albums
cmac produces JB3
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I like seeing my old friends from school take necessary initiative and elevate their music to the next level. Ever since graduation, I have been impressed with how much of a following my colleague, RnB artist Jesse Boykins III has generated for himself. He’s been busy all over the U.S. showcasing his music, touring with one of my best friends and outstanding drummer, Adam Jackson, has been featured on numerous blogs and rose to the near summit of the BETJ charts; not to mention fostering several noteworthy collaborations with producers such as JMost, who is also a hugely notable school chum.
Jesse and I have always talked about doing a track together but this summer we finally made it happen. He gave me a scratch a capella vocal track and then I proceeded to mix in the rest. Hopefully this will just be the beginning of a very warm series of collaborations. You can follow Jesse on twitter: @Jb3Music
DOWNLOAD the entire remix album Here.
steps in the snow
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Ladies and gentlemen, I give you “Steps in the Snow” a improvised duo recording featuring London based pianist Katya Sourikova. This album was recorded in 2006, and was a very spur-of-the-moment session where we simply set up a bunch of mics, hit record and played spontaneously for an hour. Wholla! We called it an album. This is also the first inaugural release on the new “Weave Records” Label, also based in London. Last year I recorded again with Katya but this time in a quartet setting. Stay tuned for that release, also on Weave Records. You can buy this album on CD Baby by clicking Here. Or iTunes by clicking Here.
Here is what Katya has to say about the album:
Steps was recorded live, in a single take. There are no edits. Should we simply say the pieces are free improvisations? Some people have found it impressive, and somewhat surprising, that free improvisation could sound so accessible and harmonious. We have not set out to break any common assumptions or prove any points. To those less familiar with improvised musical forms, we think that the album is a gentle reminder that it’s not all fast, furious and sonically challenging.
Steps is a spontaneous collision of two musical minds and personalities. Nothing was pre-planned or discussed beforehand. There are moments of true musical telepathy that both slightly spooked and delighted us at the time. As is the nature of these sorts of musical encounters, the magic is in the moment. The process of unravelling each sonic thread takes you through unexpected twists and turns. It’s a real delight to find that your musical partner, if not following you every step of the way, is there to meet you at the next corner. We lost ourselves in the momentous magic of it all. Happily, the result was captured here in this recording.
