Serenata new solo piano CD - Spring 2021

Hi Friends, Happy New Year! Big news below……Here's my first newsletter in a while, better late than never. Let's resolve to stay safe and sane in the coming months.

I know it has been challenging for all of us.......I feel lucky so far, given my heart/stent issue in October that turned out to be addressed just in time. No other illness, and I remained isolated during the holidays and had my sons both do the same at their respective apartments in Bloomington, IN and Culver City. Like most, I had some down moments, a few welcome Zoom hangs, but I tried to find some gratitude every day for simple things like the great outdoors and practicing piano and Hammond organ.....I also spent many days scanning boxes of old photos. Still not half done. The best thing was re-watching The Office Marathon with a new appreciation for the many layers of writing, directing and editing that went into such a landmark TV show. Turning the page to 2021, I'm happy to announce my new project, that I hope will bring some peace and joy to all who are suffering during this challenging time.

By now, you know I don't "crank out" a new CD every 2 years, or whatever. I'm big on letting the inspiration come naturally, usually late in the evening, but....So many life changes over the last 6 years put my original music, and my relationship with the piano, in a holding pattern; but I had faith things would eventually evolve to find new melodies and sounds.....So, having had periods of being both "prolific", and "quiet", this moment seems to be worth celebrating with my friends. I got inspired a few months back to explore another new challenge - my first solo piano CD, "Serenata", (Piano Impressions of Milton Nacimento, Clube da Esquina and Dori Caymmi)". It's not jazz, new age or world, but hopefully crosses over to all. more below……..

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The Story: After my recent move, I discovered a dusty box of live cassette recordings of my shows in the 1990's with Brazilian artists Dori Caymmi and Ricardo Silveira (I recorded almost every gig I've done; still do) and was curious to check out one particular tape - with a star - marked "Dori - Le Cafe"!......Those shows at that tiny Los Angeles music room were legendary, with everyone from Michel LeGrand, Dave Grusin, Quincy Jones to Wayne Shorter in the audience. I played multiple keys, but Dori usually introduced me as: "My orchestra...". I had to buy a used cassette deck to play it, and it was one of our magical nights.....I sat down at the piano and recalled many of his lush, melodic songs as best as I could and got very emotional, especially since Yvonne and I got engaged while playing with Dori in San Diego, and I had also recently found the video of our wedding in 1992, with Dori singing "O Cantador" during the ceremony and everyone dancing to Kleber Jorge's Brazilian band.

Who are Dori Caymmi and Milton Nascimento, some may ask? For a quick comparison, I can only say they are as revered and integral to the musical history of Brazil as original artists like Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and The Beatles are to ours. English versions of Dori's "O Cantador/Like a Lover" and Milton's first hit, "Travessia/Bridges" have been recorded by everyone from Sarah Vaughn to Natalie Cole; Bjork to Tony Bennett.

Back in the mid '70's, I had already loved Wayne Shorter's "Native Dancer" LP, which featured Milton, Airto and other great Brazilians. I was lucky to become friends with the cook at the jazz club in DC who had lived in Brazil. (Mitch Rubin at Harold's Rogue and Jar) He let me borrow a stack of classic MPB LP's from Milton Nascimento, The Clube da Esquina group LP's, Edu Lobo, Joao Bosco, Chico Buarque, etc. I copied them all to cassettes - still have them, although I have since collected the LP's and CD's of every Milton album. Listening constantly on the way to gigs, the lush melodies and harmonies provided an escape; an antidote to the involved, dynamic jazz fusion that I was writing and playing during that period with Tim Eyermann and East Coast Offering and later, Natural Bridge. I would just let the romantic, wordless melodies, unknown Portuguese lyrics and acoustic textures wash over me, and I deliberately did not try to analyze or learn the songs at the piano......up until very recently, that is.

After finding that cassette, I kept recalling other great Brazilian songs that I had loved for decades, and, with the help of the internet, that pulled me out of my comfort/Covid zone and set me on a surprising new adventure. Can I really make an all solo piano CD? I never worked as a solo before, except for a couple of solo pieces on my 12 CD's. Reharmonize; change the rhythm; emulate Dori's guitar voicings? It has been a wonderful experience to relive the old feelings, and things kept going, and I ended up with too many songs.....I combined some of my original piano pieces with my "tribute" interpretations of the songs of Milton, Dori and their contemporaries. A few of the originals are late night, through-composed improvisations.

"Serenata" brings this musical "love affair" full circle, a crossover treat from the heart, for the heart. I humbly guarantee this music will lower the blood pressure of any human, relative to the stress of this past year.

Check out the previews on the Youtube link and feel free to share it with your friends on social media.....later on Spotify. You can pre-order your autographed CD now.

