This section will give you the latest news, log all ongoing and upcoming projects and other issues of interest. So keep
up-to-date with what is happening in Jay Graydon land by visiting often!
May, 2013
JAY GRAYDON IN "DOWN THE RHODES" WEBISODE!!!
While we are eagerly waiting for the upcoming JaR album - here is finally the previously
announced "Down the Rhodes: The Fender Rhodes Story" webisode in which Jay elaborates around
the E-Rhodes, shares with us how he came up with the chorus for TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND, and a whole lot more. Enjoy!
February, 2013
JAY GRAYDON ON HIS LATEST ACTIVITIES!!!
Jay has been busy in the studio working on the JaR album as well as testing out
his new Bossa signature guitar, which we will soon tell you more about. Hang around for pics and specs. Yea, one might
think that would be more than enough for one man, but on top of that, Jay has also been doing some exquisite guitar work
on other artists' projects. Here below are his own thoughts on what is happening in Jay Graydon land at this point ...
---
"The new JaR CD will hopefully be finished around summertime and possibly earlier.
The main problem with producing and writing stuff is I only play guitar about 5% of the time in the studio and
very little time to practice. My new Bossa signature guitar (two models) are now available and I have acquired
some other guitars as well and want to play guitar more often. As to make that happen, I have started making myself
more available as to play session overdubs in my studio for other people's projects.
A few weeks ago I played a guitar
solo for STATE COWS and played rhythm guitar and a solo for URS WIESENDANGER,
who is producing Thierry Condor.
November, 2012
JAY GRAYDON AT B-DAY PARTY!!!
I know it has been kind of quiet around here for a while but that does not mean Jay has been idle and twiddling his thumbs
during that time. On the contrary, apart from recording
songs for the second JaR album, he has been very busy writing songs in various
genres, e.g. a bunch of pop songs and most recently 4 new jazz tunes (Sinatra style) with Tim Hosman, which all sound superb.
But of course Jay has also had a night off hanging with these cats...wow, check out these great musicians all in one
picture at a party at Ray Parker Jr.'s house for Sylvester Rivers' birthday.
Click on the thumbnail for larger version of the pic. Left to right, Ray Parker Jr. Jimmie Haskell, Steve Lukather, Jay
Graydon (obviously), Lee Ritenour and in front Craig T. Cooper, who took the picture. The birthday boy himself - Sylvester
Rivers - was somewhere else in the house when this pic was taken, though.
Jay:
"Man, there were so many great first call musicians at the party! So many fun stories that night as to so many record dates
in the studios! Hey Craig, thanks for passing along the picture!"
March, 2012
JAY GRAYDON AT GLENN FERRIS HANG!!!
Jay:
"I met Glenn Ferris in college and he is an outstanding trombonist!!! He plays "outside" jazz like no
one else. Glenn was responsible for getting me in the Don Ellis band along with Jock Ellis, Jon Clark
and others.
Glenn has been living in Paris for around 25 years making a living playing jazz, which is no easy
task anywhere. When Jock knew Glenn was coming to LA, he set up the hang with the guys.
Jock (trombone) and Fred (alto sax) were in the Don Ellis band. John Heard is an outstanding jazz bass player and
has played with all of the jazz stars over the years. We were both in a band with George Duke in the early 70's
for an album and a few gigs."
Click on the thumbnails for larger versions of the pics. Left to right in both pics, Andrew Lippman, Harry Kim, Glenn
Ferris, Jock Ellis, Arturo Velasco, Fred Selden, John Heard, Jay Graydon.
February 20, 2012
JAY GRAYDON WITH BUDDIES AT NAMM!!!
As usual the Anaheim Convention Center in CA was packed with people enjoying the shows and exhibitions at the
annual NAMM show 2012. Jay met with many of his musician buddies
in the crowd and here below he shares a few pics with you. Click on the thumbnails for
larger versions of the pics.
Playin' new toy at NAMM 2012. Left to right, Bobby Cochran, Jay Graydon, Tom Hemby, Drew Montell (Ernie
Ball engineer) and Robert (Bob) Wolstein - also an engineer at Ernie Ball, who headed up the design of
the physical electronics in The Game Changer. All the cats want to play...
Bobby Cochran is trying to introduce to Jay Graydon a totally new way of handling the
fingerboard to achieve
the ultimate guitar sound, but neither Jay nor Tom Hemby is really taking this lesson seriously.
Jay trying to play but Tom's sticky fingers seem to be glued to the fretboard... a complicated double handed chord
will be the outcome...
Yea, so many toys, so little time... the boys are havin' fun for sure. Jay laughing his a-- off with Tom
Hemby who is also slightly amused. To the right, Christoph (Chris) Kemper
(designer of the Kemper guitar amp sound modeler).
October 19, 2011
JAY GRAYDON TALKS ABOUT BEING A PRODUCER!!!
The second part of an interview Anders Rydholm of Grand
Illusion did with Jay Graydon at Garden Rake Studios. Here Jay talks about his philosophy as a music producer and how he works
with the artists and musicians in the producing situation.
October 2, 2011
JAY GRAYDON DINES WITH OLE BØRUD!!!
July 30, 2011
A Note Regarding the AIRPLAY Versions!!!
