Raiford Wants To 'Leave The Door Open'

 

 

Grammy winner Derek “DOA” Allen produced the newly released single from the forthcoming “The Next Step.”

 

SACRAMENTO (31 May 2023): At its essence, the four-time Grammy-winning hit “Leave the Door Open” is a song about opportunity and R&B-jazz saxophonist Shawn Raiford is keeping himself open to the opportunities that music presents to him “at this stage in my life.” Teaming with Grammy-winning producer Derek “DOA” Allen (Lionel Richie, Janet Jackson, Tyrese), Raiford pours his soulful intentions into an instrumental version of the throwback-styled classic, which was released as a single and began collecting playlist adds on Monday. It’s the second track issued from Raiford’s sophomore album, “The Next Step,” slated to drop early next year and is being produced by Allen.   

You’ve got to go big if you take on a song destined to become a standard and Raiford delivers on his sax-powered version of “Leave the Door Open.” The Sacramento-based musician is an all-in kind of man hence he brings everything he’s got to reimagining the Silk Sonic smash about being open to possibilities. Having dropped his 2020 debut album, “Man With A Horn,” in his fifties, Raiford interprets the song from his perspective, bringing heart and emotion to his horn playing.

 

“At this stage in my life, I need to leave the door open for a lot of things. To me, it’s for my musical journey. I’m leaving the door open for music - the possibilities it may create, and the opportunities music may present for me to touch, uplift and inspire people. I’m so grateful to be doing what I’m doing with my music career at my age. It’s a young person’s game, but it’s never too late. That’s part of my message. You’re never too old;  it’s never too late to start. I bring my life experiences to my music and performances. That’s what makes it authentic,” said Raiford, who released the single that will soon be accompanied by a vintage video capturing the fun and spirit of Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak’s Silk Sonic collaboration.

   

An award-winning entertainer with The Shawn Raiford Experience, Raiford invited his core band members into the recording studio to track “Leave the Door Open.” Keyboardist Javance Butler, guitarist Vincent Cole Dutcher, bassist Michael “Tiny” Lindsey, and drummer Jonathan Frazier set the foundation to which keyboardist Ivan Johnson and saxophonist Andre Delano provide additional melodic fills.

 

“I decided to do ‘Leave the Door Open’ because I really fell in love with the song. It’s just one of those catchy songs that’s going to be around for a long time. It really had the world, including myself, playing it over and over and over again. I figured that a lot of people would love to hear that song,” said Raiford, who calls himself a huge Bruno Mars fan and was impressed by Anderson.Paak’s performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.

 

Another tune close to Raiford’s heart is a love song to his Northern California hometown, “Vallejo.” He plans to drop a single in the fall named for the village.

 

“I love that village (Vallejo) and I still surround myself with that village as my team and my producer, Derek “DOA” Allen, are from that village,” said Raiford, who has been opening shows this year for R&B singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Chuckii Booker and has opened for or performed with Teddy Riley, Yolanda Adams, Freddie Jackson, Pete Escovedo, Eric Darius, and Jeff Ryan. 

 

Earlier this year, Raiford released the first glimpse of “The Next Step,” a sensual single titled “Forever.”

 

For more information, please visit https://shawnraifordsax.com. 

 

Brooke Alford Music Is 'Heaven on Earth'

 

Luminously striking a power pose on the cover of her “Heaven on Earth” album, urban-jazz violinist Brooke Alford’s five-year process in writing and recording her second full-length collection has been an honest, emotional, and raw journey through traumatic loss and unexpected difficulties. When pushing through is the only option, the album is about overcoming no matter the circumstances thus the music on the nine-song set that dropped last Friday is an empowering and invigorating listen reflecting “The Artist of the Violin’s” enlightenment, growth, and personal development through her lived experiences.

