WOO PUTS UNIQUE FUNKED-UP SPIN ON NEW ALBUM RELEASED TODAY JUNE 7
Legendary keyboardist and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bernie Worrell will release a remarkable new album of jazz standards on June 7, 2011 on Scufflin' Records. The album, titled Bernie Worrell: Standards, features Worrell alongside an all star line up of renowned musicians including Smokey Hormel on guitar, Melvin Gibbs on bass, JT Lewis on drums and Darryl Dixon on saxophone in addition to others.
This is the eighth solo album for Worrell, who was a founding member and musical director of original Parliament Funkadelic (P-Funk) and has collaborated extensively with Talking Heads. The keyboard maestro said he enjoyed the challenge of putting a different spin on timeless standards such as “Take Five" (originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet) and “You're My Thrill" (famously recorded by artists such as Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee and Doris Day) on the album, which was co-produced by Evan Taylor.
Worrell and Taylor used an all-analog production technique and recorded the tunes live to tape in an attempt to recreate the sonic quality of a classic jazz record. “Evan and I arranged the format of the songs and made charts for the rest of the band," says Worrell, a classically trained piano prodigy who studied jazz in between his classical studies at New England Conservatory of Music.
Worrell, 66, says he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. “Music is a gift I was given from God and that's what I like to do," he says. “I don't know how to do anything else. Music heals, it makes people happy and it was a great gift I was given, so I have to give back." Worrell is gearing up for a series of tour dates in 2011. Those dates will be released soon.
Bernie Worrell: Standards track listing
Side A
Take the 'A' Train
Take Five
Agua de Beber
All the Things You Are
Side B
You're My Thrill
Watermelon Man
Killer Joe
Moon River
Legendary keyboardist and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bernie Worrell will release a remarkable new album of jazz standards on June 7, 2011 on Scufflin' Records. The album, titled Bernie Worrell: Standards, features Worrell alongside an all star line up of renowned musicians including Smokey Hormel on guitar, Melvin Gibbs on bass, JT Lewis on drums and Darryl Dixon on saxophone in addition to others.
This is the eighth solo album for Worrell, who was a founding member and musical director of original Parliament Funkadelic (P-Funk) and has collaborated extensively with Talking Heads. The keyboard maestro said he enjoyed the challenge of putting a different spin on timeless standards such as “Take Five" (originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet) and “You're My Thrill" (famously recorded by artists such as Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee and Doris Day) on the album, which was co-produced by Evan Taylor.
Worrell and Taylor used an all-analog production technique and recorded the tunes live to tape in an attempt to recreate the sonic quality of a classic jazz record. “Evan and I arranged the format of the songs and made charts for the rest of the band," says Worrell, a classically trained piano prodigy who studied jazz in between his classical studies at New England Conservatory of Music.
Worrell, 66, says he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. “Music is a gift I was given from God and that's what I like to do," he says. “I don't know how to do anything else. Music heals, it makes people happy and it was a great gift I was given, so I have to give back." Worrell is gearing up for a series of tour dates in 2011. Those dates will be released soon.
Bernie Worrell: Standards track listing
Side A
Take the 'A' Train
Take Five
Agua de Beber
All the Things You Are
Side B
You're My Thrill
Watermelon Man
Killer Joe
Moon River