Gregg Karukas

Serenata Review by Kathy Parsons Mainlypiano.com

With Serenata, his first solo piano album in a long and illustrious career, Gregg Karukas dazzles, not with piano pyrotechnics, but with subtle nuance and a deep love for this music.

A mix of new and re-imagined original compositions along with “piano impressions” of Brazilian artists Milton Nacimento, Clube da Esquina and Dori Caymmi, Karukas clearly demonstrates that, in the right hands, great music (and great musicianship!) defies genres and categories to enrich the ears and hearts of anyone willing to take some time to listen. Calling the project “a labor of love that came out of the isolation of the last few months,” the album was initially inspired by a rediscovered cassette tape of his live performances from the 1990’s with Dori Caymmi and Ricardo Silveira at Le Cafe in Los Angeles. One evening, Karukas sat down at the piano and played some of the pieces from memory - a deeply emotional experience that set him off on a new adventure to create this wonderful collection of 15 solo piano gems.

A Grammy Award winner, Gregg Karukas’ 30+ year career as a keyboardist/ composer/ producer has included twelve solo albums, many #1 radio hits, touring with a variety of artists that include Sergio Mendes and Melissa Manchester, being a founding member of The Rippingtons, contributing to more than 100 albums, and sessions for many films and television shows. He has recorded and played on the world’s biggest stages with many of his Brazilian musical heroes, including Montreux Jazz with Caymmi, and multiple shows at the Hollywood Bowl with Ivan Lins, Oscar Castro Neves, Tom Jobim, Toots Thielemans, Mendes and Caymmi. Serenata brings this musical "love affair" full circle - “a crossover treat from the heart, for the heart” (Karukas’ words).

The album begins with “Travessia” by Fernando Brant and Milton Nascimento - a beautifully wistful and dreamy piece that sets the tone of the album. “Ponta de Areia,” also composed by Brant and Nascimento, conveys a warm, soothing energy in a relaxed and understated style. The title track, a Karukas original, has a sweet, simple melody that floats on the flowing left hand broken chords - a favorite! “Tudo O Que Você Podia Ser” by Lô Borges and Marcio Borges combines a jazzier, more rhythmic style with a beautifully poignant melody. Karukas’ “Better Days” is another favorite - simple, direct and from the heart. “Sound of Emotion,” (Karukas) feels like an intimate conversation without words - I love it! “Paisagem da Janela” by Fernando Brant and Lô Borges is a light and breezy bit of musical sunshine. Karukas’ tender, loving “Dori’s Song” is a heartfelt tribute to a dear friend. He also composed "Para Sempre (Until Forever)," a reflective and deeply emotional soul searching at the piano, perhaps late at night by the light of a candle - my favorite piece on the album. The last two tracks were also penned by Karukas. “Lament (Final Embrace)” is a heartbreaking goodbye that goes far beyond any words to describe it, and “Long Ago” brings the album to a very peaceful, serene close.

I sincerely hope that Serenata is just the first in a long series of solo piano albums by Gregg Karukas and predict it will be one of the best and most honored albums of 2021!

Album Links Amazon(referral)Apple/iTunes/Spotify

Contemporary Fusion Reviews - Dick Metcalf

Melodic solo keyboard magic Gregg Karukas – SERENATA:   I’ve spent a lot of time with the piano; playing it (both live and in-studio) as well as reviewing 100’s of other players, so I can tell you that solo pianist Gregg Karukas’ melodic solo keyboard is pure, unadulterated, magic!  Get an intimate look at his preview trailer for the album first…

When you SUBSCRIBE to Gregg’s YouTube channel, you will experience his magic on many other instruments as well (this is his first solo piano album ever).

The thing that truly sets Gregg’s piano apart from other pianists is his sensitivity for what the listener will need to hear; nowhere is that more evident than on his original composition, “Better Days“… his “pacing” is perfect, and every note is formed with the utmost care… DJ’s of all stripes will be plugging this into their playlists for days (and months & years) to come!

Another original composition that really impressed me is Gregg’s “Para Sempre” (Until Forever)… in his own words, “For me, the best music comes out of an inner feeling of either intense happiness or sadness”, and both moods are reflected in this emotional song.

Of the fifteen fascinating songs Gregg offers up for our piano pleasure, I found one of the shorter performances (2:59), “Lament” (Final Embrace) was my choice for personal favorite… he reaches down inside his own heart to touch yours with passion and intensity… I just LOVED this song!

I give Gregg a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) score of 4.99.  

 

JW Vibe by Jonathan Widran

“A thoughtful, reflective and ultimately joyful work. After so many years of in-the-pocket Smooth jazz hit-making, it’s wonderful to experience Karukas’ truest heart on display. To quote one of those earlier titles, that’s truly the sound of emotion coming through loud and clear.”

