Dan Siegel
Having recorded a catalog of Top 10 albums in a vivid spectrum of jazz hues with topflight musicians for 35 years, Dan Siegel
only emerges when he has something engaging to say with his poetic
piano and crafty keyboards. Back with his first new statement in five
years, Siegel’s DSM record label will release Indigo on
October 14, a set comprised of ten new compositions that he wrote,
arranged and shared production chores with Grammy-nominated bassist Brian Bromberg.
On his 20th
album, Siegel creates right up the spine of the jazz dichotomy allowing
the melodies, improvisational soloing and grooves to unfold and
flourish unencumbered by restrictive genre borders and polarizing
labels. His cerebral compositions traverse the expansive jazz terrain,
but do so with heart rendering them instantly accessible. The
keyboardist has a gift for writing inviting, emotionally-evocative
material that connects soulfully.
"My tendency is to overwrite, which can make it challenging for the listener," said Siegel, who was born in Seattle and raised in Eugene, Oregon. "I believe the emotional allure of the music on this album, Indigo, transcends its compositional complexity."
The beating heart and soul heard on Indigo in
part comes from the live production tracked in the cozy confines of
Bromberg’s home studio in the valley just over the hill from Los
Angeles. Siegel and Bromberg have an easy rapport and level of trust
that dates back several decades from playing and recording together.
Bromberg’s 300-year-old acoustic bass provides the rhythmic bottom end
on tracks anchored by the deft drum beats from Yellowjackets veteran Will Kennedy. Bob Sheppard
plays a prominent role using a variety of saxophones and impassioned
play to echo Siegel’s piano and keyboards leads as well as emote his own
scholarly theses. Allen Hinds and Mike Miller are afforded ample room to dispense thoughtful guitar riffs and do so with finesse. Lenny Castro’s percussion and Craig Fundyga’s
vibraphone embellishments add texture, color and shadow in all the
right places while two different horn sections appear on a total of six
tracks providing power and depth. The cumulative result of such
masterful players animating Siegel’s poignant piano pieces is a warm and
plush album that will be serviced for airplay at straight-ahead jazz
(full album) and contemporary/smooth jazz outlets (title cut).
Siegel inked his first record deal in 1979 with Inner City Records, which issued his debut disc, Nite Ride, featuring guitar great Lee Ritenour. Siegel’s sophomore session, “The Hot Shot,” went No. 1 on the Radio & Records chart and spent ten weeks in the Top 10 on the Billboard
jazz chart. A couple years later, Siegel moved to Los Angeles to focus
on composing film and television scores. Subsequently, he signed with Epic Records
and altered his sound from fusion to collections that spanned
contemporary jazz, electronic, world beat and R&B. Over the years, he
has played and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Boney James, Larry Carlton, Joe Sample, Ernie Watts, John Patitucci, Bela Fleck and Ottmar Liebert in instrumental settings; Glenn Frey, Chaka Khan, Berlin and Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire) in the pop world; and amassed an array of television and film credits that boasts Oscar-winner The Usual Suspects. For more information, please visit www.DanSiegelMusic.com.
The songs contained on “Indigo” are:
“To Be Continued”
“By Chance”
“Indigo”
“Beyond”
“Far and Away”
“If Ever”
“Spur of the Moment”
“First Light”
“Consider This”
“Endless”
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