Time: 39:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Jazz Country, Jazz Soul
Art: Front
01. Outlaw Boogie (4:54)
02. Dearest Darling (Feat. Victoria Reed) (4:43)
03. Wild Horses (6:12)
04. Pickle (4:20)
05. Whistlers And Jugglers (Feat. Shooter Jennings) (6:05)
06. Crown Vic (4:21)
07. Ballad Of San Pancho (3:16)
08. Diamonds, Heels, And Suits (Feat. Jon Gray) (6:04)
...It all started with that mythical viper who bites his tail and rolls along like a greased wheel. It was 1985 in Nashville, TN, and 3rd-grader Erik Deutsch had just won his school's songwriting contest with his first original tune, 'Hoopsnake'. The prize? Get together with a songwriter, add some chords and such, and perform that sucker at the Country Music Hall of Fame. That, ladies and gentlemen, was Erik's first gig, so it doesn't come as too much of a surprise that 30 years later he's introducing Outlaw Jazz to the world.
Outlaw Jazz is Deutsch's melding of the psychedelic soul-jazz sounds from his last record, Demonio Teclado, with the classic sounds of outlaw country, rhythm and blues, and southern funk. In a way, he's been an outlaw in the jazz world for a while now--never quite fitting with the straight ahead cats, the avant garde scene, the jammers, or the funksters--but continuing to make independent records and blaze his own trail, and always with the pedal to the metal. Erik's mom came from an old Nashville family, and having spent a part of his childhood there, the country music has always been a part of his musical make-up. Combine that with a chance meeting with a certain Nashvillian, and Deutsch had the ingredients to bring this record to life.
Erik remembers going over to Shooter Jennings house many times as a child. His younger brother was a pal of Shooter's, and there were countless pick-ups, drop-offs, and parties where these guys were hanging out. Shooter, the son of country legends Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, got a quick start to his prolific career and has been in the public eye a good deal for the past 15 years. When Erik heard Shooter was moving to NYC in 2010, he reached out through some old friends. It'd been 25 years since these two had seen each other, but it only took a couple minutes before they felt like best friends. A couple years on the road and two albums later, their musical bond was strong, and Deutsch had an idea about how he could extend this inspiration into his own sound.
He started writing some music that had a little bit of country in it, all the while listening to records by Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Floyd Cramer, and of course Waylon. He launched his first-ever Kickstarter campaign and was overwhelming successful (raising more than $17,000 with 180 backers). The next step was to assemble a crack band: the core of Tony Mason (drums), Jeff Hill (bass), Jon Gray (trumpet), and Avi Bortnick (guitar) were joined by Jon Graboff (steel guitar), Scott Metzger (guitar), Steve Elliot (guitar), Tony Leone (drums), Jon Stewart (sax), and Mike McGinnis (sax). It was Deutsch's dream band, and after three days of recording and a couple weeks of Jeff Hill mixing, the results speak for themselves. Featuring five originals, three covers, and three memorable vocal performances (including Shel Silverstein's 'Whistlers and Jugglers' with Shooter), Deutsch has forged into new, exciting territory that brims with joy, creativity, and funky beauty. In an era of idiomatic recycled music, Outlaw Jazz stands out as a truly original, heartfelt album.
Fast forward to now, as Deutsch just inked a record contract with Nashville upstart label Cumberland Brothers. Chenault Sanders, Jake Sanders, and Nick Worley (son of legendary Nashville producer Paul Worley) are the 'Brothers' to whom the label refers, and just so happen to have met Erik in 1st grade--1982, Nashville, TN. The desire for Deutsch to join a label for the first time in over a decade was strong; the fact that he's joining forces with two life-long friends on a Nashville-based label is brilliant. It really couldn't have played out any better.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the joyful noise that is "Outlaw Jazz". There's a lot of history here, folks…trust me, you can hear it in the music.
Outlaw Jazz is Deutsch's melding of the psychedelic soul-jazz sounds from his last record, Demonio Teclado, with the classic sounds of outlaw country, rhythm and blues, and southern funk. In a way, he's been an outlaw in the jazz world for a while now--never quite fitting with the straight ahead cats, the avant garde scene, the jammers, or the funksters--but continuing to make independent records and blaze his own trail, and always with the pedal to the metal. Erik's mom came from an old Nashville family, and having spent a part of his childhood there, the country music has always been a part of his musical make-up. Combine that with a chance meeting with a certain Nashvillian, and Deutsch had the ingredients to bring this record to life.
Erik remembers going over to Shooter Jennings house many times as a child. His younger brother was a pal of Shooter's, and there were countless pick-ups, drop-offs, and parties where these guys were hanging out. Shooter, the son of country legends Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, got a quick start to his prolific career and has been in the public eye a good deal for the past 15 years. When Erik heard Shooter was moving to NYC in 2010, he reached out through some old friends. It'd been 25 years since these two had seen each other, but it only took a couple minutes before they felt like best friends. A couple years on the road and two albums later, their musical bond was strong, and Deutsch had an idea about how he could extend this inspiration into his own sound.
He started writing some music that had a little bit of country in it, all the while listening to records by Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Floyd Cramer, and of course Waylon. He launched his first-ever Kickstarter campaign and was overwhelming successful (raising more than $17,000 with 180 backers). The next step was to assemble a crack band: the core of Tony Mason (drums), Jeff Hill (bass), Jon Gray (trumpet), and Avi Bortnick (guitar) were joined by Jon Graboff (steel guitar), Scott Metzger (guitar), Steve Elliot (guitar), Tony Leone (drums), Jon Stewart (sax), and Mike McGinnis (sax). It was Deutsch's dream band, and after three days of recording and a couple weeks of Jeff Hill mixing, the results speak for themselves. Featuring five originals, three covers, and three memorable vocal performances (including Shel Silverstein's 'Whistlers and Jugglers' with Shooter), Deutsch has forged into new, exciting territory that brims with joy, creativity, and funky beauty. In an era of idiomatic recycled music, Outlaw Jazz stands out as a truly original, heartfelt album.
Fast forward to now, as Deutsch just inked a record contract with Nashville upstart label Cumberland Brothers. Chenault Sanders, Jake Sanders, and Nick Worley (son of legendary Nashville producer Paul Worley) are the 'Brothers' to whom the label refers, and just so happen to have met Erik in 1st grade--1982, Nashville, TN. The desire for Deutsch to join a label for the first time in over a decade was strong; the fact that he's joining forces with two life-long friends on a Nashville-based label is brilliant. It really couldn't have played out any better.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the joyful noise that is "Outlaw Jazz". There's a lot of history here, folks…trust me, you can hear it in the music.
Outlaw Jazz