: ' .. .:.... . ' ' ______________ : ________ : ' \ / .. .:. .. \ / : : \ /_________ \ / . .. ... .. . : .\ / /___ /\ \ / ______________ ___ _. : \ / / \ / \ \/ / \ \ \ \ \ . ...:..\ / _______/ \/ \ ___/__ / / / / / : /\ / / \ \/ \ / / / . sH! ' / \/ / / / \ / / . ... .:.... .. . :/ _______/ / / / _______/__ ___ __ .\ / / / / / / / / / / / \ / / / / / / / / / / / . . \ /\______/ / / / / \___ / / : \/ ____ \ / / / / / : \ / \ /\____/\ / / : : ________\/ \ / \ / / : ' \ / \/ \ /\ / : . ..:.. . \ / \/ \ / \ / \ / . ' : \/ F A N G \ / : ' ____ \ / . . .. .. .:.. . \ / presents \ / . . \/ \/ : : . ..:.. , : Artist......: John Lee : Album.......: The Artist : : Label.......: Cellar Music .. .:.. . Genre.......: Jazz : Catnr.......: CM111620 . ' Source......: CD , ; Rip.date....: 2022-08-15 Str.date....: 2022-05-06 Quality.....: 248kbps/44.1kHz/Joint Stereo . :.. .:. Url.........: http://https://johnleejazz.bandcamp.com/ ' ' , ________ ________ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / # title time \ / \/ \/ 1. Soul Leo 5:33 2. Carl's Blues 4:03 3. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise 5:47 4. Life Is A Beautiful Thing 5:24 5. September In The Rain 5:50 6. The Artist 4:47 7. Fabienne 6:03 8. Blues On Sunday 6:03 ______ \ / ________ Runtime 43:30 ,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 81.13 ______ :\/ ', \ / , \ / ' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /. : Release Notes: \/ , \/ , ' ' ,: When listening to and watching John Lee perform, there are :, : qualities that you consistently hear and see. Lee exudes an : :' unerring sense for swing, shows an instinct for knowing when to ': ,: play intricate lines or an economy of notes, and above all, :, : radiates deep joy. All of these things, and more, have been : :' ever-present as heÆs become a go-to player in VancouverÆs jazz ': ,: scene. TheyÆre also front and center on LeeÆs exceptional debut :, : recording as a leader, The Artist. : :' ': ,: One of the thoughts that comes immediately to mind when hearing :, : Lee live and on his first album is that he has prodigious : :' talent. While thatÆs abundantly clear, Lee has had a passion ': ,: for jazz û and work ethic for learning its intricacies û from a :, : young age. From studying at the Berklee College of Music in : :' Boston (and graduating in 2016), to establishing himself as a ': ,: prominent jazz musician first in Victoria on Vancouver Island :, : and then in Vancouver, heÆs put in the heavy lifting and : :' self-reflection to prepare for making The Artist. ': ,: :, : Then thereÆs his uncanny ability as a multi-instrumentalist. Lee : :' performs at a high level on double bass, drums, piano and ': ,: organ, and guitar. WhatÆs important to acknowledge: when playing :, : any of his instruments, Lee laser focuses on the specific task : :' at hand with a fully engaged presence that empathically ': ,: supports the other players and enables him to shine. ThatÆs :, : exactly what he does on his debut. : :' ': ,: When the moment arrived to envisage The Artist, Lee knew he :, : wanted to play just one instrument. The hard part was figuring : :' out which one. ôIÆve never considered any instrument to be my ': ,: main instrument, so it was very difficult to choose what I would :, : play on my first record,ö says Lee. He turned to saxophonist : :' Cory Weeds, one of his primary mentors, for advice. ôI just ': ,: thought it was a bold move to have your first record as a leader :, : be a bass record,ö says Weeds. Lee liked the idea, and embraced : :' big thinking: having outstanding musicians û pianist Eric Reed, ': ,: drummer Carl Allen, and Weeds û on the album. :, : : :' The recording was delayed more than a year because of the ': ,: COVID-19 pandemic. After it was rescheduled for October 2021, at :, : the eleventh hour, a flight cancellation and COVID restrictions : :' prevented Knoxville-based Reed from travelling to Vancouver for ': ,: two performances, a clinic, and the recording session with Lee :, : and the band. After getting over the disappointment of suddenly : :' not being able to play with Reed, Lee moved forward and ': ,: welcomed the sublime Miles Black as a much more than able sub. :, : : :' Right from the first piece, ôSoul Leoö, the affinity between ': ,: Lee and Allen is evident. They lay down a soulful groove on :, : Mulgrew MillerÆs tune. ôThe bass-drums hookup is a very special : :' and unique thing,ö says Weeds. ôAs soon as John and Carl ': ,: started playing you could just tell instantly, æThis is going to :, : work.