The spiritually-minded jazz
fusion keyboardist Patrick Bradley doesn’t need a special occasion like marking
his tenth anniversary as a recording artist to acknowledge his inspirations
both tangible and divine. However, “Dear Friend,” the first single from his
forthcoming fourth album, “Intangible,” due August 25, does just that, slated
to arrive ten years after the release of his first solo set. Written with the
album’s producer, Jeff Lorber, “Dear Friend” pays respectful homage to the
seminal musicians who influence and inform Bradley’s contemporary jazz, rock,
fusion and R&B mashups released on the Patrick’s Song Factory label.
“My intent was to honor the influence and significant impact
that late musicians have on me musically such as keyboardist giants Keith
Emerson, Richard Wright, George Duke, Joe Sample and Jon Lord. Bass players
Chris Squire and Jaco Pastorius and guitarist Alan Holdsworth have a major
influence on my approach to arrangements and melodies. Their influences are
woven throughout my musical experiences, abilities and styles,” said Bradley,
who wrote and arranged the ten songs that comprise “Intangible” with Lorber.
“The tune also celebrates friendship of all kinds - whether it is the intimate
friendship between a spouse or lover, a trusted best friend, a mentor, your
family pet or the friendship expressed through songs of faith.”
“Intangible” is the third outing for Bradley and Lorber, the
latter of whom is a keyboardist widely recognized as one of the forefathers of
jazz fusion, thus an element of mentorship is evident in their ongoing creative
friendship. “Jeff and I work very well together. Coming into the studio, I had
about 18 songs to work with for this project and we selected ten. Collaborating
with Jeff always draws out new dimensions and makes me dig deeper.”
One of the dimensions that Bradley developed under the
tutelage of Lorber was to cultivate the ability and the confidence to
communicate as a trilingual keyboardist: piano, Hammond B3 organ and Moog
synthesizer. Bradley’s nimble finger work dispenses harmonies in equal measures
of power and grace, poignant and propulsive, riveting and rousing, and cerebral
and accessible. His multi-voiced keyboard approach makes an individual track
seem as if it is helmed by more than one protagonist with each unique keyboard
instrument providing a different perspective on the melodies. In addition to
the heavy usage of the Hammond B3 along with frequent spacy Moog forays,
Bradley’s distinctive brand also consists of deep-pocketed grooves constructed
by live instrumentation from a core unit of prominent musicians – guitarists
Adam Hawley and Michael Thompson, bassist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Gary Novak and
Lorber on synth bass, guitar and additional keyboards. A handful of cuts are
bolstered by the brawn and bravura of David Mann’s horns. Paul Jackson Jr.
cranks out a gale force of electric guitar riffs on “Tail Wind” while Andrew
Carney’s trumpet thrives animatedly while exploring “Newport Coast.”
There is another essential element to Bradley’s recordings
that have been present ever since he issued his debut album, “Come Rain or
Shine,” a decade ago. “Music and creativity and whatever talents we each have
are a gift from God. Love, faith, hope and even music are all intangible, hence
the new album title. Much of our universe is intangible yet we spend the
majority of our time seeking the physical and temporal things. I always want to
encourage people to look beyond the physical universe and turn our hearts
towards God,” said the Southern California native who balances his creative
output with a corporate profile by serving as president of the Southern Pacific
Region at Whole Foods Market.
Bradley’s singles regularly hit the Billboard chart, but he
was especially encouraged by the success and growing support he received for
his previous album, 2014’s “Can You Hear Me.” “It gave me a new drive to write,
play and collaborate with a newfound zeal and energy, revealing where I am at
musically at this time. All music has a piece of the artist within their songs.
I find with each new project, I feel the need and responsibility to dig deeper
and in a sense, be truer to the musician I am and inspire to be.”
“Intangible” contains the following songs:
“Dear Friend”
“Funky Greens”
“Tail Wind”
“On Tap”
“Intangible”
“Find the Way”
“Newport Coast”
“Winds of Change”
“Destiny”
“Out of Bounds”
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