Check out all of my Jazz/Funk/Groove Fusion CDs on CDBaby.com
If you are a radio station and want to check out my other jazz music tracks, click HEREIf you like what you hear and want me to send you CDs to play on your station, drop me an email! THANK YOU!My latest work, “George Bush Sings!†can be heard here onMYSPACE MUSICor at CDBaby:
CDBABY.COMAND BROADJAM:BROADJAMThank you for listening!
I would be happy to see Senator Clinton win, but I do not deceive myself into believing that anyone is exempt from the sordid pit of deceit that makes up our financial corporate electoral system. As long as elections are funded by special interest, there can be no true democracy. The politics of sound bites renders our social institutions inept and non-responsive. Note that so far, the subject of renewable, alternate energy is missing from the national debate. Not one word will be uttered about our addiction to the private automobile, and how the Bush administration has tried to kill Amtrak and local rail. So, yes, I want to see a democrat win in 08, but I won't hold my breath waiting for us to elect an environmentalist.
YOU CAN CHECK OUT PRESS RELEASES ABOUT SOME OF THESE TRACKS.....
START A BUSINESS- AMERICA'S OIL ADDICTION
and
MONEY TRUMPS PEACE
Being an artist may involve some responsibility, both to the art and to the audience. The writer, dancer or composer may have an obligation to devote some portion of their artistic output to the cause of artistic freedom, and the abstract pursuit of truth and beauty. For decades, I have divided my time between making music and being an observer and advocate on the issue of the politics of oil. Over the decades, I have had over a hundred letters on transit and oil published in the Los Angeles Times and been elected to my Neighborhood Council. And over that same span of time, I have worked with some of the major names of Rock, Blues and Jazz. The cover artwork of my CDs reflect my interest in the memory and history of the Pacific Electric Railway, one of the major trolley systems destroyed by the highway lobby. It is my belief that overall, this lobby has had a grossly negative influence on American life. The oil, auto, tire and concrete industries have “convinced†legislators to spend 95% of transit funding on the private auto and bus, with the remaining scraps going to passenger rail.
"George Bush Sings" is an audio response of an environmentalist learning that an oil executive has taken the White House. These songs reflect the wide diversity of influence that came from Jon’s varied playing collaborations, such as a tour of Europe with Ike and Tina Turner, or playing keyboards with Dee Dee Bridgewater, the Staple Singers, Sal Marquez, Phil Chen, Cathy Segal-Garcia, Jaye P. Morgan, Morey Amsterdam, Barry Zweig, Arthur Lyman, Bobby Womack, Eartha Kitt and many others.This project represents a departure in methodology for Jon, in which he uses vocal samples to construct an audio alternate reality. Prior to this, all his material was Jazz-flavored and written either the old-school way with pencil, or as improvisations that were recorded and developed. "George Bush Sings" represents the first time where keyboardist Hartmann employs guitar as the dominant voice in his rhythm section. Each song employs the vocal samples as a framework, with guitar being the chordal and rhythmic anchor. The musicians who contibuted to this project were Michael Rosen, George Sopuch and Vlad Naslas-guitar, Jack Lees-percussion, Lynn Woolever-bass and Dave Price-sax.
Instead of Jazz, the theme of this project is a little more World/Funk meets Pop/Rock.
REVIEWS!
Songwriter * Musician * Producer *
Music Publisher * Recording Label Executive * Environmental ActivistIn his near four decades of a well-orchestrated musical career path, Jon Hartmann has hit every note on an impressive scale of success with many noteworthy accomplishments. He started writing music at the piano at the tender age of eight, played the saxophone and clarinet through high school and college, then graduated from UCLA, with a B.A. in Music Composition. Music education was the foundation for what would become multi-talented Jon Hartmann’s diversified musical life.He’s toured the world – from his first overseas gig in Southeast Asia to entertain soldiers for the USO, to performing with Ike & Tina Turner in Germany with the Rolling Stones as audience spectators – his talents have been recognized all over the globe.A member of both, American Federation of Musicians and ASCAP, Hartmann has an extraordinary working biography which reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of stage performers within the music industry. Jon was signed as a writer in 1975 for Peacock Music, where he and Jimmy Whitney co-wrote "Goodness Knows," recorded that year by Michael JacksonHartmann has also worked with Dee Dee Bridgewater, The Staple Singers, Jaye P. Morgan, Oscar Brown Jr., Eartha Kitt, The Ink Spots, The Platters, Steve Lawrence, Morey Amsterdam, and Ann B. Davis. He’s shared the marquee with Jackson Browne, B.B. King, Billy Eckstein and Johnny Nash.Hartmann has done it all! He’s been part of the stable of keyboard players called by H.B. Barnum for touring and recording. Hartmann additionally has also performed in numerous concerts and casuals and has even recorded jingles, published demos and tuned pianos. His love for music is never-ending.In 1978, he stopped touring and started concentrating on writing music. He went on to learn about synthesizers and performed in the Los Angeles area. With this exposure, he soon became known in other musicians circles including Barry Zweig, Sal Marquez, Phil Chen (bass player for Rod Stewart), Cathy Segal-Garcia, and John Brahaeny, who hired him to play keyboards on his songwriter's demos.From there his desire to learn grew from being a sideman and accompanist, to starting his own band and a second career as a recording engineer, mixing his own albums.Coming off of his third self-produced album, “Pacific Electric†- a project which brings him full-circle in a self-described ‘coming of age’ tour, Jon continues to produce non-stop. Dedicated to the memory of the Pacific Electric Railway, this CD is representative of his own musical styling maturation, exploration and revelation as well as his own passion about the environment. Hartmann describes this album to be“organic†stating it’s the solos that get complex, whereas the melodies are often relatively simple. Pacific Electric is a group of tunes that reflect the old-school be-bop sensibility, and yet have a feeling of complete freshness and vitality. Modern Jazz, old school funk are intertwined in all original compositions with an Afro-Cuban groove – an eclectic mix of all musical inspirations.His CD, “3 If By Air†–is a modern rhythmic instrumental jazz fusion release. Flavored with many up-tempo tunes, it captivates and creates a mental vacation getaway in a true ‘CD for all-seasons.’ His release “The 10th House,†takes the self-realization process to the next level! These songs transport listeners to a new realm of jazz fusion with a Latin funk/rock-edge. “The 10th House†brings life harmony in music to a spiritual place found within our own internal rhythm of melodic peace.Hartmann is a husband, father of three, recently elected Chair of the Transportation Committee of the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, an activist on ARCO’s “Citizens Advisory Committee for Rapid Transit,†and resides in Los Angeles. He is currently producing his own works and others on his own independent label, Jon Hartmann Records. His deep passion for the environment is highlighted in all his works, but his latest release, “Pacific Electric†focuses on his mindful and heart-driven dedication toward bringing awareness about the planet to the forefront of human consciousness.
