MP3 Isaiah Stewart - Groove Garden

Funky jazz-soul featuring deep urban grooves blended with fresh, soulful melodies. Groove Garden unites the worlds of funk, jazz, rock, hip-hop, soul and tribal music into one powerful, unforgettable musical experience.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (73:20) !
Related styles: Urban/R&B: Funk, Jazz: Smooth Jazz, Mood: Party Music

People who are interested in David Sanborn Jamiroquai Joe Satriani should consider this download.


Details:
(From PR Newswire)

Urban jazz-funk drummer and worldwide recording artist Isaiah Stewart announces the release of his third album GROOVE GARDEN.

Adding pop, rock and hip-hop savvy to the jazz-funk mix, GROOVE GARDEN is an all-original album that features Isaiahâs powerful songwriting and explosive drumming that provides a foundation for the albumâs deep thundering bass lines, warm keyboards, funky electric guitars, fire-hot jazz improvisation and sublimely soulful vocals.

After a decade of hard-hitting, edge-of-your-seat jazz-funk music, culminating in more than 500,000 mp3 downloads worldwide, the stakes are high for GROOVE GARDEN, but âhigh stakesâ are what drive Isaiahâs passion for making infectious music . . . music that begins with one thing . . .

âGroove is everything to us drummers,â Isaiah says. âItâs all starts with phat funky beats. But with this album I wanted to go even deeper with the grooves to plant more primal roots for a new garden . . . a garden where the diverse worlds of funk, jazz, soul, hip-hop, rock, classical and tribal music were able to grow and blossom in exciting new directions.â

For Isaiah, exploring this new âgardenâ of possibilities meant featuring vocal tracks for the first time ever. GROOVE
GARDEN features two musical collaborations with D Rose, a popular in-demand hip-hop vocalist/producer originally from South Bronx, NY, birthplace of hip-hop music.

âIâm a die-hard instrumental artist, but when I began composing this album, I felt the need to take things in a bold new direction,â Isaiah says. âBehind me were two successful all-instrumental albums, and the time was right to raise my own personal bar and explore new musical horizons. I wanted to include some real, authentic vocal hip-hop and soul music, which led to my collaborations with D Rose.â

A jazz-trained pianist and professional drummer since age 6, Isaiah has studied drums with many of the world's greatest players and is known for his technically impressive yet groove-oriented approach to playing. Since releasing his previous two albums: LIFE GAMES (2000), and URBAN PLAYGROUND (2005), Isaiah Stewart's music has been downloaded more than one-half million times throughout 28 different countries worldwide.

Isaiahâs global popularity as a recording artist began in August 2001, when âMidtown Funk,â a jazz-funk track from LIFE GAMES, hit #15 on MP3.comâs overall worldwide Top 40, beating out songs from popular artists at the time such as Eminem, Faith Hill, Madonna, Linkin Park, Mariah Carey, The Offspring and Sum 41.

At the time, MP3.com was the worldâs No. 1 mp3 Internet site (receiving more than 35 million visitors a month), and during that year the site's Jazz Top 20 often contained all 14 tracks of LIFE GAMES at the same time.
âIâve always composed and performed instrumental music, because that is who I am as an artist . . . and I insist on being true to myself and remaining authentic,â Isaiah says. âSurprisingly, instrumental music has also worked for me commercially as I learned that not having a language barrier can sometimes make it easier for an independent artist to become popular worldwide.â

Isaiah has maintained a unique worldwide position for over a decade with listeners throughout 28 different countries, but despite this success, Isaiah is also the first to discuss the insurmountable challenges that exist for any âindyâ artist without big-label backing.

"The challenges are difficult but also what keep me going," Isaiah says. "You just have to stay positive. I often focus on the fact that there are people in Shanghai and Beijing listening to my music . . . very important since China remains the single toughest market to penetrate. I often receive emails in languages I donât understand,â he adds. âBut at least if the fan mail is in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian or French, my wife can usually translate.â

Also âkeeping Isaiah goingâ are the many talented featured guest artists he works with on his albums. In addition to D Rose on vocals, GROOVE GARDEN features Joshua Stewart on keyboard solos, Terence Hansen on guitars, Dave Chisholm on trumpet, John Flanders on saxophones and flute, Joe Chisholm on trombone, James Stewart on bass, and David Halladay on saxophones.

