Clear, strong vocals by this female singer/songwriter guitarist. Crossover swingy jazz with some bluesy ballads and funk thrown in to even it out. Sax, piano, guitar, acoustic & electric bass and drums are the instrumentation you'll hear.

12 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Crossover Jazz, FOLK: Folk-Jazz

Show all album songs: The Perfect Mood Songs


Details:
Songwriter and performance artist Sandii Castleberry wears many hats and an instrument or two. A versatile musician, she's been singing and playing her upbeat brand of music throughout Southern California for many years, covering a wide range of styles and genres on guitar and harmonica.

Born and raised in the college community of Claremont, California, Castleberry got bit by the guitar bug at an age when most girls were playing with Barbies.

"I started taking lessons on guitar when I was eight years old and by 15 I was playing in duos and trios in my home town. We'd play songs by Joni Mitchell, The Eagles, James Taylor, as well as original compositions."

After many years of performing in clubs, art festivals, special events, and performing folk music shows in elementary schools as a roster artist for Orange County's Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, Ca., Sandii decided to switch gears and head into the recording studio.

Seven months later, "The Perfect Mood" was completed - a 12-song compilation of original songs. "If you study the cover, you'll see me walking from black and white into a color picture. I'm trying to find "the perfect mood," and get to a better place." Sandii knows about this all too well recently having to face some life changing events. "All of a sudden, this project became very important to me, and to my husband as well. The process of creating, recording and performing has been very good therapy for me."

"This is my third CD, but my first of all original music in an acoustic jazz/blues genre. Although I have been writing for years, it has taken a long time for me to come forth with my own writing. I use to care so much about what people thought of me and my music, but now it really doesn't matter. I'm not taking things so personally these days."

Sandii's CD features some very prominent Southern California musicians who collectively have toured with such artists as Miles Davis to Frank Zappa. "I live in an small artist community in the mountains (Idyllwild, CA), and all these wonderful musicians are my neighbors and friends."
My CD includes keyboardist Barnaby Finch, saxophonist Paul Carman, bassist Marshall Hawkins, L.A. percussionist Chris Garcia, guitarist Don Reed, and many others.

Sandii performs her music weekly at local Idyllwild bistro Cafe Aroma (a hang-out for musicians and artists), where she often plays with local bassist Kevin Hamby, who also plays on the CD. She often gigs in the Palm Springs area, and in and around Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties. She hopes her music will reach the ears of those in the entertainment industry and will be interested in her work.

"My work is singer-songwriter based and has beautiful and (sometimes hard driving) instrumentation. If you like clear, clean vocals, guitar, saxophone and keyboards, I think you'll enjoy this CD."

Her songs range from the sensitive lyrical ballad "It's There," hard-driving "Road Rage," funky "Everything so Dirty" beachy "The Perfect Mood," to the jazz swing tune "Sweetie Pie." The lyrics are heart-felt to playful, as there sometimes is humor in her writing. Instrumentation includes acoustic and electric lead and rhythm guitars, acoustic and electric basses, keyboards, saxophone and percussion.

The music on Sandii's CD is a collection of emotions and moods that include life and love's disappointments, to tongue and cheek and being care free. "I hope my music will take you to a positive place in your life and put you in your perfect mood."