Since we are frequently getting questions regarding the difference between the various AIRPLAY
releases over the years, here is what Jay has to say about it...
For those of you that like the AIRPLAY CD, the most current version remastering is so much better
than any previous version. If you are interested, the latest edition is released on October 19, 2010, by
Sony, Japan, and here is the
link to Amazon... - Jay
Anders Rydholm of Grand Illusion interviewed Jay in his studio in August 2010. Jay Graydon talks about
how the Airplay album came about and his work with David Foster.
September 4, 2010
JAY GRAYDON WORKS - compilation soon to be released!!!
Sony Entertainment, Japan, is releasing the compilation album "Jay Graydon Works" with 18 great tracks by various artists, carefully selected by Toshi Nakada of Cool Sound. Some of the tracks are rare songs from albums that have been out of print for
many years, featuring Jay's versatility as a songwriter, producer, guitar player and more. The compilation is now possible to pre-order from Amazon.
The tracks on this compilation are as follows:
AIRPLAY "Stranded" from Airplay (1980:RCA)
AIRPLAY "Should We Carry On" from Airplay (1980:RCA)
KENNY ROGERS "This Love We Share" from They Don't Make Them Like They Used To (1986:RCA)
DIONNE WARWICK "For You" from Friends In Love (1982:Arista)
AIR SUPPLY "I Can Wait Forever" from Ghostbusters(OST) (1984:Arista)
BOZ SCAGGS "Then She Walked Away" from Down Two Then Left (1977:Columbia)
EARTH, WIND & FIRE "After The Love Has Gone" from I Am (1979:Columbia)
HERBIE HANCOCK "Paradise" from Lite Me Up (1982:Columbia)
VALERIE CARTER "What's Become Of Us" from Wild Child (1978:ARC)
BILL CHAMPLIN "What Good Is Love" from Single (1978:Epic/Full Moon)
GEORGE BENSON "Turn Your Love Around" from The George Benson Collection (1981:Warner)
AL JARREAU "Mornin'" from Jarreau (1983:WEA)
STEVE KIPNER "The Ending" from Knock The Walls Down (1979:Elektra)
THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER "Twilight Zone ~ Twilight Tone" from Extensions (1979:Atlantic)
MARC JORDAN "I'm A Camera" from Blue Desert (1979:Warner)
EL DEBARGE "Someone" from El DeBarge (1986:Motown)
PETER ALLEN "Pass This Time" from Bi-Coastal (1980:A&M)
PAGES "Fearless" from Pages (1981:Capitol)
August 29, 2010
Two RHYTHM HERITAGE Albums To Be Released!!!
Universal, Japan, will soon release 2 Rhythm Heritage albums - SKY'S THE LIMIT and DISCO DERBY. This is actually the first time these rare recordings are
released on CD. Rhythm Heritage was formed in 1975 by producer
Steve Barri and session keyboardist Michael Omartian, and included bassist Scott Edwards and drummer Ed Greene. Other musicians who played on
some of their recordings included Ben Benay, Victor Feldman, Jay Graydon, James Jamerson, Ray Parker Jr., Dean Parks, and Bob Walden.
Apart from being one of the session players, Jay Graydon wrote 2 songs which are included on each one of the albums - FLOAT ON BY and DO YOU
MAKE LOVE LIKE YOU DANCE. The genre is disco-funk and
Rhythm Heritage was best known for disco funk versions of themes from movies and television cop shows. Their maybe greatest hit was the
1976 U.S. #1 single "Theme from "S.W.A.T."
August 15, 2010
Remastered AIRPLAY plus a JAY GRAYDON COMPILATION To Be Released!!!
Sony Music Entertainment, Japan, will release 2 Jay Graydon albums on October 13. One of them is a reissue of the original AIRPLAY album, remastered by
Jay Graydon now in August, and with liner notes written by Jay, who is reminiscing the song concepts, stories and recording sessions.
The second album "Jay Graydon Works" (title subject to change) will have around 18 tracks, carefully selected by Toshi Nakada of Cool Sound for
Sony, and will show Jay Graydon's versatility as a songwriter, producer, guitar player and more. Some of the tracks on the compilation are rare songs
from albums that have been out of print for many years. This compilation album will be released on the same date as the AIRPLAY reissue. Stay tuned for
more details as things unfold!
July 16, 2010
NEW JaR video on YouTube!!!
The songs for the second JaR album are coming along nicely and while we all hunger for new listening pleasures, we may enjoy many great songs from
the first album - SCENE 29 - e.g. this lovely powerful
ballad - WORLDS APART - featuring
an impossible love story, as noted in the magificent lyric.
June 19, 2010
Check out Jay's NEW guitar solo!!!
The STATE COWS album is now released and you will be happy to hear Jay's
awesome and truly inspired guitar solo and fills on the song NEW YORK TOWN.
April 25, 2010
NEW JaR video on YouTube!!!
As you know Jay Graydon and Randy Goodrum are two hard working cats and right now they are deep into writing and recording songs for the second JaR
album, i.e. apart from doing a lot of other non-related JaR stuff. In any case, while waiting for the new album, we thought you might enjoy this
video, which is featuring the title
song on the first JaR album - SCENE 29. This song has a brilliant film noir lyric. You may
want to read the story behind the concept of the SCENE 29 album cover as well.
