DEBUT RECORDING FROM
DEPARTMENT OF GOOD AND EVIL
FEAT. RACHEL Z
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Welcome to the Department of Good and Evil
I'm Rachel and thanks for being a friend in MySpace. For those of you who are new to our music-let me first tell you how D.O.G.E. came to be!
MUSIC in general and jazz in particular has as much edge as a bowling ball. It's bland, it has no excitement, no edge, no vibe. It's male dominated, and there are few interracial bands, never mind mixed sex. The Department is about unity and breaking down barriers. Our music is about merging musical styles. We want to respect and expand the swing of Elvin, Miles, Gabriel, Joy Division, to name just a few. We want to desegregate music. Some purists don't want modern influences in jazz, but we are where music actually is.
The Department of Good and Evil is a new direction for modern jazz. It's rooted firmly in tradition, yet leaps forward by blending pop and rock in unexpected ways. I am moved by virtuosity at the piano, but I also love the emotion that comes from hearing Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division or Soul Meets Body, by Deathcab for Cutie.
The Department of Good and Evil is about duality -- the music is fun, but it's serious. We're political, sarcastic and fully against the processed cheesefood some music is. Here at the Department, we earn our stripes one gig at a time. We fight for freedom of expression; we are fearless and spontaneous. We're into improv-kickin ass and we're taking names. We believe in people's inherent desire for quality. They should be inspired by the source, as we are. and so we share it, without compromise.
For those that don't know me, here's a brief run down of how I ended up in the Department of Good and Evil:
It's been my pleasure to have played with some of the coolest cats around -- Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke, Mike Mainieri, to name a few. I prepared the arrangements and played on Wayne Shorter's Grammy winning Highlife album! I also did 5 world tours and 2 DVDs as a member of Peter Gabriel's band This was an experience of a lifetime! My time with each of these masters lend distinct musical depth to the D.O.G.E.'s musical agenda.
I've recorded 8 solo albums for Sony and GRP and the Department project is my first CD with Savoy Records.
It's dope playing in this trio. Bobby Rae is a master drummer and arranger. Maeve Royce is a gifted bass player and only twenty-three years old. And what needs to be said about Tony Levin, he's the man.
On the CD, I played an Italian handmade Fazioli grand piano; Bobby Rae produced it, Allen Farmello was the engineer. Look for the outtakes on an I-Tunes Ep in the fall. Bonus tracks will be available on the I-tunes version of the CD including Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. We'll be on tour in the spring and summer and should be in your neighorhood soon. SWEEEETTT!
At the D.O.G.E.
we earn our stripes one ass-shaking gig at a time!
Visit the official Rachel Z website:
rachelz.com
Look for the new album by Department of Good and Evil
March 13, 2007!