Exotic Jazz, with flavors from around the world that relaxes with out insulting your intelligence.

13 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Smooth Jazz, WORLD: World Fusion



Details:
THE PRODUCER/ENGINEER STEPS OUT

Maurice completed studies at Boston's Berklee College of Music in Composition and Performance. He also received a National Endowment For The Arts scholarship to study under Jazz legend Lew Tabackin. In 1988 he opened his recording studio Maurice Gainen Productions in Los Angeles. Since then, he has produced, recorded, mixed and mastered too many CDs to count in all genres including Jazz, Alternative, Rap, R&B, Rock, World Music and Broadway. He has also played sax and/or flute on many of these CDs. The people recording at his studio and his session players include many well-known stars, such as Darek Oles w/Brad Mehldau and Bennie Maupin, Jim Hershman w/Lee Konitz and Scott Colley, Larry Koonse, Jim Hershman and Eric Von Essen and the L.A. Jazz Quartet (3 CDs). Maurice also did sound design for Patty Austin. He does CD mastering for all of the 5 major record labels and his recent credits include the last 37 CDs for Starbucks/Hear Music.

Maurice has always been interested in music from around the globe. This CD swims in a sea somewhere between World Music and Jazz. It is smooth around the edges, intelligent but not arrogant. It is not meant to impress with improvisational pyrotechnics, but to make listeners feel good, no matter what their level of musical knowledge. Melody is key.

He hopes that you enjoy the journey of "Jazz World Colors" as much as he enjoyed creating it.


THE SONGS

GITANO CORAZON features Maurice's flute and the Spanish guitar of Marcelo Berestovy, who co-wrote the song with Claudia Brant. A vocal version is on the Latin Grammy nominated CD by Natalia Oreiro.

JUNE IN MAY is an original composition with an Asian flavor.

CALLING YOU is the gorgeous and haunting theme from the movie "Bagdad Café" given great respect by the tenor sax.

KEITA is another original with African inspiration and multi-layered flutes. All instruments were played by Maurice.

IN THE AIR was written by noted vibraphonist Eldad Tarmu, whose CDs Maurice produces and records. Tony Award nominated vocalist June Angela is the foil for the soprano sax.

BAMBOO BALLAD was written by Ken Shima, the Bob James of Japan. He is also featured on piano, with Smooth Jazz star Yutaka on koto and Maurice on the alto, bass and "C" flutes.

CA VA? is another Gainen original with him again playing all of the instruments, except for the solid acoustic bass of Mike Flick.

MANGO (Maurice's Tango), the most recent composition features Bandoneon legend Coco Trivisonno for a brief trip to Argentena where Berestovoy's guitar and the flute meet again.

THE GOSPEL TO END ALL GOSPELS lands right back in America at a church somewhere in the South with the soprano sax telling the story. It is another Gainen original.

ONE FOR MY DAD is a heartfelt dedication to Maurice's father, played on flute with a Latin flavor.

MAKE IT LAST is a lovely piece by Jason Marshall that features longtime Al Jarreau drummer Jota Morelli.

NO TRANE, NO GAIN is Maurice's homage to the legendary John Coltrane. It features the drums of the great Sonship Theus and puts us somewhere between New York City, the Middle East and India.

MANGO (Kez Remix) is a R&B reworking of Track 8, featuring the spoken word of the alluring Julia Estacolchic in English with her lovely native Argentinan accent.


THE MUSICIANS

Emiliano Almeida, June Angela, Shashanka Bakshi,
Marcelo Berestovoy, Gregg Bissonette, Joe Dougherty,
Julia Estacolchic, Dave Ferris, Mike Flick
Maurice Gainen, Jason Hann, Mike Jacobson
Kendall Kay, Kez, Tom Lerner, Jason Marshall
Jota Morelli, Suzette Moriarty, Craig Owens
George Rossi, Ken Shima ,Sonship Theus
Coco Trivisonno, Jamieson Trotter, Eric Von Essen,
Gary Willis, Cengis Yaltkaya, Yutaka