend Leonard Bernstein, who was also godfather to Pack’s eldest daughter. Most recently, Pack produced the multi-artist Time-Life CD Committed 2 Rock, featuring an enviable line-up of top modern rock and contemporary Christian acts—including Dave Matthews, Creed, Moby, and Nickelback—performing positive-skewed songs. The project was the first one conceived by Mpowered Ideas, the independent media company Pack co-founded in 2001.
As David Pack returns to recording for the first time in many years, he says, “I’ve had the great blessing to do so many wonderful projects with stars from classical, jazz, rock, pop, and gospel music, yet I feel like I’m only just hitting my own stride artistically. It feels like exactly the right time to be recording again, to bring all these things together. The Secret Of Movin’ On is really about ‘traveling light’ in life, letting go of the internal baggage we carry around, which only comes through forgiveness, and through love. That is the road to true inner peace, and for me, it’s a beautiful place to be right now.”
The tracks are:
1. Anywhere You Go 5:02
2. I Just Can't Let Go 4:57
3. Wont Let You Lose Me 3:38
4. My Baby 4:20
5. That Girl Is Gone 4:46
6. She Don't (Come Around Anymore) 5:26
7. Do Ya 4:49
8. Prove Me Wrong (from Motion Picture Wild Nights) 4:21
9. No Direction (No Way Home) 5:46
10. Just Be You 4:16
Musicians on the Anywhere You Go album:
David Pack, Kerry Livgren, Jai Winding, James Newton Howard, Hawk Wolinski, Mike Porcaro, Joe Puerta, Stanley Clarke, Will McGregor, Prairie Prince, George Perilli, John Robinson, Jeff Porcaro, Jamie Bernstein, Ernie Watts, Burleigh Drummond, Paulinho da Costa, Michael McDonald, James Ingram, John Elefante, Jennifer Holiday, Cynthia Rhodes, Joe Puerta, Royce Jones, Jennifer Holiday & Lisa Harrison.
Available from © Warner Music Japan/Original release year: 1985
The Kazu Project
"Another project from Kazu Matsui" The Tracks are: Love is Where You Find It, Love's Gone, I Close My Eyes, Castles, Afternoon Delight, Sentimental Solo Song, Midnight Shuffle, Silent Partners, Earth Beat, See You There & Just for A Day (CD bonus track).Musicians on the Marine Fantasia album: Kazu Matsui, Denny Fongheiser, Freddie Washington Jr., Paul Jackson Jr., Michael Landau, Keiko Matsui, Eric Marienthal, Rick Baptist, Charlie Davis, Allan Kaplan, Michael Fisher, Terry Bradford, Maxi Anderson, Derek Nakamoto, Marva King, Marlena Jeter, Billy Griffin, Dennis Belfield, Pier Gautier, Darryl Phinessee, Gary Stockdale, Randy Kerber, Carlos Vega, Jimmy Johson, John Crosse, Susie Katayama, Carl Anderson, Phil Perry, Charles Fearing, Brandon Fields, Lynn Davis & Phillip Ingram.
Available from © Tokuma Records/Original release year: 1987
Hiromi Iwasaki
"Japanese west coast music release" The Tracks are: Sticky Situation, Come Softly, Passion Is, Secret Eyes, I Do, Both Of Us (duet with Bill Champlin), Could You Be The One, Here We Are, Every Now And Then & I Won't Break Your Heart. Musicians on the I Won´t Break Your Heart album: Hiromi Iwasaki, Steve Lukather, Bill Champlin, David Foster, Michael Landau, Carlos Vega, Neil Stubenhaus, Randy Kerber, Ralph Johnson, David Boruff, Carmen Grillo and others.
Available from © xxxx Japan/Original release year: 1984
Maxus
Legendary west coast release ....
Here is another important Japanese re-release: Maxus’ selftitled album from 1981. This CD release is in fact long overdue. Many lovers of West Coast music have craved for this album to come out on CD because they for one reason or another do not own the original LP issue.
The group Maxus was: Jay Gruska (pianos, lead vocals), Robbie Buchanan (pianos, synthesizers, vocals), Mark Leonard (bass, vocals), Doane Perry (drums, vocals) and a young Michael Landau (guitars). Talk about a lot of talent in one place – phew. What was the result? Well, "Maxus" consists of nine songs all written by Jay Gruska with the assistance of various people; Robbie Buchanan among others. All songs are about the usual "love & things", but the lyrics never appear banal or annoyingly simplistic. Incredibly strong melodies, sophisticated harmonies, elegant use of change of tempo and an overwhelming amount of wonderful instrumental contributions makes "Maxus" an unforgettable experience for anyone with a passion for West Coast music.
Jay Gruska’s lead vocal is passionate and powerful in the more up-tempo rocking tracks like for instance "The Higher You Rise", "What You Give" and "Your Imagination" as well as in the beautiful ballads like "Keep a Light On" and "Part Of You". Robbie Buchanan is a master behind the keyboards doing wonderful solos. Mark Leonard and Doane Perry are always imaginative but rock solid and Michael Landau makes early demonstrations of that special talent of his, which soon after earned him a reputation as a true "super" guitar player.
Everything works here – the album sounds like a genuine group effort and not merely a collection of highly skilled individual contributions. Believe it or not, but it is actually very hard to single out any tracks from this album – the high quality is so consistent and I always listen to the album in its entirety.
Bill Champlin, Tommy Funderburk and Jennifer Williams helps with the smooth background vocals (what a treat) and Paulinho Da Costa adds percussion here and there. And it is all hold together by Michael Omartians wonderfully tight, dynamic and natural sounding production.
Sadly Maxus turned out to be a short lived experience for everyone involved – except for us the fans. Their only album has stood the test of time – 18 years after the original release "Maxus" still qualifies as a genuine, indispensible West Coast music masterpiece! We are talking about long lasting goosebumps here - waaaauuuuuuw!
Jay Graydon - David Foster
Tremendous songwriter and guitarplayer
One of the most talented musicians in the world is Jay Graydon, he is a tremendous guitarplayer, songwriter and producer, and he ha been working with "everybody" in the musicindustry.
He In 1991 he released his own project Planet 3, a group he had together with Clif Magness & Glen Ballard. Later in 1993 he made the "new Airplay" release and the album was the new reference west coast album, so Jay Graydon did it again, because in 1980 he released together with David Foster the legendary "Airplay" album, that still is a masterpiece, a must have album in a west coast music collection.