Available Now via Mack Avenue Records:
Guitar Legends Kevin Eubanks and Stanley Jordan
Join Forces on Wide Range of Covers and Originals for Duets
Album Features Eubanks and Jordan on
Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Piano,
Bass, Vibes, and Keyboards
"Eubanks and Jordan display a special chemistry, complementing
rather than competing against each other." - Associated Press
Multi-faceted guitar heroes Kevin Eubanks and Stanley Jordan recording a Duets
album: an idea that as soon as you hear it, you wonder why nobody,
including you, thought of it until now. Eubanks, the Philadelphia native
who took New York by storm starting out in straight ahead jazz clubs
then progressive albums for contemporary jazz giant GRP Records and
legendary Blue Note Records, frequent collaborations with cutting edge
bassist Dave Holland, then 18 years in Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show"
Band (15 as Music Director) where he played with seemingly every
meaningful musician across genres. Jordan, the Chicago-born/Bay
Area-raised phenomenon who mesmerized audiences with his instantly
identifiable "touch technique" on guitar beginning with his gold-selling
Blue Note Records debut Magic Touch (featuring his radio staple
remake of Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life"), followed by a string
of wide-ranging endeavors including a one-off for Clive Davis' Arista
Records and explorations into the field of music therapy. Add that,
between them, both gentlemen play piano, bass and keyboards - arrange
and compose - and the possibilities become truly inviting. Surely
Eubanks and Jordan would make some engaging "beyond boundaries" music
together. That they do on their serenely seamless 10-song Mack Avenue Records outing, Duets - spontaneous compositions and passionate arrangements that will send listeners' imaginations on a series of hypnotic journeys.
The impeccably balanced Duets
includes four all-new "skull arrangements" (so called because they were
jointly created off the top of their heads), versions of four
well-known classics: "Nature Boy," "Blue in Green," "Summertime" and "A
Child is Born," plus interpretations of a modern pop song (Adele's
"Someone Like You")
and an electronic dance pop hit (Ellie Goulding's "Lights"). These were
the all-natural uncalculated result of long philosophical heart to
hearts as well as a 9-city tour - over 30 years after Eubanks and Jordan's first meeting in the early '80s at New York's famed jazz-fusion club, the 55 Grand.
"We've
known each other since the early `80s," Eubanks opens. "Since then we'd
see each other mostly on festival stages." Jordan adds, "I knew him as
one of the best musicians in the early days before any of us were well
known beyond the inner music circles...a guitarist with an
unconventional finger style technique. I could relate to that. We were
going for something different and I never viewed him as a competitor.
The music was big enough for both of us."
The
game changer occurred in September 2011 within the idyllic setting of
Village Square in British Columbia at the inaugural Jazz on the Mountain
at Whistler festival. Both guitarists were on the bill with Eubanks
also presiding as Artist in Residence. Jordan stopped to watch Eubanks
give an outdoor interview and found himself additionally impressed by several beliefs and principles he was sharing. "It's
about the challenges of being an eclectic musician in a world where
everything is so tightly formatted," Jordan explains. "He
had a lot to say. Afterwards, we talked for a really long time - hours.
That's when the seed for us doing something together was planted."
Eubanks adds, "Stanley and I are in alignment on a number of things. We
share an open-mindedness that's about inclusiveness instead of
exclusiveness - that, ultimately, sharing is better than not."
They
decided to do a short tour; initially playing separate sets with
someone occasionally popping in on the other's time. Word got back that
audiences liked it best in those moments when they played together.
Everything changed during a sound check in Texas, April 2013. "We were
in an all wooden church where the acoustics were fantastic," Eubanks
recalls. "We started playing, looked at each other, and felt how easy
and nice everything flowed. That exchange created a lot of energy. The
show flipped to us starting the show together, playing a couple songs
alone, then us back together to close. Musicians sometimes get so myopic
in their own world and need to get their minds past the foot of the
stage. This was a case where the audience had a broader picture of what
was possible than we did."
Summing up Kevin Eubanks and Stanley Jordan's inaugural Duets recording, Jordan thoughtfully concludes,
"This album fills a nice niche because it's relaxing yet engaging. When
you hear Kevin and me playing together, it's all about the music and
supporting each other. I just love the feel of it - it has a real
sweetness. People who listen from their heart are really going to love
this record as an antidote to the norm."
Kevin Eubanks and Stanley Jordan - Duets
Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: March 23, 2015
MACK AVENUE · the road to great music · mackavenue.com
For more information on STANLEY JORDAN, please visit: StanleyJordan.com
For more information on KEVIN EUBANKS, please visit: KevinEubanks.com
For media information, please contact:
DL Media · 610-667-0501
Maureen McFadden · maureen@dlmediamusic.com
Serving the Finest in Jazz Since 1988
Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos
and bios) on all DL Media artists can be found at our website: dlmediamusic.com
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Thursday, June 25, 2015
USA: Guitar Legends Kevin Eubanks and Stanley Jordan Join Forces on Wide Range of Covers and Originals for Duets
