After a
dynamic 2017, filled with international touring and the release of his critically
acclaimed Mack Avenue Records debut album REACH, singularly talented pianist,
GRAMMY® Award-nominee, and Steinway artist Christian Sands is expanding on his
story with REACH FURTHER EP. This outing features live performances of three
tracks from his latest album, recorded on March 7, 2018 at the popular Los
Angeles jazz club Blue Whale, as well as two unreleased tracks from the
original studio recording sessions. This digital-only release will be available
on May 18, 2018 via Mack Avenue Records.
REACH
FURTHER EP serves as a natural platform to showcase Sands’ captivating live
performances, as well as a glimpse into what is to come from the ever-evolving
and multifaceted artist. “People react to different things musically in a live
setting, and that influenced how we play these songs. But for us, mainly there
are more chord changes now,” laughs Sands. “We’ve added different pulses and
more grooves after playing in Europe and the United States.”
Sands used
what little free time he had between touring and recording to lend a hand to
the Erroll Garner Jazz Project, (officially becoming the Creative Ambassador
for Octave Music) producing the upcoming never-before-heard live album Erroll
Garner: Nightconcert. The album is a continuation of the work Sands has done
with his mentor, the late and deeply lamented Geri Allen, to ensure Garner’s
legacy is never forgotten.
“Geri was
one of my teachers. I was studying with her during the same time I was studying
with Dr. Billy Taylor. To watch her vision was incredible. When she introduced
me to the Erroll Garner Jazz Project, I discovered the deeper idea of Erroll:
his time, his phrases,” recalls Sands. “Being the Creative Ambassador to the
Erroll Garner Jazz Project is a true honor and to be able to produce this
record is something extremely heavy, yet humbling.”
Christian
Sands continues to expand into previously unexplored areas of his artistry,
continuing to push the boundaries of the “jazz-norm.” Furthering that sentiment
and looking to the future, Mack Avenue Records plans to release Sands’ next
album this coming fall. Incorporating elements of acoustic piano, Fender
Rhodes, and Hammond B3, the upcoming album displays his ability to look at the
instrument as a tool of orchestration.
Those
talents will be further applied with his upcoming Music Director position for
the 2018 Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour band this year with Cécile McLorin
Salvant, Bria Skonberg, Melissa Aldana, Yasushi Nakamura, and Jamison Ross.
With so many elements and projects coming from his young inspired mind, the
REACH FURTHER EP solidifies that this is Christian Sands’ world and we are just
blessed to be a part of it.
Christian
Sands' Upcoming U.S. Performances:
Jun. 14 /
McCarter Theatre Center (The Berlind Theater) / Princeton, NJ
Jun. 23 /
Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival / Saratoga Springs, NY
Jun. 24 - 25
/ Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival / Rochester, NY
Jun. 26 - 27
/ Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (JALC) / New York, NY
July 3 -
20th: European Tour
Sept. 3 /
Detroit Jazz Festival / Detroit, MI
Sept. 21 /
Monterey Jazz Festival / Monterey, CA
Sept. 29 /
Hyde Park Jazz Festival / Chicago, IL
Oct. 9 /
Kuumbwa Jazz Club / San Jose, CA
Oct. 22 /
Dimitriou's Jazz Alley / Seattle, WA
Oct. 25 - 28
/ Jazz Standard / New York, NY
Nov. 2 /
Christina Cultural Arts Center / Wilmington, DE
Nov. 3 /
Montgomery County Community College / Blue Bell, PA
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