NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 13, 2008) - Grammy Award-winning innovator and master of
the acoustic guitar, EARL KLUGH, is releasing a long-anticipated ensemble
recording, "THE SPICE OF LIFE," April 29th, 2008 on KOCH Records. The album
is Klugh's first full-production release in nine years, and is the
follow-up to his 2005 solo masterpiece, "Naked Guitar," which drew Klugh's
eleventh career Grammy nomination.
Described by the Boston Globe -- and a generation of music lovers -- as
"one of the most highly esteemed jazz guitarists in the world," Klugh
conceived "THE SPICE OF LIFE" as an omni-faceted celebration of a 30-year
voyage as a trailblazing and inclusive force, uniting jazz, R&B and pop
audiences. "I wanted to create something that would encompass a wide
spectrum of directions: solo, standards, originals, electronic, acoustic
and orchestral," says Klugh. "I wanted to make a recording that would
reflect where I am at this moment in my life, and something I am proud to
present to my fans."
This new collection, inspired by the music of Klugh's life, represents a
wide-ranging creative vantage point available only to a very rare circle of
talents. "THE SPICE OF LIFE" plays through with the authority and impact of
a greatest-hits album, and at the same time, the fresh discovery of a
journeyman still in the prime of his creativity. Its release coinciding
with the awarding of the Album of the Year Grammy to fellow master jazz
eclecticist Herbie Hancock, "THE SPICE OF LIFE" responds to a marketplace
calling out for substance and the guiding hand of art in pop music.
The many pleasures of "THE SPICE OF LIFE" encompass lush orchestration,
warm and vibrant production, and original solo guitar compositions -- all
of these in Klugh's unfailingly positive, fresh and imaginative style. As
ever, expanding the mind, refreshing the soul and evoking emotions -- in
short, heightening the experience and enhancing the environment of life
itself -- is the Earl Klugh signature. In an album full of highlights,
Klugh reinterprets four of his favorite standards, and three-time Grammy
winner and longtime collaborator Don Sebesky contributes five orchestral
arrangements, including Earl's boyhood favorite "Canadian Sunset"; his
reinterpretation of the Thelonious Monk classic, "Bye Ya"; and a beautiful,
witty retro-style revival of "C'est Si Bon." Grammy-winning flute virtuoso
Hubert Laws guests, and award-winning composer Eddie Horst arranges the
chamber-group string accompaniment, on the Klugh original "Heart of My
Life."
At a time when instrumental and vocal artists are under constant pressure
to overuse the classics of the American pop-song canon, "THE SPICE OF LIFE"
also features a clutch of memorable yet effortless Klugh originals, among
them: the properly atmospheric "Ocean Blue," "Driftin'," a warmly melodic
pop piece; the forward-looking funk "Sleepyhead," and "Snap!," a taste of
the "old school" suggesting Klugh's Detroit childhood, where he first
encountered everyone from Yusef Lateef and George Benson to Motown
Records' ace house band, the Funk Brothers.
"One of the solo pieces I wrote is directly in the style of Antonio Lauro,
a classical guitarist and composer from Venezuela," Klugh notes. "When I
was young, there wasn't a lot of sheet music for classical guitar.
Antonio's waltzes were some of the first transcriptions I ever had, and
they are beautiful. I wrote and named the piece 'Venezuelan Nights' in
honor of Antonio."
Klugh continues to be one of the most in-demand live artists globally. In
2007, Klugh introduced his concert series, Night of Guitars, featuring
fellow guitar legends Bill Frisell, Russell Malone, Ray Parker Jr. and
Peter White. He has recently returned from his second tour with The U.S.
State Department and Thelonious Monk Institute in India. And this April
3rd, Klugh presents his 5th Annual Weekend of Jazz at the Broadmoor in
Colorado Springs, CO, joining world-renowned peers Ramsey Lewis, Boney
James, Mindi Abair and fellow KOCH labelmate Sophie Milman.
Earl Klugh won the 1980 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for
the million-selling album "One on One" with Bob James, and "Collaboration,"
his 1987 album with George Benson, was certified Gold by the RIAA. He has
recorded over 30 albums in his multi-million-selling career, including four
No. 1 albums on Billboard's Jazz Album chart and another 18 albums that
charted in the Jazz Top Ten.
"THE SPICE OF LIFE" TRACK LISTING
1. Ocean Blue
2. Sleepyhead
3. Canadian Sunset
4. Venezuelan Nights
5. Driftin'
6. Snap!
7. Bye Ya
8. Heart Of My Life
9. Morning In Rio
10. C'est Si Bon
11. Lucy's World
12. My Foolish Heart
13. The Toy Guitar
For more information visit:
www.KochRecords.com
www.EarlKlugh.com
www.WeekendofJazz.com
About KOCH Entertainment
KOCH Entertainment, founded in 1987 and now in its twentieth year, is the
leading and fastest-growing independent music company in the U.S. KOCH's
operations encompass record and video labels as well as distribution
companies in the U.S. and Canada. KOCH Entertainment is the market leader
among independent labels and distributors in both the U.S. and Canada and
its record label KOCH Records had the largest number of Billboard charting
albums among independents for seven years in a row (2001 - 2007). KOCH
Entertainment is a subsidiary of Entertainment One Ltd. which is listed on
the London Stock Exchange's AIM market (ticker symbol "ETO").
Contact Information: FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
PLAN A MEDIA
Patti Conte
patticonte@nyc.rr.com
212-337-1406 x16
KOCH RECORDS
Giovanna Melchiorre
gio@kochent.com
212-353-8800 x257