 Gregg Karukas’ extraordinary success over the past 30-plus years as a #1 charting smooth jazz artist and one of the genre’s busiest sidemen make it easy to overlook the deeper elements of versatile composer/keyboardist’s expansive resume – including winning a Grammy in 2013 for his work with new age pianist Omar Akram and his many years of touring with Brazilian greats Sergio Mendes, Dori Caymmi and Ricardo Silvera in the 90’s.

 Both of those extracurriculars come into play on Serenata, a thoughtful, reflective and ultimately joyful work that marks Karukas’ first-ever solo piano album, his first release in over six years and first since losing his wife Yvonne to cancer. The unique concept – captured in the album subtitle “Piano Impressions of Milton Nascimento Clube Da Esquina and Dori Caymmi “ – grew out of a recent discovery of old cassettes of some of those Brazilian shows. Listening most attentively to his shows with Caymmi at the small L.A. club Le Café, where the singer often introduced Karukas as “my orchestra,” sparked a powerful emotional reaction.

The keyboardist also re-discovered the video of his 1992 wedding where Caymmi sang “O Cantador” – a gently wistful piece that is one of the emotional centerpieces on the generous 15 track collection. Karukas also thought back to memories of his early days driving to gigs in his hometown of Washington, DC, listening to Nascimento imports. Combining all of these inspirations with the isolation of the COVID-19 lockdown created an ideal palette for him to explore his deeper piano artistry and find the kind of healing and hope that only the music of the heart can bring. That’s the sparkling magic Karukas shares throughout from the elegant, seductive Nascimento-penned opening tracks “Travessia” and “Ponta de Aeria” to the equally subtle graces of “Club da Esquina” and Caymmi’s “Historia Antga” and the playful hypnotic romp “Paisagem de Janela.”

 In a good way, Serenata’s subtitle mentioning the Brazilian influences isn’t quite accurate because nearly half the tracks are delightful ultra-melodic Karukas originals that fit in perfectly among the works of the masters. These include solo piano reworkings of two gems from his mid-90’s smooth jazz classic Sound of Emotion (including, naturally, the soulful, tender-hearted tribute “Dori’s Song”) and moody originals whose titles (“Better Days,” “Lament (Final Embrace),” “Long Ago”) capture his process of acknowledging and letting go of the sorrows of the past and embracing the grand possibilities of the road ahead.

 After so many years of in the pocket smooth jazz hit making, it’s wonderful to experience Karukas’ truest heart on display. To quote one of those earlier titles, that’s truly the sound of emotion coming through loud and clear “A thoughtful, reflective and ultimately joyful work. After so many years of in-the-pocket Smooth jazz hit-making, it’s wonderful to experience Karukas’ truest heart on display. To quote one of those earlier titles, that’s truly the sound of emotion coming through loud and clear.”  Jonathan Widran. JW Vibe https://www.jwvibe.com/single-post/gregg-karukas-serenata

Serenata By Gregg Karukas

Written by Steve Sheppard

 There are moments in time when you really need to be lifted into a better frame of mind and sometimes, just sometimes, it will be music that will help you get there, this was the case for me this sombre Monday morning in March, when the refrains of the quite tranquil, yet deeply pleasing album entitled Serenata by Gregg Karukas lifted my mood and raised my spirits.

Gregg’s slice of piano heaven is a jam packed 15 track album of beautiful layered and textured offerings, that are all undeniably lush and beautiful. The opening piece is a fine example of that charm, as we can enjoy the first footsteps of the album with the warm and all-embracing opener Travessia.

My personal favourite from the release would be the title track Serenata, the lightness of performance and the melody together for me was a touch of magic from beyond the supposed limits of brilliance, and reminded me greatly of classic David Lanz at times.

With emotive and thoughtful offerings like Better Days or the colourful refrains of pieces like O Cantador, this album was always going to be a hit from start to finish; those who love to sit and bathe within the realms of a collection of a solo piano master class will love tracks like the touching and classy Historia Antiga, or perhaps the gentle and serene offering known as Lament (Final Embrace), a piece with a sombre, but reflective and emotional composition, one that will touch the musical heart with ease.

Serenata by Gregg Karukas is a fine collection of wondrous solo piano compositions, it is a musical tale told by one, to be felt, touched and listened to by many.

No less than 15 opportunities lay within the dimension of piano heaven, and each one of them can be sampled willingly many times over, this timeless manifestation of heartfelt moments of solo piano genius, have raised the bar in the ranks of this genre by a mile, and as such should be a huge hit for the artist should there be any justice left in this musical world of ours.

Serenata
By Gregg Karukas
Buy on Amazon

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You can also order from Amazon, but no autograph.

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