New CD Release: BROTHERS
The Music of Gregg Hill
Release Date: February 7, 2020
BROTHERS is a meeting of the minds of some of Michigan’s premier jazz performers. Many of these players have crossed paths in various configurations over the last couple of decades. The material ranges across the jazz spectrum, showcasing the band leaders’ formidable arranging skills and versatility, and provides a platform for these talented players to put their own stamp on it. Composer Gregg Hill quotes, “I was fortunate to record these fine players in a live setting, and there are moments when I felt I was capturing lightning in a bottle.”
The first four tunes of this album are led by acclaimed guitarist and Michigan State University (MSU) Professor of Jazz Randy Napoleon. Known as a forward-thinking musician with a passion for the jazz tradition, guitarist Napoleon toured with the legendary singer/pianist Freddy Cole for many years. He has performed on The Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, The View, The Today Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Napoleon has played or arranged on over seventy records, including the latest gem “Common Tones”.
The second four tunes on this album are led by Bill Heid, a veteran pianist/vocalist. Born in Pittsburgh, Heid has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, and across the Pacific. He has worked with such jazz greats such as Sonny Stitt, David “Fathead” Newman, Rodney Whitaker, Grant Green and Bruce Foreman.
Drummer Randy Gelispie (or “Uncle G” as he is known to his students) is considered a jazz icon. He is also an MSU Professor of Jazz, and has been a professional jazz drummer since he started playing with a 10-piece band in the ninth grade. Gelispie has traveled on the road with Wes Montgomery, Sonny Stitt, Dinah Washington, Etta Jones, Lou Donaldson and Gene Ammons.
String bassist Paul Keller is well-known for his magnificent 15-piece Orchestra, which he has expertly led every Monday in Ann Arbor since 1988. Keller is a crack jazz composer and arranger. He has traveled the world with Diana Krall, Russell Malone, Eddie Higgins and John Pizzarelli. Over the years he has accompanied a long list of jazz luminaries.
Rick Roe is a veteran jazz pianist, composer and performer. He has produced and co-produced ten albums of original compositions, and arranged jazz standards with some of the most accomplished jazz musicians in the world. Rick is an acclaimed “musicians” musician, known for his Monkish themes and a striking original style of his own.
Label: Cold Plunge Records | Gregg Hill Jazz
PR Contact:
Lisa Reedy, Lisa Reedy Promotions
775-826-0755
