John Pedersen Smooth Jazz

John Pedersen is a keyboardist from Southern California who plays a variety of interesting and compelling instrumental music. His tunes have a certain "magic" associated with them, and listeners are transported to a pleasant world of infectious melodies and lush soundscapes. Drawing upon the rich heritage of African-American, Latin and Native American influences, there is a strong multicultural undercurrent in John's music. Additionally, since John has been a church organist for over three decades, there is a positive and uplifting vibe to his music. Not content with one style, he writes and performs everything from Smooth Jazz to Groove-Oriented Electronica, and all points between. Using guest musicians on bass, guitar, sax, flute and drums, Mr. Pedersen gets a full sound on his discs. Andy Machin, co-producer and engineer, plays electric and acoustic guitar, a well as bass and percussion. Jeff Winckler adds a good rhythmic component with his superlative drumming skills. Adrienne Nims lends her talents by playing saxophone and flute on John's brand new CD, "Groovidi". Besides this exciting new release, John has four other albums.John's first offering was the mystical concept album, "White Owl" (1997), a sampling of synthesizer and piano instrumentals designed to showcase Pedersen's imaginative keyboard skills. "The Story of White Owl", a short but potent tale penned by John, provides the inspiration for the project. Essentially, it involves the interaction between a shaman and a troubled young man with some good results in the end. The story is full of C.S. Lewis styled Christian symbolism presented in a Native American context. The 2nd album, "Legend & Landscape"(2000), is an ambient and orchestrated ode to the desert and, like "White Owl", shows a strong Native American influence. Number 3, "When Sun Broke Through"(2002), was inspired by an accident and recovery endured by John's son, Ben. It was the first of John's CDs to feature a more uptempo and lively sound. "Paradise", released in 2006, was inspired by John's wedding-honeymoon and continues the trend of more uptempo jazz, some Latin inspired rock and even some state of the art drum and bass. Just released, John's new album, "GROOVIDI", features full-on jazz and chill-out instrumentals with infectious melodies played on guitar, sax, flute and piano. The lead instruments are accompanied by some very hypnotic grooves courtesy of a hip rhythm section. This is smooth jazz as its best with influences of funk, blues, Latin flamenco and chill out lounge. A very enjoyable ride awaits the listener on this one! More info and listening samples are available at John's website: www.findingparadisejazz.com. Be sure to visit his other My Space Profiles: located in his Top Friends List below. If you like his music, feel free to purchase any of the titles at CD Baby, Amazon or iTunes. Obviously, if you only want to purchase a few tracks, iTunes gives you the option of buying a track at a time.

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