Pieces Of A Dream Releases Multichannel SACD

25-Feb-03

Recently celebrating their 25th Anniversary, Pieces Of A Dream Releases Loveís Silhouette, the legendary groupís first SACD in 5.1 Surround Sound.The multi-channel SACD hybrid release of Loveís Silhouette by world-renowned combo Pieces of a Dream is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2001 Heads Up label debut, Acquainted With The Night, an album which marked their 25th anniversary in the music business. Loveís Silhouette standard red book release is currently in the top 10 on Billboardís Contemporary Jazz Chart. The groupís co-founders - keyboardist James Lloyd and drummer Curtis Harmon - are supported by a cadre of first class musicians that includes saxophonists Eddie Baccus, Jr. and Joseph Vincelli, bassists David Dyson and Gerald Veasley, guitarist Todd Parsnow and vocalist Tracy Hamlin.Loveís Silhouette contains 14 tracks that swing and sign in the easy-flowing and genre-crossing style that has made Pieces of a Dream a staple in contemporary jazz. It also highlights the kinetic energy the group generates on stage. ìWe put out a lot of energy, so we wanted some tunes on the CD to reflect that,î Lloyd says. ìAll of the keyboard and programming were done in my home studio. We played ëliveí on the record, so itís a hybrid album. Itís more uptempo, with more hard grooves, and thereís a bit of a Latin flavor on a couple of the cuts.îHarmon concurs with his long-time partner, ìOn this particular record I did a lot of live playing. The writing is also different. In some aspects thereís more fusion, but this record is a lot funkier than the last one.îThat funkiness is in full effect on Loveís Silhouette: from the urbane, mid-tempo numbers ìTurning It Up,î ìMission Possibleî and ìSavior Faireî to ìMystical Perception.î The title track was composed by Lloyd and named by his wife. ìI wrote it seven years ago,î Lloyd says. ìIt was sitting around, collecting dust. I played it for my family one day and they said ëyou gotta redo it.íîFor the upbeat track, ìI feel Like Singiní,î Harmon states, ìWe decided to write about our kind of love, which is music. Itís a universal song that everybody can relate to.îThereís also the gospel-tinged ìRemembrance (9/11/01,) a plaintive and poetic elegy to that tragic day, and a sexy rendition of the classic jazz ballad, ìMy Funny Valentineî - a standard sung by Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. Pieces of a Dream has a tradition of putting their soulful spin on jazz and pop tunes like Earth, Wind & Fireís ìAll About Love,î Herbie Hancockís ìTell Me a Bedtime Storyî and Johnny Mandelís ìThe Shadow of Your Smile.î On ìMy Funny Valentineî Tracy Hamlinís vocals float over the spacious arrangement and in-the-pocket rimshots. ìI didnít follow the normal chord structure.î Lloyd comments,î and I added some reharmonizations and made it a little more groove-oriented.î For Harmon, the remake was ìsort of like a Chaka Khan version, but with our own flavor.îThe sonic seasonings that comprise Pieces of a Dreamís ìflavorî are diverse. ìWe import a lot of different styles, from R&B to jazz,î Harmon notes. ìThe versatility is there, so we can please a wider audience.î For both co-founders, the diversity of influences accounts for their individuality and longevity. ìIím influenced by (drummers) Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl, Alphonse Mouzon and Dennis Chambers,î Harmon proudly notes. Lloydís piano heroes are equally broad. ìIíve listened to a lot of Ramsey Lewis, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Joe Sample, Russell Ferrante of the Yellowjackets, Bud Powell and John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet.îLoveís Silhouette is the latest aural example of Pieces of a Dreamís unbelievable staying power. As James Lloyd explains it, ìwe roll with the punches. We try to stay with the current times. Contemporary jazz has come a long way from back in the day when our first few albums came out. We try to be like MilesÖwe roll with the times, from bebop to today.îPieces Of A Dream ProfilePieces of a Dream emerged out of Philadelphiaís music scene in 1976. Keyboardist James Lloyd, drummer Curtis Harmon and former bassist Cedric Napoleon, were (and still are) managed by the drummerís father Danny and Uncle Bill Harmon. The group based their name on Pieces of Dreams, a cover tune by Stanley Turrentine that the group performed.Pieces of a Dream first started playing throughout the Tri-State area and were soon featured on Temple Universityís pioneering jazz radio station, WRTI-FM. Long before the ìYoung Lionsî era of Wynton Marsalis, Lloyd and Harmon were swinging so hard as teenagers that the great Count Basie once proclaimed them ìa tough act to follow.îBut it was another jazz legend, the late Grover Washington Jr., the sax man who made Philadelphia his home, who helped Pieces of a Dream become the internationally known stars they are today.After quickly becoming popular around Philadelphia, the trio landed a spot as the house band for a local television show called City Lights. Their experience widened as they played backup on the broadcasts to a wide variety of artists, and thatís where Washington first heard them. One day while the teenagers were playing at the Bijou (where Grover had recorded his Live at the Bijou album), he sat in with them to play ìMr. Magic.îSoon Washington announced that he was starting a production company and that Pieces of a Dream would be his first act. Lloyd was only a senior in high school when his first record came out.ìThat felt awesome,î recalls 38 year-old Lloyd. ìNot just having an album out, but going all over the world touring and performing with Grover.îFrom 1981 to 1984, Pieces of a Dream built their reputation with three albums on Elektra that would come to define the musical essence of the smooth jazz radio explosion: Pieces of a Dream, We Are One and Imagine This. Those seminal records yielded some of their earliest hits, including ìWarm Weather,î ìMount Airy Grooveî and ìFo Fi Fo.îSoon after completing Joyride, their last effort for Elektra, Pieces of a Dream moved to EMI/Blue Note and went on to record seven more albums. It was during this time that the group amicably parted ways with long time friend Cedric Napoleon.In 2001, Pieces of a Dream signed with Heads Up International and celebrated their 25th anniversary with what was undoubtedly their best album in years, Acquainted with the Night. The groupís silver anniversary release featured guitarist Ronny Jordan, vocalist Maysa Leak, and saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kenny Blake. Highlights included compositions from Albright and Michael Bearden, along with remakes of ìMahoganyî and ìUpside Down.î Acquainted with the Night eventually garnished two top five singles on R&Rís NAC chart.ìWe will always be true to ourselves and our roots and at the same time try to stay in touch with the times,î Lloyd concludes.