Better Than The Blues

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Cat No: SPR015CD

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Release Date: 10 February 2014

Label: Splash Point

Packaging Type: Custom Packaging

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 5060161950175

Genres: Jazz Blues

Description
A night of punchy, groovy tunes with jazz and blues influences, from powerful pianist/singer/songwriter Neal Richardson - a smorgasbord of jazz standards and bluesy originals!

The CD/Book
"We wanted to make something luxurious and beautiful". More than just a new CD, this celebrates a unique artistic collaboration with award-winning photographer Peter Prior, whose work has been described as having a "timeless elegance". The result is an exquisite, tactile, hardback coffee-table book/CD of 36 pages, overflowing with Peter's breathtaking images to accompany the music. This is something physically, visually and aurally desirable, a premium product to cherish "instead of just a faceless download".

The Man
"Sings like heaven, swings like hell!". Neal has performed 2,000 gigs in over 50 countries, in jazz clubs, festivals and on ships. He is also a renowned Producer of some of the UK's finest vocal jazz albums from the last decade - including those by Ian Shaw and Liane Carroll.

The Band
With a line-up from Quartet to Septet, Neal's band creates a big sound with the powerful guitar of Andy Drudy, George Trebar (bass) and Alex Eberhard (drums). The impressive horn section comprises: Dave Lewis (tenor sax), Mark White (trumpet) and Mark Bassey (trombone).

The Project
Neal is at last showcasing his own musical talents with 'Better Than The Blues', an album of sophisticated original material. Many of the great musicians he has worked with are featured on the album, from his newest record label signing Ricardo Herz (the phenomenal Brazilian violinist), to Claire Martin OBE on backing vocals.

The Songs
"For thinking people with a bit of life-experience". Firmly rooted in the acoustic piano jazz and blues traditions, Neal's songs have a raw confessional style and a huge breadth of genres: From the down-home title track; the brutal honesty of UXB and This Is Not The Life; the feel-good rhythms of Nfunk and irresistible samba You're The Future; the sublime Breathe, to the moving story told by The Soul Of New Orleans - written following his performance at the first Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina.
Tracklisting