December 23, 2009
Jay Graydon Instructional Video Available NOW!!!
The DVD is partly based on the much sought after instructional video (VHS format) Guitar
Play For The Planet released in Japan only (1995) and out of print since many years. Jay talks about a few of the solos on his album Airplay
for the Planet and demonstrates
how to play them. He also elaborates on his favorite licks, what to consider when buying amps and talks about his signature guitar. The DVD
is released in an extremely limited edition so
keep hanging around for news on the release date, to make sure you won't miss out on this very rare item. Check
out a cool clip from the video.
September 6, 2009
Two of Jay's Top Jarreau Albums Re-released!!!
Friday Music has remastered and re-released the two much sought after albums JARREAU and HIGH CRIME. Jay has produced,
arranged and engineered both albums and is playing guitars and synths as well. On JARREAU Jay co-wrote
the songs - Mornin', Save Me, Step By Step, Black And Blues, Trouble In Paradise, Love Is Waiting, + also
the bonus track - I Keep Callin'. On HIGH CRIME Jay co-wrote the songs - Raging Waters, Imagination,
Tell Me, After All, High Crime, Let's Pretend, Sticky Wicket, Fallin'.
The album JARREAU was Grammy nominated for Best Engineered Recording and the
songs Mornin' and Step by Step were Grammy nominated as Best Instrumental Arrangement
Accompanying Vocals. Needless to say Jay Graydon was the arranger. Yea, Jay was also
nominated Producer Of The Year the same year. Both albums are
available at Amazon and you can get directly to them by following these links below. (Sound bites provided)
August 13, 2009
Jay Graydon Interviewed in Performing Musician!!!
Jay is featured in the latest issue (Aug. 2009) of PERFORMING MUSICIAN.
The first part of the interview is posted online, but to read the whole interview and see the pictures, you need to get
the magazine from your nearest store carrying international music press.
Please note there is a fact error in the
feature.
Jay's first solo album is called AIRPLAY FOR THE PLANET and nothing
else.
In the feature they are incorrectly mentioning one of the songs on that album - HOLDIN' ON TO LOVE - as the album title.
June 28, 2009
Jay Graydon in 3 Major Music Magazines!!!
As you all you know the final result is known as the Westcoast music
BIBLE - AIRPLAY by Airplay. If you do not already have it - go get it - now
also available as an SHM-CD Limited Edition.
Airplay recording photos taken by Andy Zuckerman. Thanks, Andy!!! Great pics!!!
Jay Graydon
Redefining Westcoast Music...One Hit A TimeOne thing we know about West Coast Music is that its following is much, much bigger than the name implies. It’s more
like Global-Coast Music, due to the fact that diehard fans are found at every corner of the globe. At the heart of it
all you find a man who continues to stoke the fires of a sound that is a sophisticated mixture of R&B, Rock, Pop and
Jazz – Grammy-winning Jay Graydon. His name is found in the credits of tracks and albums that have gone gold, platinum
and even multi-platinum. With long-time collaborations with friends like David Foster, George Benson, Al Jarreau,
and Steely Dan, Graydon has positioned himself as one of the most creative songwriters, producers, and session
guitarists on the LA scene, while continuing to pave his own road with Nashville resident and writing partner, Randy
Goodrum. They’re the brains behind JaR, a collaboration of two of the best musical heads in the industry who have
released 'Scene 29', an album that any West Coast Music fan most certainly has in their audio collection. From
Airplay For The Planet to Earth, Wind & Fire’s After The Love Has Gone, Graydon has delivered just what West Coast
fans have asked for over the years. Inside MusiCast
welcomes Jay Graydon.
ENJOY!!!
February 15, 2009
Jay Graydon Goes Sinatra!!!
Now what on earth do we mean by that??? Well, actually we mean just what it says, as Jay is releasing a NEW
recording - an excellent rendition of the
Bloom/Mercer song DAY IN - DAY OUT - as performed by Frank Sinatra and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, but in Jay's version
with the amazing SHERWOOD BALL on vocals and JAY GRAYDON
playing all the horn parts on guitar. Yea, you heard me - all the brass, sax, and horn parts are played by Jay on
GUITARS! The title of this release is CRANK SINATRA - available as
a digital download at CD BABY.
Here is what Jay is saying about his recording experiment...
So around the middle of 2008, I happened to watch a Frank Sinatra TV special filmed in the mid 1960’s. The opening
song is Day In – Day Out. As always, Frank sang great and the Nelson Riddle arrangement was perfect for the
era! What a great team they were!
I dug the musicality so much I watched over and over and then began thinking what it would sound like to play
the horn parts on guitar playing one part at a time as an experiment. With that in mind, I decided to take on the
task of being a one-man band. The experiment turned out to be much fun and the result is a sound of guitars I
had not heard before.
-----
So why Crank Sinatra? Well, in guitar land, I cranked up the guitar amp volume for the brass sound hence Crank Sinatra.
- Jay
Go to CD BABY and read Jay's full story on his fun experiment
and check out the sound bite of this great recording! Now available as
a digital download.
