 |
Will Donato: I first heard Will Donato when he joined Steve Reid's Bamboo Forest. The band had been composed mostly of moonlighting Rippingtons, but that configuration, with Will, Steve Oliver, and Blake Aaron, was a dream band in the making that put on a powerful show. Oliver, Aaron, and Will all went on to establish solo careers at a point in time where it is very difficult to get a high profile as a contemporary instrumental artist. Donato is a high octane musician and entertainer. He was in Florida for a festival a few weeks ago and played one of the most exciting sets of that star studded weekend. Words are never adequate when it comes to describing such performances, fortunately this one was recorded. Watch and listen to see the reason that if there were still stars he would be on the fast track to becoming one. He's also one hard working guy. I caught up with him as he was driving several hours to a performance after spending a day putting the finishing touches on his holiday CD. |
Carol Ray: Have you ever wondered what a manager does? They do a lot and the glimpse behind the scenes is fascinating. Carol Ray has been managing Nick Colionne since his days playing clubs in Chicago before he released his first CD. As a team, they have taken his career from there to where he is now – a chart topping, award winning artist who is in high demand as a headliner at major concert venues and festivals. Their hands-on, DIY approach has served them well and allowed them both to adapt to change and actually thrive on it. She works constantly and works hard because she loves music, loves what she does, and cares about her client and his fans. She and Nick have been the first in our genre to truly embrace the strategies that youth oriented artists have been developing to get their music heard and build and maintain a fan base. They have firmly planted their feet in this new world and they are moving forward, blazing a path that, hopefully, others in our genre will explore because it's not just a matter of growing now. It's a matter of surviving. |
Richard Smith: Guitarist, writer, producer, recording artist, touring musician, Professor, collaborator, world traveler and musical ambassador. These are only a few of the roles that Richard Smith plays. Besides recording a series of hit smooth jazz albums and mentoring other artists in the process, he is on the faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music and was the Chair of the Jazz Guitar department before stepping down to pursue other interests. He has been spending a lot of time overseas teaching and playing all types of music and is involved in the new Pop Music Performance degree program at USC. The first of its kind, it will teach students who want to pursue careers in popular music both the technical and business sides of being a professional musician. In the midst of this all he has put together a group of L.A.'s finest musicians and released a CD. LA Chillharmonic, which we reviewed in October, is one of 2008's best. He stepped out of perpetual motion to give us an update on what he's been doing since we spoke several years ago. |
