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Wed, August 2
Jonathan Fritzen & Darren Rahn
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JONATHAN FRITZEN
Take one of the hottest composers and keyboard players in instrumental pop, add in featured performances from the likes of Gerald Albright, Paul Taylor and Nils Landgren, hook them up with ten wonderful new tunes and what do you have? The answer is ‘Fritzenized’, the latest album from the Billboard chart-topping, artist Jonathan Fritzén. It is the Swedish American’s fifth solo CD and follows the critically acclaimed ‘Magical’ from which the title cut blasted a path to #1 on every smooth jazz airplay chart on the planet. The fact that even before it’s release date, ‘Fritzenized’ has already become a chart topper says much for a collection that, two years in the making, is Fritzén’s most personal to date. Writing, producing and (for the first time) mixing every track, he comes closer to his true musical vision than with any other project he has created so far. A case in point is the aptly titled ‘A Funky Night’ that finds him reuniting with vocalist Laila Adele. As Jonathan explains, “Laila is not only a long term collaborator of mine but also one of my favorite singers. The groove for the song was inspired by one of the most sampled drum loops in rap music, ‘Juicy Fruit’ that I thought would fuse nicely with my own musical spices.” There is no doubt it worked out just fine and much the same can be said of ‘Guacamole’, which has a vibe of the kind Fritzén first heard when touring in Nicaragua many years ago. “After the shows”, Jonathan recalls, “we would go out to the local clubs to party. The songs that the DJ’s were spinning would often have this beat they called “reggaeton” and this is my own take on it. Guacamole is probably my favorite thing to eat so I thought it would be a good title for the tune.” It features Swedish trombone player Nils Landgren, one of Europe’s most famous jazz musicians, and another guest performer that Fritzén was eager to have on board is Gerald Albright whom Fritzén describes as being one of the greatest sax players on earth.
DARREN RAHN
With over 25 #1 radio singles and multiple Grammy nominations over the past 11 years as an artist, producer and mixing engineer, Darren Rahn has become urban jazz’s premiere sonic architect, the “go-to” guy for established genre greats and up and comers looking for their next sure-fire hit. Yet in signing with Woodward Avenue Records and recording his fifth album, the British Columbia born, Denver based saxophonist – who launched his solo career with Soulful in 2004 - is after something more meaningful than a few more instantly infectious smashes. The multi-talented performer’s desire to launch his second decade as an innovative powerhouse by creating music in his truest voice, straight from the heart, is perfectly in line with the label’s unique mission: to let artists make music authentic to themselves, beyond the trappings of formulas and strictly commercial considerations.
Take one of the hottest composers and keyboard players in instrumental pop, add in featured performances from the likes of Gerald Albright, Paul Taylor and Nils Landgren, hook them up with ten wonderful new tunes and what do you have? The answer is ‘Fritzenized’, the latest album from the Billboard chart-topping, artist Jonathan Fritzén. It is the Swedish American’s fifth solo CD and follows the critically acclaimed ‘Magical’ from which the title cut blasted a path to #1 on every smooth jazz airplay chart on the planet. The fact that even before it’s release date, ‘Fritzenized’ has already become a chart topper says much for a collection that, two years in the making, is Fritzén’s most personal to date. Writing, producing and (for the first time) mixing every track, he comes closer to his true musical vision than with any other project he has created so far. A case in point is the aptly titled ‘A Funky Night’ that finds him reuniting with vocalist Laila Adele. As Jonathan explains, “Laila is not only a long term collaborator of mine but also one of my favorite singers. The groove for the song was inspired by one of the most sampled drum loops in rap music, ‘Juicy Fruit’ that I thought would fuse nicely with my own musical spices.” There is no doubt it worked out just fine and much the same can be said of ‘Guacamole’, which has a vibe of the kind Fritzén first heard when touring in Nicaragua many years ago. “After the shows”, Jonathan recalls, “we would go out to the local clubs to party. The songs that the DJ’s were spinning would often have this beat they called “reggaeton” and this is my own take on it. Guacamole is probably my favorite thing to eat so I thought it would be a good title for the tune.” It features Swedish trombone player Nils Landgren, one of Europe’s most famous jazz musicians, and another guest performer that Fritzén was eager to have on board is Gerald Albright whom Fritzén describes as being one of the greatest sax players on earth.
DARREN RAHN
With over 25 #1 radio singles and multiple Grammy nominations over the past 11 years as an artist, producer and mixing engineer, Darren Rahn has become urban jazz’s premiere sonic architect, the “go-to” guy for established genre greats and up and comers looking for their next sure-fire hit. Yet in signing with Woodward Avenue Records and recording his fifth album, the British Columbia born, Denver based saxophonist – who launched his solo career with Soulful in 2004 - is after something more meaningful than a few more instantly infectious smashes. The multi-talented performer’s desire to launch his second decade as an innovative powerhouse by creating music in his truest voice, straight from the heart, is perfectly in line with the label’s unique mission: to let artists make music authentic to themselves, beyond the trappings of formulas and strictly commercial considerations.