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As
the trumpet can be a very brash and brassy instrument (depending
on how it's played) I attempted to soften its sound on this project
revealing it's sexier side. Even though my musical tastes are varied
ranging from traditional jazz to grunge music and everything in
between, the funky, soulful, and pretty music (regardless
of genre) usually gets my nod.
My overall idea for Groovetree
was to create a soulful and funky, yet smooth musical vibe; a CD
that you could just leave in the deck. I chose Bio-Funk
to lead off the album because it embodies all three of the above
characteristics; while at the same time introduces the listener
to my sound. I wrote Everyday
around its melody, which I heard in my head for years. Into
the Night is a melody I came up with while staring
into the stars one night. Groovetree,
the title track is just a fun song I wrote for my band. We'll "cut
loose" in concert on this song! Dana Davis, my co-producer,
actually came up with the track on the next song, For
Your Love. When I heard it I immediately conceived
the melody and had to have the song. In addition I heard a duet
and Tim Bowman's guitar fit the bill perfectly. Villicious
is a song that I wrote one night when I was feeling like a Bad Boy-----you
figure it out! Candie,
was a song inspired by my R&B side; kind of that 80's sound.
The Message
is my attempt to write a song that features lyrics. Fortunately
for you guys I just wrote the music. Ms. Michele Vandegrift
wrote the beautiful lyrics. Let me know if we have a future writing
vocal songs. Another Dana Davis track (Akire)
took my interest, to which I conceived a melody and wholaa. Lastly,
I've had a melody in my head for some time that made me think about
my late sister Renarta Yvette Rountree, who passed when she
was a baby. So I recorded it with the help of my keyboard player
Tony Gordon. It's called Lullaby
for Renarta. And there you have the makings of the
album GROOVETREE.
In
addition to the musical contributions of Dana Davis (programming,
syth, and keyboards), Billy Meadows, Michele Vandegrift and Tim
Bowman, I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the
other musicians who made the music on Groovetree come to life.
Al
Turner - Bass (Groovetree, Bio-Funk, Into the Night, For Ur Love,
Candie, The Message)
Ron Otis - Drums (Groovetree, Into the Night, For Your Love, Villicious,
The Message)
Bamm Davis - Keyboards (Villicious)
D'Aundre Thomas - Bass (Villicious)
Brandon Williams - Programming (The Message and Villicious)
Leslie Nelson - Vocals (The Message)
Darryl Dixon - Guitar (Groovetree, Into The Night, Bio-Funk, Everyday)
Tony Gordon - Keyboards (Lullaby for Renarta)
LaFruance - Guitar (The Message)
Carl Robinson/William Meadows - Mixing and Engineering
Lin
Rountree plays Yamaha instruments:
YTR 6310Z Trumpet
YFH 631 Flugelhorn
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