The Jazzman Music Artist Of The Week Dee Lucas. Born and raised in Tanner, Alabama, Dee Lucas had always loved listening to music, and many genres of music were often played in his familys home. However much he wanted to play an instrument when he was younger, he had instead gone into sports, and then later graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1988 with a degree in Marketing and concentration in Computer Information Systems. A year later, he moved to Atlanta and after a couple of years of getting settled in his corporate job, Lucas suddenly got an urge to pick up the sax for the first time - at the age of 28. Once he had picked up the horn, he knew that his years of listening to music from his personal and family collections would pay off.In 1997, Lucas got his start as a musician playing as a sideman in a local band, Between 9&7. The band recorded a CD, which was a moderate regional hit. Although he got performances, both rhythm and solos, Lucas felt it was time to develop his own by ensemble to demand more challenges within himself as both a musician and entrepreneur. So, on New Years Eve of 1999, Lucas formed his own contemporary jazz trio, Xpressions. They produced and recorded a CD titled Footprints, which gained notoriety in regional markets. The record contained the classic hit People Make the World Go Round. All of the compositions were produced and arranged by friend and keyboardist Karey Davis and assisted by the saxman himself. Driven, and not one to be complacent, Lucas conjured another challenge, which would be his ultimate goal: solo artist. I recalled going to my keyboardist, Karey Davis, to discuss my interest as a solo artist, and I wanted him to produce my debut record, which would be a tribute to one of my musical influences, the late George Howard, Lucas reminisces. Karey approved with no problem. It really worked out, because his long-term goal was to focus on production. So, in a sense, we were both happy about the idea and now had future musical commitments with each other. In 2004, Dee Lucass entrepreneur skills had surfaced, and his newly-formed record label, Mo Better Recordings, was conceived. His debut solo CD, Remembrance, was released and independently distributed in 2005. Adding consistency to his young but surprising start, Dee released his sophomore CD, Something to Ride 2, in 2007, which peaked at #10 on the Smoothjazzs Top 50 Indie Charts. With this record, the saxman wanted to further develop his own distinctive sound as a solo artist. His style, from a horn perspective, is different from that of many traditional smooth jazz artists in terms of melodic phrasing. Lucas mentioned, I like taking off on an uncharted path in music and Something to Ride 2 is a representation of the journey that I take each time I pick up the sax. In 2010, Dee Lucas released Standing Room Only which was composed and produced by several talented producers including Grammy winner Phil Davis. The CD peaked at #26 on the Smoothjazzs Top 50 Indie Charts and #29 on the Billboard jazz charts. With his current disc, Rebirth of the Smooth, saxophonist Dee Lucas envisions this CD as a celebration on what he has accomplished in his steadily rising career, as well as his direction in contemporary jazz. It offers a wide array of styles coming from various producers pushing the envelope in this already competitive genre of jazz. deelucasonline/
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:06:05 +0000
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