Bogey Vujkov's new CD "Comin' Up for Air" shows just what can happen when one of my favorite jazz pianists teams up with some of the best session musicians in Seattle and the music really starts to cook. It verges on commercial (hey, musicians got to eat, eh?) with lots of high-octane elaborate percussion but there are also moments of remarkable tenderness. Bogey has given me permission to include a couple of samples in this blog post. Click the titles to hear them and see what you think. Click the image to buy the CD.
Three Sketches is an original piano solo with a reflective style that seems to fit somewhere between Debussy and jazz.
Tune for Howard by Bogey's mentor Billy Taylor starts with a piano solo and then kicks into gear.
Will "Comin' Up for Air" be a commercial success? Selling music has always been a tough business and jazz even more so, but I really think this one has a shot. And remember, you heard it here first!
I have known Bogey since I wondered into Sherman Clay in downtown Seattle nearly six years ago and what has ensued is a wonderful relationship between a ‘church boy’ organist and a jazz impresario.
The music alone tells the story but once you sit down and feel his spirit, you won't be impressed with just the musicianship, you'll come away with the feeling you've met one of life's most extraordinary individuals.
Buy the CD and come up for some air...
Dale Jennings
Posted by: Dale Jennings | October 06, 2005 at 12:41 PM