 

Although she released her debut album, “Expressions,” in 2007 followed by “The Viosocalist” EP in 2012, the Atlanta-based Alford had never gone after radio airplay until she teamed with seminal urban-jazz keyboardist Bob Baldwin to produce the single “Closer” in 2018. At the time, she didn’t know the sensual R&B groove with reggae percussion inflections on which she and Baldwin sing the chorus would be the inception of an album project. The single fulfilled her objective of getting radio spins, earning a spot in the top fifty. A remixed version appears on the album that opens with another Baldwin collaboration – the optimistic single, “Heaven on Earth,” illumined by Alford’s exquisite violin play – to bookend the album.

 

The next year, Alford’s father was diagnosed with cancer, shifting her focus from music to family. Then the pandemic hit, further stifling her artistic output. Her father did succumb to the disease in 2020, leaving the family devastated. Through prayer and reflection, Alford had a realization. Instead of mourning, she decided to shine, determined to honor her father by creating a legacy of hope, inspiration, and upliftment.

 

“2020 by far was the toughest year of my life, yet the most rewarding. I saw a very dark side of life when my father perished from the illness. While the transition is very sad and hurtful, I found this experience with my dad to be bittersweet. It takes ‘loss’ in order to ‘gain.’ It is a difficult life lesson. My dad inspired me to just ‘go for it’ and shine bright like a diamond in my music career and life. His legacy will continue to evolve and live through me and my future lineage,” said Alford who will remember her father during an album release concert on Father’s Day (June 18) at City Winery in Atlanta.

 

Taking her father’s cue, Alford wrote “SHINE” with George Freeman. The funky mid-tempo single dropped in 2021.       

 

Moving on with her life as the world emerged from the pandemic last spring, Alford and Freeman wrote and released the festive “New Day” featuring the keyboardist’s elegant solo buttressed by impassioned violin play.

 

“Last year was a significant one. A newness had occurred. With the world recovering from the pandemic, it was time to celebrate coming into a fresh season, a ‘new day.’ Writing the melody felt so natural and the creation flowed like water through my fingers. I sent the melody to George (Freeman), and he perfectly matched the energy in the production. The organ that he added to the song gave such a soulful rock and classic feel, just like a fresh Sunday sunrise,” described Alford.

 

Last August, the rousing “On The Move” became the third Alford and Freeman creation to release as a single. It’s a slick and soulful contemporary jazz energizer. Alford said the song is about the certainty found in life’s constant forward motion. 

 

“Coming off of ‘New Day,’ I wanted to create an upbeat, celebratory tune with lots of strings on the track and several other high-energy musical elements. George sent me his take and he hit the nail on the head on the first go ‘round. As the song began to develop with the verses and bridge, viola parts and arrangements and more percussive instruments were added to fill out the track. It was definitely a fun tune to make,” said Alford who has opened for The Whispers, Mint Condition, Peabo Bryson, Najee, Will Downing, Marion Meadows, Paul Taylor, Marcus Johnson, India.Arie and Tony! Toni! Toné!, and shared the stage with Julian Vaughn, Alex Bugnon, Chubb Rock, and reggae superstar Beres Hammond.

 

At that point, Alford knew she had an album taking shape, one that derived inspiration from the discomfort she had endured and captured her positivity and enthusiastic spirit. As she planned the recording sessions and plotted the release with her team, more unanticipated setbacks forced her to shelve the project for a time.

 

After regaining her footing yet again, the resilient Alford resumed work on “Heaven on Earth,” which consists of eight of her originals and a completely reimagined version of Michael Jackson’s “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” The cover tune has roots dating back to a 2017 recording date with friends Justin C. Gilbert and Anthony Parrish. Alford experimented by placing her classical violin amidst hip-hop beats, cuts and scratches, and a rap.      

 

“It was pure synergy. Although the energy was right in the studio, the recording process came to a halt because of life happenings and changes. Last fall, Justin and I said simultaneously that we should finish working on the track. The song transformed from simply Rhodes keyboards, percussion, and violin to what is heard on the track today. I invited two of my favorite artists in hip-hop, James ‘DJ Jsmoove’ Hayes and emcee Mully Man, to take the production to even greater heights,” said Alford.

 

On “Feeling Love,” a sophisticated and seductive R&B jazz dalliance, Alford teamed with crooner Kelley Andre to co-write and produce the song. His rich baritone voice provides the male counterpart to Alford’s feminine energy presented in the form of lush strings and expressive violin.

