Jay Graydon

Jay Graydon - Bebop - 2001 - Sonic Thrust Records

There is no limit to Jay Graydon's talents. From the late 60s to the late 70s he was a Los Angeles session musician, working with such artists as Diana Ross, Cheap Trick, Christopher Cross, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Marvin Gaye, Hall & Oates, and Albert King. Jay has also produced albums for George Benson, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls, and Dionne Warwick. He has penned several hits with the Manhattan Transfer including "Twilight Tone", "On The Boulevard", "Smile Again", and "Spies In The Night". One of his most noted collaboration has been with Al Jarreau. He produced the Jarreau albums Breakin' Away, High Crime, This Time and Jarreau. Jay also played guitar and synth on these albums and was a songwriter, arranger and engineer. See his bio for his amazing credentials. Has anybody listened to Steely Dan's classic "Peg" track, from the "Aja" album? Then you may know that Graydon's stupendous guitar solo on the track was the only solo that could please Donald Fagen of the Dan, after seven or eight other guitarists tried in vain! Now that is really saying something about Jay Graydon's ability as a crack session musician. "Bebop" explores the great jazz guitar playing of Jay Graydon. The album is a tribute to Jay's late father, and is a top notch jazz album. If you are more interested in Jay Graydon's "rock" side, this album may not be for you, but the album does demonstrate the virtuosity of this multi-talented musician, and deserves to be heard by anybody interested in great guitar playing. A book, "Jay Graydon - Bebop Play Along" has been issued, with instructions on how to play along with the tunes on this album. Check out Jay's "Airplay For The Planet" album, and the great "Planet 3 Featuring Jay Graydon - Music From The Planet " album.

TRACKS

1 Joe Graydon TV Show 1951 (0:19)
2 Oh Yes, There Will (5:19)
3 Blow Man (6:29)
4 4.2 (7:11)
5 Go 'Way Moon (4:24)
6 Tubs (6:02)
7 C Bop (4:34)
8 My Hot Girth (6:18)
9 G Wizz (2:48)
10 Star Spangled Banner (2:26)

Written-By - Bill Cantos (tracks: 5) , Jay Graydon (tracks: 2 to 4, 6 to 9)

MUSICIANS

Guitar - Jay Graydon
Bass - Dave Carpenter
Piano - Bill Cantos
Drums - Dave Weckl
Saxophone [Alto And Tenor Sax] - Brandon Fields
Producer, Engineer, Mastered By - Jay Graydon
Arranged By - Bill Cantos (tracks: 2 to 9) , Jay Graydon (tracks: 2 to 10)

REVIEW

Extremely well produced straight-ahead NEW instrumental bebop jazz played by top-notch pro musicians, featuring Jay Graydon on guitar. With the release of the BEBOP album, twice Grammy awarded and 12 times nominated Los Angeles top songwriter, guitarist, producer, arranger, engineer, and more, Jay Graydon has once again made music history and blessed our souls with real quality MUSIC. This album is a definite must-hear and must-own for many hours of music happiness! Jay Graydon's new masterpiece - BEBOP - is adding even more bright nuances to the multi-colored painting of his music genius. Those of you familiar with the way Jay expresses himself in pop music know that he has developed his very own style of playing, letting the guitar sometimes literally explode in a technically perfect aggressive solo and sometimes bleed in close harmonies and intense feeling - really squeezing the best out of the guitar. A jazz album such as BEBOP does not offer any shortcuts or easy ways out by hiding behind distortion or cranking up the volume or using all kinds of helpful gadgets - you simply have to be a very good player and musician, and Jay Graydon surely proves his skill and versatility on this long awaited new jazz album. Jay handles the guitar following the "less is more" concept, playing with subtle intelligence as well as technical accuracy. He is maybe first and foremost known for two very special ways of playing - the one note mute rhythm guitar playing and the wire choirs. Those specific styles of playing may not be what you expect to hear on a bebop album, but he actually manages to excel in an innovative and exquisite winding harmonic wire choir structure in one of the great melodies. The tunes on the BEBOP album have a classic feel although they actually are entirely new, and it would be a musical sin not to include them in a new edition of the jazz notation "bible" - the Real Book. Jay waited many years before attempting a full-blown jazz album, although his childhood roots are in bebop, as you may hear on the initial track on the album, where he proudly declares his music preferences at the age of 2 on his father's TV show. Jay Graydon is supported by a group of highly talented and solid sidemen on this album, all seasoned top-notch musicians. Brandon Fields, the incredibly gifted sax player contributes a beautiful tone to the new tunes and is truly inspired. Together with the other players on this highly recommended album - Dave Weckl, Dave Carpenter and Bill Cantos, these musicians form a synthesis of musicality, music quality, virtuosity, zest and total command of the bebop genre. © http://cdbaby.com/cd/jaygraydon01

JAY GRAYDON BIO

Two-time Grammy winner/arranger/producer/songwriter/guitarist Jay Graydon's credits include hits by Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire ("After the Love Is Gone," co-written with David Foster and Bill Champlin), Steely Dan, Dionne Warwick, Air Supply, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau ("Mornin'"), Breakin' Away, Heart's Horizon, High Crime, Jarreau, This Time, the Manhattan Transfer ("Twilight Zone"), George Benson ("Turn Your Love Around"), Cher, Christopher Cross, DeBarge ("Who's Holding Donna Now"), Barry Manilow (Even Now), and El Debarge, among many others. He also was involved with the soundtracks to Ghostbusters, Miami Vice, and St. Elmo's Fire. Graydon co-wrote "She's in Love," a track on Brenda Russell's Hidden Beach/Epicdebut album Paris Rain issued on July 18, 2000. Born October 8, 1949, in Burbank, CA, to Grace and Joe Graydon, Jay Graydon made his professional music debut at the age of two singing with his father on his TV show. Graydon comes from a musical family; his brother Gary plays guitar nonprofessionally and his father was a singer and songwriter. As he grew up, his interest expanded to include electronics and bowling. In the early '60s, Joe Graydon had a Saturday radio show on KDAY and Jay would engineer his show, playing the records, running the tape machines, and airing commercials. His father recorded for various record labels and Jay would accompany him to the recording studio, asking the audio engineers questions. One Christmas, he was given a mono tape recorder, mixer, and two mics that he used to record local bands. At the age of 14, Graydon started playing the guitar. With Dennis Kelly and Joe Lopez, he formed the Veltones with drummer Doug Wagner, who was later replaced by Bob Carrafield. They played pop/R&B and surf music and did some recording, but nothing was released commercially. During his high school years, Graydon took music classics and learned big-band arrangement from Robert Rose. While in college, Graydon got a call from the Seven Souls keyboard player Bob Hogins who was a former bandmate. Joining the band, Graydon learned a lot about "feel." Trombone player Glenn Farris invited him to audition for Don Ellis's big band. Working with such top players honed Graydon's skills. During a early-'70s club date backing singer Maxine Weldon, Graydon met keyboardist David Foster. Foster came backstage and introduced himself. A couple days later, Foster called to invite him to a recording session and to bring along his ARP 2600 synthesizer, guitar, and amp. Graydon and Foster would work together on innumerable sessions in the years to come. Graydon's Grammys include: Best R&B Song Awards for "After the Love Is Gone" (which also nominated for Song of the Year) and "Turn Your Love Around." As the 21st century began, Jay Graydon was working on a book with engineer/musician/author Craig Anderton. © Ed Hogan, All Music Guide