It might be the height of summer but one great reason to look ahead into September is ‘The New Cool’ from contemporary jazz icons (and fellow members of super-group Fourplay) Bob James and Nathan East.
It will be released on September 18, by Yamaha Entertainment Group, and predictably centers on jazz piano and bass duets as the vehicle for a diverse collection of original compositions and handpicked classics. Recorded entirely in Nashville it reveals James and East in a way that you have never heard them before.
Take for example the duo’s imaginative take on Willie Nelson’s ‘Crazy’ which carries with it the surprise of a Vince Gill vocal or the Brazilian jazz extravaganza which features percussionist Rafael Padilla and drummer Scott Williamson.
Although individually busy with touring and recording, James and East are committed and energized by ‘The New Cool’ which will be comprehensively promoted in both traditional and non-traditional ways. Almost a dozen video vignettes that take viewers into the recording studio during the making of the album will soon begin to emerge through the official website, www.thenewcoolalbum.com and the launch of a full-scale documentary film will coincide with the album’s street date.