âThe guest artists on this album are musically gifted,â Isaiah says. âWhen I collaborate with them in the studio, I feel like an audience member myself as Iâm ringside to performances that completely blow me away! Their musical skills are phenomenal. As a producer I am forced to live completely in the moment as making great music is about constantly being open to spontaneity. The end goal is to make yourself happy as an artist while making sure you satisfy your listeners.â

GROOVE GARDEN explodes out of the gate with âPower Funk,â a deep, hard-hitting funk track heavily powered by Isaiahâs thundering âfour on the floorâ drumming. Swiftly following is the philharmonic string orchestra of âSin City,â a high-energy yet darkly classical jazz-rock track. The first vocal on the album is next as âFake It,â delivers infectious, danceable old-school hip-hop that features D Roseâs powerful and soulful singing.

âUrban Beat,â goes even deeper, powering out a thick laid-back hip-hop groove that grounds Dave Chisholmâs bright, soulful trumpet playing. Dreamy Brazilian-jazz sounds soon follow with âNights in Rio,â which features Terence Hansenâs beautiful flamenco acoustic guitar riffing. âStreet Jungleâ then explores the pulsating, infectious rhythms of âjungleâ drumming as Isaiahâs thundering tom-tom riffs punctuate John Flandersâ explosive tenor sax playing.

âSoleado,â (meaning âsunnyâ in Spanish) offers a personal tribute to jazz-aficionado Chick Corea and features high-energy Latin-fusion sounds as Joshua Stewart shreds the ivories of a real acoustic grand piano. James Stewartâs funky bass fret-board work soon ensues with the deliberately danceable âFunk in the Trunk,â which also highlights David Hallidayâs amazing alto sax playing.

Next a massive wall of African hand drumming thunders from the speakers on âEarth Danceâ as Isaiah powers out a âBimbe,â a traditional 6/8 African ceremonial rhythm deeply infectious and hypnotic that makes you want to get up and dance as warm keyboards and passionate horn solos further enhance the tribal cacophony. D Rose returns, again showcasing his uncanny gift for arranging lush, soulful squeaky-tight R&B vocal harmonies on âShe Knowz,â a deeply heartfelt old-school joint about losing oneâs love and feeling the need to do anything to get it back.

âSummer Grooveâ follows and delivers jazzy hip-hop guitars, Isaiahâs impressive turntable scratching, and a phat swing-funk groove against a punchy and savory trumpet melody. Things turn to alternative rock as "Trash Talk" closes the album in a high-octane climax of grungy guitars that riff over Isaiahâs deep, hard-driving rock beats. The song delivers an incessant maelstrom of shredding lead-guitar and wailing tenor sax, which refuse to let up . . . even for one second.

Twelve tracks. More than 75 minutes of all-original music. GROOVE GARDEN stands as quite the musical achievement and Isaiah has higher hopes for this project more than any of his past albums.

âWhen I make music, my hopes are always about one thing and one thing only: to make peopleâs lives better,â Isaiah says. âI want my music to have the same effect on my listeners as it does on me. I've always felt that music, and particularly instrumental music, has this expressive quality that allows people to travel to a place unique to their own experiences. And whether my music is touching listenersâ emotions or connecting them to something much bigger than themselves . . . there remains this amazing beauty and spirituality in music that's connected to feelings . . . feelings true and eternal that cannot ever be denied. Thatâs what GROOVE GARDEN is about.â

Album Liner Notes:

ISAIAH STEWART acoustic & electronic drums, lead & rhythm keyboards, congas, bongos, percussion, vinyl scratching, programming, keyboard solos
D ROSE lead & background vocals, vocal arrangements
JOSHUA STEWART keyboard solos
TERENCE HANSEN electric & acoustic guitars
DAVE CHISHOLM trumpet
JOHN FLANDERS alto, tenor & soprano saxophones, flute
DAVID HALLIDAY alto & tenor saxophones
JOE CHISHOLM trombone
JAMES STEWART bass
JOHN STEWART trumpet melody

Recorded, mixed and pre-mastered entirely in 24-bit digital by ISAIAH STEWART at The Playground, Salt Lake City, UT
Post production and mastering by BRUCE KIRBY at Boho Digitalia, Salt Lake City, UT
Executive producer JOHN STEWART
Illustration, graphic design and art direction KEVIN KELLER
Photography LEO DEREK
Legal affairs MADISON, HARBOUR, MROZ & BRENNAN
D ROSE appears courtesy of Draw Productions