 

Alford tapped Grammy nominee Reggie Hines to co-write and produce a pair of tunes with her. On the ambient “Wanting More,” she records for the first time playing an electric violin, creating a yearning and desirous sound as the track’s tempo and intensity build to a crescendo. Alford says her performance pays homage to one of her primary influences, the late violinist Noel Pointer. The second collaboration, “Cascade to the Congo,” is an eclectic amalgam of sounds, styles, and textures driven by a throbbing Euro house beat and Hines’ saxophone wails.  

     

“After we laid down ‘the’ take for ‘Wanting More,’ I was ready for us to create a contrasting tune that was upbeat, had natural sounding percussive instruments, a dance groove, and a violin-saxophone duet. We had to navigate our way to the synergy of this track since there are so many approaches to take based on the elements I wanted in the track. Once we found our groove, we FOUND it,” Alford emphasized.

 

“Life is a beautiful dance, and ‘Cascade to the Congo’ transcends all age groups, ethnicities, backgrounds, and so much more. The song captures the ethos of the entire album. It is all about getting up, dancing, and celebrating self-love and those special moments with loved ones. This track reminds me that this is such an amazing time to be alive, that one can genuinely experience ‘Heaven on Earth.’”

 

“Heaven on Earth” contains the following songs:

 

“Heaven on Earth”

“New Day” featuring George Freeman

“On the Move”

“SHINE”

“Feeling Love” featuring Kelley Andre

“Wanting More”

“Cascade to the Congo”

“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”

Bonus Track: “Closer (Quiet Storm Radio Edit featuring Bob Baldwin)

 

 

For more information, please visit https://www.brookealfordviolin.com.

 

For Keyboardist Vahagn Stepanyan It's "A New Chapter"

A ten-year-old boy in war-torn Armenia confidently told his piano teacher that one day he would play with jazz and gospel luminaries. She instantly shot down his ambitions, but the boy remained steadfast and undeterred, responding defiantly “Mark this day on your calendar because one day it will happen for me.” Flash forward to the present day, a year-and-a-half after moving his family to Los Angeles to realize his dream, keyboardist Vahagn Stepanyan surrounded himself with Grammy-winning and world-class musicians, producers, and engineers to record his second album, the aptly titled “A New Chapter.” Stepanyan composed and arranged eight songs for the jazz fusion collection releasing May 19.

 

Stepanyan produced “A New Chapter” with Kitt Wakeley, who earlier this year won the Grammy for Best Classical Compendium for “An Adaption Story” to which Stepanyan contributed to engineering and playing keyboards.              

 

In the intervening years between those early piano lessons and recording “A New Chapter,” featuring performances by eleven-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Philip Lassiter (Prince, Ariana Grande), Grammy-nominated guitarists Greg Howe and Mark Lettieri (Snarky Puppy); platinum-selling saxophonist Dave Koz, bassist Ida Nielsen (Prince) and powerhouse drummer Eric Moore amongst other accomplished players, Stepanyan was classically trained in composition and learned the art of production. He began selling songs to Armenian artists and started playing in jazz clubs in his native land but learned hard-earned music business lessons by getting paid only four dollars if he was paid at all.

   

Stepanyan was gifted with a saxophone that he promptly sold to buy a computer so he could learn how to arrange songs. During a 2009 visit to the US, he was encouraged by the reaction to his masterful keyboard capabilities. Four years later, difficult circumstances left him without a keyboard to practice.

 

Undaunted, Stepanyan continued to believe and worked tenaciously, step by step, never losing sight of his goals. Today, he is an award-winning music producer, arranger, songwriter, film and television composer, and keyboardist who crafted an album destined to elevate him to elite status in contemporary jazz.

 

The first single released from “A New Chapter” is “Synergy,” which dropped last month and is accompanied by a teaser video that premiered in Times Square on April 25. The track is constructed of a complex rhythm, Moore’s aggressive and astute drumming, Lettieri’s piercing electric guitar, and rich layers of opulent horns that feature Koz playing soprano sax in a completely different context from which he is best known. Stepanyan adds melodic vocalization to the rocket ship ride that is “Without Limits,” granting the ensemble the autonomy to create free from restrictions. Anthony Crawford’s stratospheric bass solo leaps to the fore on an exploration featuring Lettieri’s fretwork.