January 11, 2009
JaR - SCENE 29 Released in Japan with BONUS Track!!!
Pony Canyon in Japan has now released JaR - SCENE 29 with a BONUS track!
The bonus track is a song titled - SOMETIMES YOU WIN - written by Randy Goodrum and Jay Graydon. Links to
sound bites
available here. The bonus song is track 12. Yes, a lovely ballad as you will hear!
December 23, 2008
AIRPLAY - Airplay Now Available on SHM-CD!!!
Most of you do not need any further explanation about this CLASSIC masterpiece, which is now (2008) being released by
BMG Japan in SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing, but for anyone new to the
genre, here is a fan review from Amazon on AIRPLAY.
The No 1 Westcoast Album
By Catherine Goltz "a music lover" (Washington DC)
By "west coast" I mean music from California that is more adult contemporary not as in west coast rap. Or
AOR (Adult Oriented Rock) as Japanese people call it. For starts two of the greatest producers of this style
David Foster and Jay Graydon play, sing and write most of the songs. Two should be familiar "Nothin' You Can
Do About It" originally on the Jay Graydon- produced Extensions and the EWF
classic "After the Love Has (or is it "Is") Gone sung here by all three writers including Bill Champlin. Also
joining in the fun is most of Toto, the horns from Seawind and Tommy Funderburk and Tom Kelly on vocals. It
comes with an exclusive interview with the creators who comment on each song in the style of a DVD audio commentary.
December 20, 2008
STR and JaRZONE Records Songs Now on iTunes!!!
All songs released on SONIC THRUST RECORDS over the years, as well as all songs from Jay's current successful
collaboration with Randy Goodrum as the new supergroup JaR,
are now available as digital downloads from various third party services. We have provided you with direct links
from each song to iTunes, to simplify the search for you, i.e. no search needed
at all. Just click on the iTunes icon next to the song title and you will get to the downloading page on iTunes.
For the SONIC THRUST RECORDS songs you will find those
links on the label page and as for the
JaR songs you will find them on the
album page. In other words easy as pie to get instant music satisfaction.
And oh, the video we promised you... I assume you have
already found it since posted all over the place, but if not... here is the link to the YOUR HEARTBREAK video again.
ENJOY!!!
December 9, 2008
JaR Now Available in MP3 Format!!!
Jay Graydon's current highly successful collaboration with top-notch songwriter and artist Randy Goodrum as the
new supergroup JaR is getting raving reviews. Their debut
album SCENE 29 has been topping the chart
at CD BABY for several weeks and now it is also available as an MP3 download.
Stay tuned for a very cool video from one of the JaR recording
sessions coming up soooooon!!!!!
... and guess what, music lovers.... if we are really lucky we may get ONE MORE tasty recording from Jay
before Christmas -
an exciting experiment with guitars and a great singer and... naaah, my lips are sealed... keep hanging around
and all shall be revealed as things unfold...
November 6, 2008
Download Jay Graydon's Christmas Song!!!
October 1, 2008
JaR - SCENE 29 - now released!!!
As promised the long awaited masterpiece album - SCENE 29 by JaR alias JAY GRAYDON and
RANDY GOODRUM - is now released and can be ordered from CD BABY!!!
Treat yourself to some really great music!
If you typically rank your favorite albums according to the classic milestones - Airplay- AIRPLAY and Donald Fagen-THE NIGHTFLY, you will now have a NEW standard to measure
music by - JaR-SCENE 29. Go listen to the sound bites of 5 of the songs and you will surely agree with Bill Champlin, who was totally stoked when hearing
the JaR songs. Here is his comment:
"JaR's new album, Scene 29, is gonna' be one of those albums that you can gauge your "I'm Hip" quotient by how much earlier you've heard it than your friends. I think this album will eventually
be considered the flagship of the new music. The new music is what is created after the "suits" gave up on the "biz". Anyway, I've known these guys for years and I had no idea that this
stuff was in there. Well, now it's out here and we're all happy about it. Man, it's rare to play an album and still have your heart racing an hour later, especially someone
else's album. Good work, guys." - Bill Champlin
Visit JaRZONE for more info on the band and the new album.
September 25, 2008
JaR - SCENE 29 - now available for PRE-ORDERS!!!
It is with utmost pleasure and pride we can now announce that the new long awaited album - SCENE 29 by JaR alias JAY GRAYDON and
RANDY GOODRUM - is finally available for pre-orders from CD BABY!!!
Appease your hunger for awesome music by ordering it before we run
out of the first batch!
Here is another enthusiastic comment on the JaR album coming from
guitarist/songwriter/producer and more - Tom Hemby...
"I use to compare everything recorded in the past 20 years to Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly". Now there's a new
industry standard for music, and it's called ... "JaR"! Jay's astounding guitar wizardry and Randy's
stunning keyboard prowess is the crux of a project filled with brilliant complex harmonic compositions, ear
candy smooth vocal performances, and thick transparent sounding mixes. This is soon to
be "legendary" recording!"
September 12, 2008
JaR - SCENE 29 to be released October 1st in the US!!!
