A modern jazz collection of originals and standards for jazz piano trio, quartet, and quintet featuring Dan Lamaestra, pianist/composer.

11 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo, JAZZ: Bebop



Details:
âJust a Thoughtâ, the debut recording by jazz pianist/composer Dan La Maestra and his group, âOne Step Upâ on Tangent Records, features nine fantastic east-coast jazz musicians, including Marty Nau, Tom Palance, Glenn Wilson, Paul Pieper, Peter Fraize, Rob Holmes, Peter Revell, and Dominic Smith. The album features 5 original compositions by the leader, one original by guitarist Paul Pieper, and a variety of standards arranged by La Maestra for his group in a trio and a quartet format.
Of the CD, Cadence magazine wrote, ââ¦Just a Thought is just good listeningâ¦â, and, ââ¦..a recording that just hits the right chordâ¦â, and The Washington Post wrote, â..Just a thoughtâ¦invites repeat playsâ¦â, and ââ¦is spacious and shimmeringâ¦â.
The concept from the start was to feature his piano in various different musical situations, from post-modern bop to good old-fashioned blues and ballads, all the while leaving plenty of space for the other musicians to play.
The title track, âJust a Thoughtâ, was arranged for septet by saxophonist and bandleader Rob Holmes, giving La Maestra a colorful cushion over which to expand on the main themes of the piece, and it features some amazing blowing by Rob, Marty, Glenn.
âA Delicate Balanceâ and âA Colorful Tangentâ, both by La Maestra, are quartet outings, and feature some beautiful dynamic interplay between the piano and the sax. The idea was not to âswingâ in the traditional sense on these cuts, but to âride the wavesâ of the music, to follow the âebb and flowâ, and to let that be the forward momentum of the groupâs performances.
âOne Step Upâ and âRUMI-nationsâ are the other originals on the date. The former (and the groupâs name-sake), features the burning sax of Peter Fraize, from Washington DC. It was composed, in itâs completion, late one inspired night in 1997 after hearing fellow pianist George Colligan and his group perform at the DC jazz club, âOne Step Downâ.
The rest of the program features several different arrangements of standards, the most notable being the trioâs reading of the Sinatra-vehicle âAll the Wayâ, a sentimental yet touching song about commitment, and âLaverne Walkâ, an Oscar Pettiford tune included here to feature the amazing and soulful young bassist, Peter Revell.

Born in Argentina and raised in both the United States and his home country, Dan La Maestra brings a diverse set of musical influences to his music, ranging from classic swing-era jazz of the mid 20th century and European classical music to authentic and modern Argentinian Tango and Brazilian bossa-nova. A classically trained musician and multi-instrumentalist as well( guitar and bass), he is comfortable in a large variety of musical situations, from solo piano in a lounge to featured soloist in a large jazz orchestra, and just about anything in-between.
As a sideman, composer and/or arranger, Mr. La Maestra has recorded 18 projects with different artists in the past ten years, including âThe Brightest Starâ and âThis is Newâ with vocalist Patty Mckay for Peppermint Records, âLive at Blues Alleyâ, âLive at the Lyceumâ, âThe Lady Sings Jazzâ, and "The Essence of Me", with vocalist Nia Olabesi for D.E.M Enterprises, âHalf-past Swingâ with jazz vocal quartet âUptownâ, his own critically acclaimed CD debut as a leader, âDan La Maestra and One Step Upâ¦Just a Thoughtâ, featuring 5 of his own compositions with various arrangements of standards, and most recently, âIsland Lifeâ, âOld Friendsâ, and âSlow Danceâ for nationally known smooth-jazz guitarist Ken Navarro, as well as appearing as keyboardist and as the composer of âOpen Roadâ on âEvery Momentâ, the 2001 smooth-jazz debut CD release of Cincinnati sax giant Randy Villars for Positive Music Records..
He has also perfomed with the likes of Bob Mintzer, Jerry Bergonzi, Jim Snidero, Ken Navarro, Eric Marienthal, Nelson Rangell, Gary Grainger, Slim Man, Blues Webb, Patty Mckay, Nia Olabesi, Ron Holloway, The Tom Cunningham Orchestra, Rob Holmes, Loston Harris, Carmen Bradford, Sunny Sumpter, and numerous other musicians and bandleaders, as well as shared the stage with the likes of Joe Sample, Kirk Whalum, Boney James, Brian Culbertson, Tower of Power, George Benson, Spyro-Gyra, and other great artists at major Jazz festivals around the country.
In the fall of 2000, Dan toured the United States as the keyboardist with The Smooth Grooves Tour, featuring Ken Navarro, Eric Marienthal, and Slim Man, playing for huge audiences across the country.
Since 2002, Dan has held the prestigious position of Pianist with the internationally renowned Navy Commodores Jazz Ensemble. After an arduous audition process, and nine trying weeks at Navy Boot Camp in Great Lakes, he secured the spot and became Active-duty Navy, permanently residing in the Washington DC area.

In addition to his jazz music, Dan also writes and performs pop and rock music as a guitarist and singer with âThe Sarah Croker Bandâ, playing Dobro, acoustic guitar, and keys. Her Debut album is due sometime in the late summer of 2006. Be sure to look for it here on CD Baby.
A prolific composer and arranger, Dan is working on the music for his next CD, featuring a number of original big band compositions and arrangements. It is expected to be out sometime in 2007 on Tangent Records.