Tim Ries & Famous Friends Jazz Up Hits on "The Rolling Stones Project"

In Stores August 9, CD Also Features Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Brian Blade, Bill Frisell, John Patitucci, John Scofield, & Luciana Souza, Among Others

“I thought what Tim recorded was amazing, and I'm sort of jealous of him. When we wrote those songs, there was a lot of pressure on us to keep them as short as possible for the singles market. With what Tim does, he has the luxury to stretch out the melodies and play with the different chords and harmonies. Instead of the sketches that we basically recorded, Tim's versions are more like fully finished things. The playing is beautiful too - Tim always has such a beautiful sound."
- Keith Richards, DownBeat Magazine

In 1999, Tim Ries was offered the gig of a lifetime: to join The Rolling Stones on their No Security tour. The saxophonist, a well-known and popular side-man in the jazz world, has been on the road with the iconic pop band ever since, crossing continents and becoming intimate with their extraordinarily rich catalog. It wasn't long before Ries realized how ripe the Stones' songs were for jazz rendering. The Rolling Stones Project, an 11-song collection of the band's biggest hits and some lesser known gems, illustrates how right he was. The Los Angeles Times has already declared the CD to be the, “Most highly anticipated jazz album of 2005."

Joining Ries for The Rolling Stones Project (in stores August 9) is a respectable line-up of A-list talent from the worlds of jazz, pop, and rock. Included in the mix are vocalists Sheryl Crow, Lisa Fischer, Norah Jones, and Luciana Souza; jazz guitar icons Bill Frisell and John Scofield; keyboardist Larry Goldings; and Wayne Shorter's brilliant bass-drum team Brian Blade and John Patitucci. Most unexpectedly, the Project even features Rolling Stones members Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ron Wood, all of whom, along with Mick Jagger, gave their blessing to the CD early on in the recording process.

Together, Tim and his cohorts breathe jazz life into such tunes as “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," “Paint It Black," “Ruby Tuesday," and “Honky Tonk Woman," which features the three Stones and Sheryl Crow vocalizing. The recording process took several years to complete, with recording sessions for the CD taking place in New York and Los Angeles. It was during a break in the Rolling Stones' “Forty Licks" tour in Munich, Germany, that Ries was able to schedule a session with Bill Frisell and Norah Jones for “Wild Horses." Other tracks included on The Rolling Stones Project include “Street Fighting Man," which Ries re-envisioned with a Brazilian groove, “Sidewinder," “Slippin' Away," “Waiting For A Friend," and “Gimme Shelter."

Ron Wood's fascinating cover art is a work that has graced the wall in his mother's living room since he painted it in the late 1960s. When Ronnie offered up this piece, Ries was ecstatic since the distinctive artwork was created in the same time period as many of the Jagger / Richards songs included on the disc. The imagery of the horses seemed to directly reference the classic tune performed by Jones.

“I was shocked that this album came together the way it did," says Ries. “To get all these performers and to put a jazz touch on the Stones' songs, well, I've got to say that this project was a miracle."