Yes, we are finally there... well... almost there anyway... JaR - SCENE 29 will be released on October 1st in the States and
you will be able to pre-order it from CD BABY shortly. Meanwhile you may enjoy yourselves crusing around the new JaRZONE
website where JAY GRAYDON and RANDY GOODRUM will post all news about the album and other interesting stuff.
The album has 11 outstanding songs which will make every quality music lover teary-eyed with joy.
Hey, how about Steve Lukather's raving about the album after having heard the songs...
"You guys have taken the torch from Steely Dan
and have run miles and miles ahead"!!!
Need we say more? You won't believe your happy ears! Keep hanging around for the latest news
on when SCENE 29 will be available for pre-ordering at CD BABY.
September 3, 2008
JaR Album Coming Soon!!!
In case you wonder where we disappeared... the JaR album is now at the manufacturing plant and we are looking at a
release in a few more weeks. So, just hold on music lovers!!! This is the ONE album you will want to get for Christmas
and we are currently working hard to make it possible, so keep hanging around for a pre-orders date being set very soon.
July 31, 2008
Jay Meets With Steely Dan!!!
Taking a short break from the arrangements for the release of the new JaR album (due in a few more weeks) Jay went to
the Steely Dan concert at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on July 23. As expected the performance was spectacular
and here below are Jay's comments from the gig...
If you like melodic pop with a hint of jazz, do yourself a favor and go to a Steely concert when they play in
your area. As we know, such brilliant songs! Donald, Walter and the band is outstanding with performances
that would make for an excellent live recording! The band is tight and feels great! The
pitch was superb, especially the horns, which is not an easy
feat. Simply ear candy!
After the show, I spoke with Walter and Donald. We reminisced about
the time we worked together and other fun stuff. I love these guys as
they are so non-Hollywood down to earth gentlemen! - Jay
A few pictures from the gig:
Jon Herington
is the guitar player with Steely Dan and is perfect for the gig! He plays the parts like he wrote
them and never overplays!!! Magnificent.
June 19, 2008
Jay's Recording Articles Are Back!!!
The eagerly awaited relaunch of Jay Graydon's 32 articles on Recording The
Guitar has finally happened and they are now up and running on
the Guitar.com web site
in their section Get Educated. Many of you have been asking for Jay's
superb article series on all there is to know about recording, so now finally..... go get the direct links on
the Gear & Studio page.
April 1, 2008
The JaR Album is FINISHED!!!
Jay Graydon and Randy Goodrum have now finished their first album as JaR.
Two years of hard work, writing and recording new material, has resulted in an incredible set of songs with
amazing melodies, subtle lyrics
and outstanding playing and singing by these seasoned musicians and accomplished songwriters. I assure
you - you will not believe your
ears! Take Randy's dazzlingly virtuosic keys - add Jay's magical inventive guitar playing, plus both cats'
voices in a perfect blend... and if you can
imagine Steely Dan meets Airplay and Pages with some jazzy flavors as well, a touch of humor, strong catchy
melodies with intelligent lyrical hooks - yea, there you have it!!!
The mixing and mastering is done - now time to shop a deal! Stay tuned for more info as things unfold!
February 22, 2008
Jay Graydon Recording Sessions!!!
We have now added a new section to jaygraydon.net on which we will present all
of the recording sessions Jay Graydon has participated on
over the years... and let me tell you they are many many... On this page you will also find his fellow musicians
on these sessions as well as a listing of the tracks on which he played - if known.
February 10, 2008
Jay Graydon and the Allstar Band in Japan!!!
Check out a movie clip from the JAY GRAYDON ALLSTARS BAND performing one of the encores - the TOTO super hit - PAMELA.
Watch Jay Graydon and Sherwood Ball dueling on guitars, Bill Cantos scat singing, Bill Champlin grooving
on his Hammond B3, Steve Porcaro dancing and more...
In brief... E N J O Y and feel the M A G I C that was in the air that first night in Japan.
January 17, 2008
The DVD is available at HMV Japan!!!
Since many of you have been inquiring - yea, the DVD has not reached Amazon.com yet for some reason - it seems
importing the DVD takes tiiiime... but in any case both versions are currently available
at HMV Japan. The good news is that if
WARD Records finds a good
distributor in Scandinavia it will be even easier for all of Europe to get the DVD as well. Let's hope they will
find one soon!
January 6, 2008
Update on the DVD!!!
Thanks for all of your comments and kudos regarding the DVD! Just a clarification regarding the sound and filming
quality of this totally live production. Like we said earlier this concert video was never intended for
commercial release, but after many requests Jay Graydon has finally agreed to
release it - after all these years. In other words, this video captures a very rare and unique concert with some of the
greatest musicians ever, in a raw and totally live environment, as filmed using one camera only and the sound emanating
directly from the live board mix.
Statement from WARD Records regarding the release: When watching the product please bear in mind that the footage used was originally meant for personal archive
purposes and never was intended for a public release. Therefore it is a single camera shooting from the
audience (probably the FOH console area), and not a so-called "pro-quality" shot done by a professional camera crew.
Some of the Japanese press only mentioned about the quality of the video being poor, which is very unfortunate
because we believe that this particular video is a record of a very special and precious moment which may never
happen again and we only wanted the public viewers to enjoy the magic that Jay and his friends performed
for us. I personally believe that music lovers of Europe and the US would be able to appreciate the true value
of this product and not be concerned about little facts like how it was shot. We've done the best we can to
enhance the video and audio.