 

Nielsen’s dexterous bass is given star status on “Motion,” which packs powerful horn section blasts, a scorching and gauzy electric rock guitar solo by Roy Ziv, and Stepanyan’s otherworldly synthesizer expositions. Howe and Lassiter topline “Gravity,” floating above the intricate swatches of multiple guitars and horns. Throughout “A New Chapter,” Moore’s knockout drumming dominates in impressive fashion, but he’s officially featured on “So Good,” which is illumined by Stepanyan’s imaginative keyboards and a screaming guitar solo by Feodor Dosumov and Melvin Lee Davis’s (Chaka Kahn, Lee Ritenour, George Benson, Gerald Albright) elastic basslines. Brazilian drummer Cleverson Silva and Venezuelan bassist Isai Romero add Latin flavor to the playful “Toy.” Silva remains to play on the explosive “Revolution,” this time in the company of Dosumov’s shredding guitar and Wojtek Pilichowski’s frenetic bass. Closing with a solo piece that was recorded in one take, Stepanyan exquisitely conveys the emotions of the challenges he’s faced in recent years on “Hold My Hand,” a contemplative, poetic, and cinematic beauty.

 

Stepanyan began writing “A New Chapter” while traveling through Arizona and into Utah where he visited Hanksville, a place described as “Mars on Earth,” the baren, mountainous backdrop that appears on the album cover.  

 

“It symbolizes the transition from one period of my life to another – a new chapter where you have to create, filling in the colors of life through your own imagination. This is a new chapter for me, and I don’t know where it will take me as an artist. But I do believe that in this new chapter, the best is yet to come,” said Stepanyan, who recently won two awards from the Akademia Music Awards for Best Jazz Songs for “Synergy” and “Motion.” “Motion” also won a Global Music Awards silver medal and garnered a nomination from the Hollywood Independent Music Awards in the Jazz (Fusion/Bebop) category.

 

Knowing that the process of recording “A New Chapter” would be transformational, Stepanyan documented the sessions in a five-part video series along with a teaser video that encapsulates the short documentary series. Each episode takes viewers into the recording studio and captures the musicians talking about crafting the album. As much as Stepanyan oozes respect and reverence for the virtuoso musicians highlighted on the project, they reflect back just as much admiration and accolades upon the keyboardist-pianist’s prodigious skills.

 

Although Stepanyan’s early training was in classical music, his muse has been jazz and gospel while incorporating world beat and global music nuances. He produced and collaborated on three volumes of the multicultural “The Ethnos Project” that were released in 2013, 2015, and 2018, truly international compilations that include up to fourteen languages. As a solo artist, Stepanyan debuted in 2015 with “Moonlight,” an offering of jazz, R&B, and funk that he produced. Amongst the talents from the US, Armenia, Brazil, Thailand, Israel, and Germany that performed on the album were Billboard chart-topping guitarist Adam Hawley, six-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist Eric Marienthal, bassists Crawford and Davis, and drummer Silva. In 2020, Stepanyan collaborated with Grammy-winning gospel singer Percy Bady.

 

Stepanyan has overcome towering obstacles to get to where he is and he’s done it on his own, trading on his extraordinary talents and unconquerable belief in himself. Stepanyan’s “A New Chapter” is a remarkable achievement in production, arranging, songwriting and musicianship as he sets out to create a new life. Its roots sprouted from the soil of belief that a determined ten-year-old had long before anyone else recognized his exceptional skills.       

“I still have goals to reach. Mostly, I want people to recognize me not only as a jazz musician but as someone who writes and produces pop, R&B, soul, lo-fi, funk, and gospel music as well as film soundtracks. If you have a dream, set your goals and go for it without any excuses. Never give up. Believe in yourself. Keep focused on your passion, work hard, and invest in your future.” 

For more information, please visit https://vahagnstepanyan.com.