Music:
Member Since: 7/2/2006
Band Website: cdbaby.com/lavellemusic
Band Members:
LaVelle - Acoustic Piano, Synthesizers, Electric Piano
Carol-Tanya - Lead/Background Vocals
Sheila Vaughn - Lead/Background Vocals
D-Soul - Lead/Background Vocals
Sheldon Jenkins - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Pito - Latin Percussions
Amiri - Hindi Percussions
Takishi - Eastern Percussions
2Foots - Drums, Drum Programming
Mark Simms - Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Strings by R30 Orchestra, Conducted by LaVelle
Influences:
Stevie Wonder,
Herbie Hancock,
Bob James,
Chick Corea,
Joe Sample,
Ahmad Jamal,
Lonnie Liston-Smith
Roy Ayers, and
Ramsey Lewis.
Sounds Like:
woOOH ! JUST BRILL
author: jagccfc67
great musician ,this c.d . greatly appreciated in the UK , just a cool , mellow laid back catchy style that great throw throwing a barbecue , with good food , wine & company . welldoneI'm Listening....
author: Nem - Los Angeles
I loved this CD! Tracks for all moods...405 traffic, me time and of course to get something started (-; I'd love to hear more from this artist in the future. Will def stay tuned.The Coolest of Cool!!!
author: Katarina Beauvis
The new generation of Jazz is here. I am a "very young" (50 something) woman and a fan of Joe Sample and Bob James, and now here is the latest incarnation of those funky pianists. I can definitely hear there influences in LaVelle, and he has updated the overall sound to today's standards. This CD is definitely a fun listen! I bought 3 (one for the house, one for the car, and one in case i lose those). I found out that this artist does bulk discounts, in case u want extra for yourself or your friends!!!I Love IT!!!!
author: Majik, Da Bomb Factory
Finally!!! Jazz that doesn't put me to sleep. I'm not into hip-hop but i'm still to young to drive around with soft music in my stereo. This album is the perfect blend of punchy drums and jazzy songs. I can pump this in my system and not worry about cursing and other bad lyrics and at the same time, not be ashamed to listen to instrumental music!!!! I love the options this artist gave me!!!!Phenomenal
author: Roberta Rappeport, Brooklyn
Not only do I have the CD and listen to it all the time, I was lucky enough to hear this genius in person. He plays the piano whereas a person can get lost in his music. He just takes your breath away so that you get caught up in his music. He's a fantastic artist.Brilliant!!
author: Mike Ernest, Just ME Entertainment
Truly a brilliant arrangement of music! The album contains various songs which captivate the mind. The music touches you. It envokes such a great deal of feeling and emotion allowing your imagination to fly. It is truly music for the SOUL!!!author: Brendan
These tracks are ahead of its time ! We all have heard the usual Jazz piano tracks on the all the Lite Jazz stations, but this artist puts a twist in this genre. The mixture of Hip-Hop/Blues and Jazz just might make me want to listen to Lite Jazz. This is the future of Jazz, and Lavelle has given me a front row seat to the new Jazz revolution.I LOVE the CD....Can't wait for the next One!
author: Charon
I LOVE the CD....Can't wait for the next One!Fresh inspiring portrait of modern jazz ideas
author: Josh Timari
I really enjoyed this CD for a few reasons: (a) there are quite a few songs through which the artist is able to explore the subgenre he is almost inventing; (b) while you can hear the inspiration of Herbie and others, the music is still unique and some songs are catchy and "outside the box," like 10 (cutting floor? Listen again...); (c) a few songs I noticed were basically mood-generators with repetition that I expected to bore me, but they actually made me feel relaxed (hey, that's what mood-generators are for); and (d) because I could find all of this inspiration on one CD, I proudly say it deserves 5 stars!Awesome
author: Dave Jordan
I'm not really into jazz but when I heard his songs...I was drawn in. He has a way of making this genre of music chic and trendy...loved it!!!I bought it and absolutely LOVED it!
author: Christine Worthy
I bought a copy of this CD and it sure held my attention from start to finish. It gave me goose bumps to listen to the skill of this talented pianist. I absolutely loved song 4, 5, 7, 14 and 15. There are so many good songs on this album, that everyone will find something they love. Check it out for yourself. Great work Lavelle!!!Very Eclectic Blend...Audially Entertaining!
author: Donald James, New Jazz Magazine
I really enjoyed this CD. It starts off with a very funky blend of jazz and then moves into vintage 70's grooves (i.e. Herbie Hancock--Track 9 and Latin Blues (i.e. Jimmy Castor--Track 10. I really enjoyed the way the album gradually slows down and ends with a series of smooth jazz ballads. There is a reggae track on the album (which to me seemed out of place) but nonetheless is a nice groove that keeps this album quite versatile. I recommend this to anyone looking for "the next level of jazz." A definite 4 out of 5 stars for me!Good effort, lost me in the middle !!
author: Robert Bush (Wilmington, NC)
This is a good effort by a very versatile artist. I wish that I could have given it a five star effort. Unfortunately, somewhere in between track 6 thru track 10 you lost me. I couldn't understand which way the music is trying to lead the listener. The CD starts off putting you in one mood and then sharply, abruptly it changes. Track 10 definitley could have been left on the cutting floor...sorry! But still will support this CD and will keep my ear out for the next CD from this artist.
Record Label: NYNJ Records
Type of Label: Indie