REVIEW by Takeishi Ito AKA Takeito - Westcoast
music guru
and AOR expert with great web site - Adult Contemporary
Music In Japan. Takeito gives the DVD 4,5 stars out of 5! You need to scroll down a bit
on his Monthly Recommended Discs page.
The album released in conjunction with this tour -
AIRPLAY FOR THE PLANET - is
available at CD BABY.
December 9, 2007
Latest News on the DVDs!!!
There will be 2 versions of the DVD - the Normal Edition - (1 DVD+12pg booklet) and
- the Special First Press Limited Edition - (1 DVD+2 CD+24pg booklet). The 2 CDs are the board mix audio from the concert.
Both DVD editions include an interview session with Jay and Kenji Sano (bass player) looking back at the
show.
While waiting for the release you might enjoy checking out
a few pics from the video!
BTW the tracks list on the DVD is as follows. As you can see there are many great songs, not only from AIRPLAY FOR THE PLANET but also
a few TOTO and Bill Champlin tracks.
01. CRIMINAL
02. SATISFACTION
03. SHE JUST CAN'T MAKE UP HER MIND
04. HOLDIN' ON TO LOVE
05. WALK THE WIRE
06. AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE
07. FIRST AND LAST
08. INSINCERE
09. IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT
10. BABY, BYE BYE
11. STEVE PORCARO, BILL CANTOS, JOHN VAN TONGEREN, KEYBOARD SOLO
12. WHEN YOU LOOK IN MY EYES
13. ROXANN
14. NOTHIN' YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT
15. BAND INTRO
16. TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND
17. PAT MASTELOTTO DRUM SOLO and KENJI SANO BASS SOLO
18. SHOW ME THE MAGIC
19. PAMELA
20. STRANDED
November 23, 2007
Pre-order Your Copy Of The Jay Graydon Allstar Band DVD!!!
The release date for the DVD with the 1994 concert (1st night) in Japan from the Japan/Scandinavia Tour with
the Jay Graydon Allstars
Band is scheduled to Dec. 18th in Japan by Ward
Records, but you may NOW pre-order your copy at Amazon.com!!!
There will be 2 versions of the DVD - one is just the DVD and the other will also have an extra CD with the
audio from the gig as well. Amazon.com has not stated (yet) which is which of the 2 versions they have for pre-order, but
an easy way of finding out is to compare the price for the 2 different versions, when it becomes available, since the
one without the supporting audio will be cheaper - of course.
WARD Records are saying that "Our NTSC version is going to be released in REGION 0", meaning playable in all
regions. All region code flags are set, making the disc playable worldwide. The line-up on this tour was, apart
from the band leader, Jay Graydon, on guitars and vocals - Bill
Champlin (vocals, of course, guitar and Hammond B3), Bill Cantos (vocals and keyboard), Sherwood
Ball (vocals and guitar), Steve Porcaro (keyboard and synths), John Van Tongeren (keyboard and synths), Pat
Mastelotto (drums), Kenji Sano (bass) and Joseph Williams (vocals). More on this as things
unfold. The album released in conjunction with this tour -
AIRPLAY FOR THE PLANET - is
available at CD BABY.
September 23, 2007
Live gig on DVD to be released!!!
While we are waiting for Jay's new album - approx. release around April 2008 - we will have the wonderful opportunity to
attend the 1994 concert (1st night) in Japan from the Japan/Scandinavia Tour with the Jay Graydon Allstars
Band as this gig will be released on video on Dec. 5th in Japan by Ward
Records. The line-up on this tour was, apart from the band leader, Jay Graydon, on guitars and vocals - Bill
Champlin (vocals, of course, guitar and Hammond B3), Bill Cantos (vocals and keyboard), Sherwood
Ball (vocals and guitar), Steve Porcaro (keyboard and synths), John Van Tongeren (keyboard and synths), Pat
Mastelotto (drums), Kenji Sano (bass) and Joseph Williams (vocals). More on this as things
unfold. The album released in conjunction with this tour -
AIRPLAY FOR THE PLANET - is
available at CD BABY.
July 13, 2007
Part 2 of Ken Volpe's interview with Jay Graydon!!!
In
Part 2 of Behind The Scenes with Jay Graydon - Ken and Jay discuss over the phone some of Jay's
favorite guitarists; Joe Pass, Allan Holdsworth, Ted Greene, Phil deGruy, and Lenny Breau. They move on to cover
what life is like as a professional musician and a producer. Lastly, they dig into the all important topic of
microphone placement to capture great guitar tones in the studio.
June 25, 2007
Listen to a LIVE telephone interview with Jay Graydon!!!
Ken Volpe and Jay Graydon in a telephone conversation - April 2007: In Part 1 of Behind the Scenes with Jay Graydon - the legendary guitarist, recording
artist, songwriter, producer and engineer - Ken and Jay discuss how he got started as a musician, his
mentors, preferred styles, and the details of how he wound up playing a classic guitar solo on Peg by
Steely Dan. Jay deconstructs the solo and takes you through how he approached playing over the changes that
others in the band weren't comfortable with. Jay also talks about the studio work and guitar solos that
he's proud of that can be heard on other big records.
