DENNY JIOSA / www.dennyjiosa.com
Energetic, innovative, fresh, pleasurable, dazzling, vibrant, improvisational, lyrical, masterful…these are just a small sampling of the terms that have been used to describe guitarist Denny Jiosa’s music by some of the nation’s most formidable music critics.
With five exceptional CDs already under his belt, Jiosa stands out in today’s field of instrumental musicians as one who refuses to compromise and always surprises. As Dirk Sutro, the author of Jazz For Dummies states, “While some of the players are a little too smooth for my taste, some other artists in the contemporary jazz category make more challenging music.” He lists Denny Jiosa among his favorites in the company of such stellar musicians as Fourplay, Spyro Gyra and Joe Sample.
Originally from Huntington, Indiana, Denny has made Nashville his home for the past 21 years, immersing himself in the music scene as musician, composer, producer and arranger in a broad spectrum of musical genres.
He has garnered Grammy nominations for three of the four albums he engineered and played on for Contemporary Gospel artist Yolanda Adams, his production/engineering and soloing work has appeared on recordings for sax player Kirk Whalum, Take 6 and Earth, Wind and Fire’s Phillip Bailey, to name just a few.
Among his musical accolades, Jiosa can include the SESAC National Performance Activity Award for his composition "Lights of the City," from the album Inner Voices and his most recent release body 2 body was featured on Air Force One.
With his latest release, Dreams Like This, on Sonic Canvas Records, Jiosa once again breaks new musical ground. When Jazziz Magazine compared his playing to Eric Clapton’s they also stated that he “simmers rather than overpowers,” and this has never been more evident than on this recording. With every listen to every song, there are new layers unearthed, new amazing intricacies.
Jiosa describes Dreams Like This as the record he always wanted to make. “I feel that Dreams Like This is moving me in a new musical journey forward. New music, new label and new challenges!”
Denny has always believed that if you follow your heart, your dreams will come true and with his latest release, Dreams Like This, he proves that his musical dreams and aspirations have no limits.
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Denny Jiosa: DREAMS LIKE THIS
Sonic Canvas Records
Cut by Cut … with comments by Denny Jiosa
This fresh attitude towards the recording process brought a contemporary sense of fun to Denny and the album’s lead track, “Chillpill,” drives this outlook home. “We have all heard people say, 'take a chillpill man’ when someone gets over-emotional about something. It was a working title for the song and everyone loved it, so it stuck.”
“‘Forward Motion’ was named on the day we recorded it. I told the band I wanted the song to feel like it was moving ahead, with an underlying energy about it. It needed to musically push in a forward motion. After I said that I realized, ‘hey, that’s it, that’s the title!”
“When I was eight years old, Bobby Hebb’s ‘Sunny’ was one of the first songs I learned on the guitar. It was also my first exposure to ‘jazz’ chords. I still have the original songbook. I decided I would do my own arrangement of the tune on this CD. A friend arranged for Bobby to come to my studio and hear it. He loved what he heard and agreed to scat on the tune. I asked him ‘give us just one ‘Sunny’ and his very appropriate reply was ‘Na, everyone knows the words!”
With its high voltage Latin energy, “Embracing The Fire” is one of Jiosa’s favorites on the recording. “To me, it expresses a very determination and the feeling that I am ready for anything. The fire represents the trials and tribulations we face and the embracing represents a lack of fear. Bring it on and get out of my way!”
The sultry melodic lines of the guitar that interweave with the superb trumpet playing gives “Midnight At The Wall” an exotic late night feel to it.
Denny wanted to do a song with a ‘chill’ feel to it and when his kids responded that they thought this song sounded like spy music with a mysterious groove, he took Mysterious and Jiosa and combined them and thus was born “Mysteriosa.”
“For ‘Just the Thought of You’ I wanted to do something with a ‘Sade’ feel to it. A friend of mine wrote the lyrics and we collaborated on this tune. I used to sing all the time and for some reason I got away from it. I really enjoyed doing this and having an opportunity to use my voice, the first instrument we are all given.”
“Wounded Warriors” is a composition that is very emotional for me. It is one of those songs that when the melody came to me, it haunted me over and over. Searching for a title, my thoughts kept going to the many men and woman who have fought to keep us free, including many of my close friends, my father, grandfather and my uncles. I am grateful to all of them. Be it physical or emotional, I know that they are all wounded and this song is my way of paying tribute.”
The track “I Am Roxanne” was inspired by one of Jiosa’s guitars called, aptly, Roxane. “It is a sexy, gorgeous instrument from France. I got the idea of doing the sensuous French dialogue as if it is the guitar speaking to the player.”
“In The Minds Eye” has a mesmerizing affect to it. It ties into the Dreams theme in that you can see deep into a person by looking into their eyes. In our minds, we see ourselves as one thing with hopes that the world is also seeing us that way...or not.”
Written to express a musical direction that has always been a part of Jiosa, “Dreams Like This” is more cinematic in nature. “I love scoring for film and working with different textures, rhythms and harmonic structures required for that medium of composition. ‘Dreams Like This’ is in 7/4 time signature. Drummer Chester Thompson heard the demo of this song and loved it (he loves to play in 7/4). He was very anxious to record it so what was I going to say? ABSOLUTLEY! It is again another part of my musical dream.”
Meaning calm, “Tranquillo” floats with a more straight ahead, yet accessible feel to it.
“‘The Glass Half Full’ is my favorite cut on the CD. It is musically challenging and expressive to me. I love wine...red wine in particular and I remember when I was writing this tune I looked at my glass and it was half empty...or was it half full? How do you see it?”
“Wes Montgomery is my favorite player. I wrote “East Of Montgomery” to pay homage to him and the early recordings he did with the horn sections.”
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David Spencer and Dynamic Productions
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2/22/2009 10:05:45 AM
Hello my name is David Spencer, and my group Dynamic Productions just released our first independent release entitled, "Created to Praise," Stop by and have a listen! Thanks! www.dynamicproductioncrew.webs.com
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