Æö Playing with Allen ôwas a dream come true for me,ö says : :' Lee. ôIÆve known his work for a long time, and to hear it and ': ,: feel it right in front of me was a real moment for me.ö :, : : :' Allen played ôCarlÆs Bluesö with the songÆs composer, Benny ': ,: Green, and itÆs the kind of hard-swinging tune that Lee :, : relishes. So it was a natural choice to include it on The : :' Artist. Black improvises with an Oscar Peterson-like dexterity ': ,: and intensity. ôYou know when you have Miles on a project, your :, : music will be uplifted,ö says Lee. ôHis playing that day in the : :' studio was moving. He played with grace and dignity.ö Allen ': ,: also delivers a robust solo. :, : : :' Lee and the band interpret ôSoftly As In A Morning Sunriseö ': ,: with a strikingly distinctive approach. They start the standard :, : slowly and quietly, segue into invigorating swing, then return : :' to affecting tranquility at the end. The cohesion throughout ': ,: the unique arrangement exemplifies how Lee and the band quickly :, : developed a rapport despite challenging circumstances. ôThe : :' musicians I chose to play with me all understand where I am ': ,: coming from musically, and not much had to be worked out in the :, : studio. We just went in and swung our asses off!ö : :' ': ,: On one of two originals by Lee on the album, ôLife is a :, : Beautiful Thingö, the bassist plays the balladÆs exquisite : :' melody with a light touch that evokes meaning. The song ': ,: represents his ôgratitude towards life over the last 10 years of :, : my adulthood. Although there has been many hardships, I learn so : :' much about who I am every day trying to look at life from a ': ,: positive angle. I tried to put all of that into a melody.ö :, : : :' The other song Lee composed û the title track ôThe Artistö û is ': ,: a medium tempo gem. ItÆs an ideal canvas for Black, Lee, and :, : Allen to deliver satiating solos. The bassistÆs agile improv : :' resonates especially sweetly. Lee, who was born in Seoul, South ': ,: Korea, dedicated the tune to his father Jae û ôthe best artist :, : IÆve ever had the pleasure to know.ö Jae passed away from : :' pancreatic cancer in 2014. ôHe was such an important figure in ': ,: my life and I miss him dearly every day.ö :, : : :' The gorgeous ôFabienneö by the great Swiss alto saxophonist ': ,: George Robert, who passed away (also from cancer) in 2016, was a :, : composition Weeds and Lee did when they first started playing : :' together. Weeds, who had a close friendship with Robert, ': ,: affirms his gift for emotively playing ballads with a stirring :, : tenor sax performance. ôCoryÆs playing for me is home,ö says : :' Lee. ôItÆs so familiar and I know it well. As usual, his ': ,: performance in the studio that day [on three of the albumÆs :, : eight songs] was inspiring.ö : :' ': ,: As for LeeÆs bass playing, throughout The Artist the 28-year-old :, : conveys a wisdom and musicality thatÆs far beyond his years. : :' HeÆs absorbed primary influences like Christian McBride and Ray ': ,: Brown and is already delineating his personal voice on the :, : instrument. ItÆs a beautiful beginning for LeeÆs career as an : :' instrumentally versatile recording artist, setting the tone for ': ,: further profound expression to come. :, : : :' ': : ' '.. ..' .. . :........... . . . . ............: . . ______________ ______________ \ / \ / \ / Shout out to all our homies from: \ / \ / \ / \ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ / \ / MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ / \ / \ / \/ ____ ____ \/ \ / F A N G \ / \/ 2 0 2 2 \/