April 14, 2007
Buy digital downloads!!!
Individual tracks of Jay Graydon's music released on SONIC THRUST RECORDS are now available as digital downloads
from Jay's web sites. Visit our SNOCAP store at jaygraydon.net or check
out Jay's Myspace for purchase. Sound bites available for all tracks.
More tracks will be added later on.
April 10, 2007
Jay working on a NEW album!!!
Yes, it is REALLY TRUE!!!! The rumors some of you have heard buzzing in the air for some time now, are in fact not
just rumors. Jay Graydon is currently very very busy in his studio working on a new album with TOTALLY NEW
MUSIC, written and recorded together with renowned songwriter Randy Goodrum. As I am sure you
already know, Randy Goodrum has written a bunch of hit songs over the years, including
IF SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL (Chicago) with Steve Kipner, and WHO'S HOLDING DONNA NOW
(DeBarge) with Jay Graydon and David Foster.
This new upcoming CD is superbly crafted, loaded with original, sophisticated and catchy songs, with
interesting melodic hooks paying close attention to sonic detail as always when Jay creates music. Anyone into the
Steely Dan sound will surely love the subtle harmonic structures and clever lyrics.
At this point Jay has begun working with the time consuming mixing process, and there is so much work
to be done before
Jay and Randy will consider the album ready to be devoured by us starving music lovers. In a few months time we will have
come a lot closer to the release of some really GREAT music, that is for sure!!!
So stay tuned for more news as things unfold!
March 3, 2007
Jay Graydon Interviewed In Upcoming Movie!!!
Jay Graydon is interviewed in filmmaker John Vizzusi's documentary
movie - "ELECTRIC
HEART- the Man, his Times & his Music" about Don Ellis. Don was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer
and leader of big bands who consistently explored the area of unusual time signatures. He was the first to create a fusion
between jazz-rock and classical music.The Don Ellis music style can
be described as experimental post-bop jazz.
During and briefly after his college days Jay Graydon played in the renowned Don Ellis Band for a period of
time. Read more about Don Ellis and the Don Ellis Tribute
Band which did a tribute concert at the Whisky
A Go-Go in West Hollywood in December 2005, on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Don's passing away.
Here you may also watch a clip from the film which
is premiering in April 2007, and has many testimonials from musicians, who
worked with Don Ellis.
January 5, 2007
Jay Voted 2nd Favorite Guitarist In The World!!!
In the latest issue (Nov.2006) of the Japanese music magazine "ADLIB" (covering Adult Contemporary
Music, Jazz, R&B...) Jay Graydon was voted the second favorite guitarist in the world by the readers and his
latest album Past to Present - the 70s (2006) was ranked as number
9 of the favorite albums.
December 3, 2006
LAUNCH OF OUR SISTER SITE JAYGRAYDON.NET!!!
Welcome to our sister site jaygraydon.net which now is launched in full. Check out
lyrics, pics, sound bites, video
performances, sheet music, articles and other stuff that is interesting and Jay Graydon related. New features will be
added from time to time - so keep hanging around!
October 14, 2006
JAY GRAYDON WRITES FOR EQ MAGAZINE!!!
After the appraised article series on Recording the Guitar for Guitar.com a
while back Jay will once again share his expertise
in all things recording with us in a new set of articles written for EQ Magazine.
Please join us for an exciting and educational journey into recording land guided by our host Jay Graydon. As most of you
already know Jay Graydon is twice Grammy awarded
with 12 top five Grammy finalist nominations, among them are for instance the winning R&B songs AFTER THE LOVE HAS
GONE and TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND and the nominations for e.g. the prestigious title "Producer of
the Year" as well as
a Grammy top five finalist nomination for "Best Engineered Recording".
Jay's profound knowledge of recording, engineering, songwriting, arranging, producing and related areas, has rendered
him deep respect within the music industry and he has been called in as a beta tester of music gear a number of
times by leading music equipment developers. Jay's music expertise comes from a deep well of experience - recording
sessions from his career over the years and a desire to share his know-how with everyone who is seeking knowledge on
how to develop his/her skills within the quality recording area.
First article in EQ Magazine deals with
Recording Acoustic Drums Also available in the print edition of EQ Magazine for September 2006.
July 12, 2006
JAY GRAYDON MESSAGE FORUM LAUNCHED!!!
Welcome to our message forum! Feel free to post a message, start new threads
and/or respond to music related issues of your interest and share your
thoughts in music and recording land. Jay has started a few threads for us and will also join the discussions when
time allows.
You are invited to join the forum and discuss music issues with others. From time
to time I will hang around and
join the discussions as well. Feel free to post new threads and hey, please keep it clean and music
related, guys. - Jay Graydon
July 11, 2006
Past to Present - the 70s - NOW with BONUS track!!!
KING RECORDS, Japan, is releasing Past to Present - the 70s with an instrumental bonus version of IT'S RIGHT TO BE
IN LOVE. The catalog number is KICP-1176 and the release date for this album is set to be August 23, 2006, but you
may pre-order your copy at Amazon now...
June 5, 2006
SONIC THRUST RECORDS AT RETAILERS !!!
