Meanwhile, Jason celebrates his self-titled solo CD (out now on Vapor Records) with a special free performance at his artist's loft near L.A.'s Chinatown on January 9. The evening is set to feature all of the CD's musicians - including longtime Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford, and drummers Oliver Charles (Jason's former bandmate in Ben Harper's Innocent Criminals) and storied session-man Gary Mallaber (Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt) - along with a handful of surprise guests. The set will culminate with a jam session befitting both the low-key venue and Jason's philosophy behind the CD:
“There was always a certain way I wanted to play, no matter what band I was in," Jason explains. “It had to be natural, and have a strong groove to it. When I was writing the songs on the new album, that idea was at the front of my mind the whole time."
That groove traverses blues and rock, gospel and soul; it flirts with jazz and country. There's a sense of space here, whether that space resonates with impressionistic guitar licks and Jason's B3 on songs like “Nobody So Far" and “Paper Tents," or it's filled only with the melancholy of the bare and beautiful closing track “Sing For You."
“Yates is note-perfect in his use of timeless keyboard instruments. Acoustic piano, tack piano, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, Hammond; he plays them all and exhibits a keen understanding of the nuances of each instrument," applauds Bill Kopp on Musoscribe.com. “He resists the temptation to overplay...'To Reason' puts a Wurlitzer electric piano out front of a shuffling tune; Yates' nimble playing on the vintage keyboard makes the tune an album highlight; the understated solo is a delight. In fact, 'To Reason' displays a neat trick that Yates manages throughout the album: he's able to layer multiple keyboard instruments (in this instance, Wurlitzer, acoustic piano and organ) while somehow avoiding the feeling of a keyboard-dominated record."
“[Jason's] influences and expert keyboard playing on the songs make this album one that you will have on a continuous loop on your mp3," agrees Donna-Lyn Washington in ReviewFix.com. “Yates has a solid album that cannot be pinned down by genre, and that's a good thing. There's something for everyone here."
Details of Jason's free L.A. show are as follows:
WHEN: January 9, 2010 at 8PM
WHERE: 1637 N. Spring St., Los Angeles 90012
Citizen Cope 2010 tour dates featuring Jason Yates on keyboards are below, and more information can be found here.
February
2 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
3 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
4 Towson, MD Recher Theatre
5 Towson, MD Recher Theatre
10 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
12 NYC, NY Bowery Ballroom
13 NYC, NY Bowery Ballroom
14 NYC, NY Bowery Ballroom
17 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
18 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of the Living Arts
19 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of the Living Arts
24 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
25 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
26 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
March
5 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
6 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
7 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
9 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
10 Dallas, TX House of Blues
12 Austin, TX Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater (SXSW)
13 Houston, TX House of Blues
16 New Orleans, LA Tipitinas
30 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
April
1 Seattle, WA The Showbox
2 Seattle, WA The Showbox
3 Seattle, WA The Showbox
9 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
10 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
13 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
15 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
16 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
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For more information contact 1888 Media.
