Cameron Mizell

What's up peeps? Thanks for checking out my tunes. I hate all those MySpace automators out there that blindly add friends, so if you're checking this out because I sent you a request, it's because you were HAND PICKED. That's right. I thought you might dig the music. If you don't, no harm done. But if you do, come join the party!
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, went to school in Texas and Indiana, and settled on the mean streets Brooklyn, New York as you can see from the cartoon above (though I'm a bit more reserved than that dancing fool). All along the way, I've been touched by the musicians and artists that have crossed my paths. Music and the guitar happen to be my forte, but I love all types of creative expression. If you're making waves with your ideas, I'm interested! I'll write a song about you. Life will be good.
My current working trio includes Brad Whiteley on keys and Kenneth Salters on drums. I started the trio after moving to Brooklyn in 2004, shortly after recording my first CD in Bloomington, Indiana (a self titled CD, Cameron Mizell). The original group was myself, Mike Fortune on drums, and one of a handful of bass players. In 2006, Brad, who played keyboards the first album, moved to NYC and became the permanent third member. As gigs with Brad and Mike continued, I started writing material tailored for our lineup. We recorded five of these new tunes in June of 2006 and released them as a digital only EP called The EPic of Chester Bustamante. In April of 2007, we spent a long day in the studio laying down eight more tracks that we'd been playing frequently. These tracks combined with the EP were just released as my second full length album, Life is Loud. After Mike's recent relocation to upstate New York, Kenneth joined the group as our new drummer.
My music is available through CD Baby , iTunes , and my website , where you can hear full streams of all my recordings.
Finally, I am continually booking gigs. To line up a show for your venue or event, simply email me or send a MySpace message here. Please include details about compensation, backline, dates, etc. (I'll be asking anyway).
Go here to download the one sheet and view some press quotes. This is updated almost weekly, so stop by every so often if you need to know the latest.
But enough about what I have to say about me, here's what other people have to say about my latest album:
John Book, MusicForAmerica.org :
"Cameron Mizell is turning out to be a consistent musician who knows how to present himself and his music. The last time out, he released an EP and being impressed by it, I wanted to hear more. I was sent a copy of his debut album and really liked that a lot, so even more I wanted to hear the next project.
"Mizell says without hesitation Life Is Loud (self-released), and his influences come from late 60's/early 70's jazz, soul, and funk. "Fearless" sounds like it could be off of some out of print Blue Note LP, or The JB's kicking it after hours without their boss. In fact, Mizell's cover of "Cold Sweat" is a bit different than most, as he and the band change the tempo a number of times throughout, unexpected but it works fairly well. His choice of covers will blow away any fan of that era of soul, jazz, and funk, including uplifting versions of "Let The Music Take Your Mind" (Kool & The Gang), "Spinning Wheel" (Blood, Sweat & Tears), and "Pungee" (The Meters).
"Now when I say band, I should say upfront that Mizell's group is a trio. He works once again with keyboardist Brad Whiteley, who handles everything from the Hammond B-3 and Fender Rhodes to a toy piano, and a synth bass on top of that. While not as forceful as a John Medeski, Whiteley gets the job done and makes his presence known at the right moments. Adding to the mix is drummer Mike Fortune, who seems to take the approach of Elvin Jones a bit (just a bit) by sounding as if he's always playing and filling every pocket of the song, but still managing to maintain the core of the song. By taking on the concept of a trio, Mizell, Whiteley, and Fortune are able to bounce off of each other more intimately and have the music be as tight as it can be. Soul and funk has to be tight at all times (all time, I said), and with the openness and freedom of jazz they also allow themselves to get loose withing restrictions, such as when Mizell lets his guitar flow with an incredible groove in "Get Out". His playing can be light and sensitive, done with intensity but without massive volume, and it works well in the context of these songs, so he's not trying to pull a John McLaughlin or Al DiMeola although I'm sure he could. In fact, his guitar work is a bit like Leo Nocentelli of The Meters in that you begin to identify him with his style and sound, but he also allows the others in the trio to be heard and contribute as well. In truth, that should be the way all musicians work, but sometimes when guitarists make albums it becomes nothing but an ego fest. Maybe he is suggesting that if Life Is Loud, his music doesn't have to be. You can dance, groove, listen, or chillax and still get a lot from his music.
"Jazz fans will also be happy to know that Rob Fillmore engineered and mixed this, and Kevin Reeves mastered the final mix. If you are familiar with the work he has done over the years with Polygram/Universal, including tons of jazz reissues, you will like Reeves' approach to this album as he allows the music to breathe, no "brickwall limiting" here."
Mr. G, GreenArrowRadio.com :
"While listening the first time through this album, I knew it was for me. Heavy organ stylistics, and beats that make your heart jealous. And, I must say, there is more jam in Cameron Mizell’s guitar than in any breakfast restaurant on the east coast. On his new album, Cameron partners up with keys guru Brad Whiteley and drummer extraordinaire Mike Fortune to create one of the funkiest jazz instrumental albums of 2007. Well chosen classics blended nicely and with an obvious careful thought make the original tracks stand out like a ornate centerpiece on the dinner table. The wide ranging set on LIFE IS LOUD makes those lucky enough to listen feel a part of the grooves, whether by an uncontrollable urge to shake it slightly, or an all out boogie-down. The thirteen tracks all have a quality of life different from one another making each one almost an album by itself. This album was crafted, not merely put together. It is (in my opinion), an antique in the making. A project that will inspire you, the listener, to greater things but also hopefully carry Cameron Mizell into the future with a larger sense of direction as both a player and a writer. I know he has my vote of confidence."