Jay Graydon music released on his own record label - SONIC THRUST RECORDS - is now
available to order from retail stores
all over the world. Our national distributor CD BABY has a partnership with
one of the largest one-stop distributors in America - Super D One-Stop. Their database is sent to over 2400 retail stores around the
world and any store can buy albums through Super D. IOW even if you do not find
your local favorite store listed
here, you can tell them to contact Mark Grindle at
Super D to set up an account.
June 1, 2006
GUITAR WORLD FEATURES JAY GRAYDON!!!
JAY GRAYDON is featured in the July 2006 issue of the music magazine GUITAR WORLD (circulation: 200,000 and
counting... at newsstands June 6).
David Konow has written an article for GUITAR WORLD about the studio musicians scene of
the '70s and 80s and interviewed Jay about his career as a first call session ace guitarist. This is a story about
the great guitarists who came out of the studio scene, the albums they played on, the whole shebang, or in short, a
look back at a very important time in music history.
In this interview Jay says he hopes he "passed along some information that becomes educational for you future
studio guys." and concludes by saying "keep the fellowship of string benders alive in creative land!"
Enjoy the interview in full in the GUITAR WORLD July 2006 issue!
May 3, 2006
JAY GRAYDON MUSIC STORE NOW LAUNCHED!!!
On request we have now launched the Jay Graydon Music Store - an access point for purchasing
albums with
songs Jay Graydon has written to date. We are happy to now be able to offer many of you a way of buying Jay's music
in your own currency and without needing to pay for overseas customs.
Individual links for online stores in the United States, Europe and Japan are provided on the
page for each album.
Sometimes
the artwork or tracks listing on the releases may differ somewhat and the releases may be specific for the area, but
in any case Jay Graydon's song(s) are included on all of the albums listed. Not all albums are available in all areas at
this point, but more and more are getting added. There are sound samples available for most of the songs as well.
As more songs and albums become known to us and available at these 3 online stores, they will of course be
added. If you are looking for albums on
which Jay has participated in his many other roles, e.g. as a guitarist, producer, arranger and more, please consult his
complete discography for info and purchase links.
Jay Graydon's latest album Past to Present - the 70s is now released and available
at CD BABY!
These recording sessions, original stuff from the 70s, are previously never released. Listen to
a few sound bites
from the album at CD BABY, featuring Jay singing on two of the songs (IF THERE'S A WAY and YOU CAN COUNT ON ME) and Bill
Champlin on one - an alternate version of
WHAT GOOD IS LOVE. Bill is also singing lead vocals on another never before released song - IT'S RIGHT TO BE IN LOVE - and
like we told you
earlier the album features the session aces from the 70s era and from any era - just check out the list below on the
participating musicians and vocalists...
Musicians and Vocalists:
GUITARS: Jay Graydon
KEYBOARDS: Jay Graydon, David Foster, Greg Mathieson
DRUMS: Jeff Porcaro, Willy Ornelas, Mike Baird, Ralph Humphrey
BASS: Jay Graydon, Dave McDaniel, David Hungate, Mike Porcaro, (most likely David Shields)
VOCALISTS: Jay Graydon, Bill Champlin, Ed Whiting, Marc Jordan, Tata Vega, Lisa DalBello, Nettie
Gloud, Carmen Twillie
SONGWRITERS: Jay Graydon, David Foster, Bill Champlin, Harry Garfield, Marc Jordan, B. J. Cook Foster
Listen up music lovers - in mid to late February 2006 Jay will release a NEW album that will knock your socks off!!! All
songs on this upcoming album are transferred from analog masters, recorded by Jay and Co. in the 70s, into a digital
masterpiece of quality music and this is as close as it will ever get to another AIRPLAY album!!! How about that???!!!
This new album - Past to Present - the 70s - features Jay Graydon on vocals, guitars, bass and some synth stuff; great
singers such as Bill Champlin, Marc Jordan, Tata Vega, Lisa DalBello, Ed Whiting and more. On all tracks other musicians
include such top names as David Foster, Jeff Porcaro, Mike Baird, David Hungate, Mike Porcaro, Greg Mathieson, to name
a few. The album will have around 20 tracks and this stuff has never been released before. Apart from the 10 main songs,
there are near 10 more bonus songs - fun stuff like TV themes, a jingle, and a few instrumental tracks of some of the
first 10 songs.
Jay says about his new album...
"If you are interested in hearing great singers, musicians, and songwriters that had surfaced as "top notch" in the 70s
during the beginning of their professional careers, you will enjoy the CD."
Keep hanging around the web site for the latest news on the release date and purchase info for Jay's amazing
new album - Past to Present - the 70s!!! This is the one album you will want to own in 2006!
The album is now released and available via Jay's web site. In the liner
notes there is an exclusive interview with Jay Graydon and David Foster together at David's Malibu
mansion. Toshi Nakada
of COOL SOUND interviewed them both in March 2005 and Ian Eales (Grammy nominated engineer, one of Jay's best
friends and David's brother-in-law) took this picture. A new interview with Tommy Funderburk is also added.
So order your copy of the special
edition directly at
Amazon.com. BTW this 25th Anniversary album sometimes has the title ROMANTIC.