A laid-back, pop/jazz/Latin CD from vocalist Slim Man, featuring guitarist Marc Antoine.

11 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Smooth Jazz, POP: Delicate



Details:
Solstice

The skinny on the new CD from Slim Man...

âSolsticeâ is the first CD of original material from pop/jazz/singer/songwriter Slim Man since ââjazzifiedâ, which was voted âBest Contemporary Jazz CDâ by the JAZZIZ readers Poll in 2001.

âSolsticeâ is both a return and a departure--a return to the same studio where he recorded his first CD, âEnd of the Rainbowâ, which yielded the Top Ten hit âFaith In Usâ, and a departure in that it features a more guitar-based, pop/latin flavor.

âSolsticeâ features Spanish guitarist Marc Antoine, as well as the Slim Man Band (John Coale on drums, George Hazelriig on piano, Kevin Levi on sax, and Hit Man Howie Z. on percussion.)

Slim Man sings and plays bass--not just any bass--a fretless Steinberger that was custom made for him by legendary bass craftsman Ned Steinberger. The sound is amazing.

The CD has 9 original songs, including a version of âSummer Daysâ, a song that Slim Man wrote for Angela Bofill. who included the song on her debut CD âAngieâ which was one of the first CDs released by GRP Records, and was one of the first songs that Slim Man wrote while he was a songwriter at Motown.

The song appears on âSolsticeâ under the original title âSummerâs Almost Goneâ, a title the record company thought was too melancholy.

There are also two cover songs--a chilled-out version of âIf I Were a Carpenterâ, a song written by Tim Hardin, and a stirring rendition of âWouldnât It Be Goodâ, a song written by Nik Kershaw.

Slim Man had written an original song for the CD, and soon realized that the melody for âIf I Were a Carpenterâ fit perfectly over the chord changes of the song Slim Man wrote.

Unable to get the Tim Hardin song out of his head, Slim Man recorded the vocals for âIf I Were a Carpenterâ, and it turned out so well that Mr. Man decided to abandon his original song, and to keep the Tim Hardin tune.

While doing a tour of Germany with female jazz vocalist Randy Crawford, Slimmy heard a version of Nik Kershawâs âWouldnât It Be Goodâ playing on the CD player on the tour bus, and it became the theme song for the rest of the tour. Back in the USA, Slim Man asked George and Geoff Hazelrigg to produce a version of the song, and it appears on âSolsticeâ.

âSolsticeâ also features trumpeter Matt Cappy. Matt has recorded with Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Jill Scott. His solo on âListen to the Windâ is a perfect fit for the song.