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Tom's new album "Project Popular" has remained on Jazz Week's top 200 for over 3 months, charting as high as #29! Purchase your copy today by visiting www.origin-arts.com, or download it at itunes.
Review of "Project Popular" from Dick Crockett's "10 Picks" from JazzWeek's JazzProgList:
Saxophonist Tom Luer combines energies with guitarist Andrew Synowiec's voluptuous, tasteful runs, to Andy Langham's rapturous fender Rhodes. This is the kind of magnetism that delights with long contemporary bursts before a large audience at the Greek theater on a Saturday night. for this is an honest goodness thriving jam jazz band. Luer begins with a great version of Eddie Vedder's “Jeremy.”
A Luer original, “Mind The Gap” has all the kinetic elements and along with guitarist Andrew Synowiec's guitar riffs and back up by drummer Dan Schnelle's rapid counter balancing drum lines. The tune just cooks, catchy and tasteful with ample room for improvisation, as in Edwin Livingston's free acoustic bass line in “I'm Putting Me First.”
Tom Luer's “Project Popular” is full of dynamic energy and onstage flair that says these guy love creating music together.
Latest review of "Project Popular" from Cadence Magazine:
TOM LUER, PROJECT POPULAR
Cadence Review
In his liner notes, woodwind expert Gary Foster refers to Tom Luer and his cohorts as “young Jazz artists,” but they’ve been around and play like well-seasoned veterans. Still, their youth is a factor in this music, as Luer acknowledges growing up with such Pop music groups as Pearl Jam, Prince, and Soundgarden, whose music he chose to employ as the impetus for this recording. The leader, an active performer and educator in the Los Angeles area, created his own Jazz arrangements of tunes by the aforementioned groups along with a song each by Coldplay and Prince and three of his own compositions. He manipulates the tunes’ original tempos, meters, rhythms, harmonies, and/or melodies in inventive ways that, combined with the band’s polished improvisations, result in fresh and interesting first-class Jazz.
Luer is a superb Michael Brecker-influenced tenorist. His beautiful sound is similar to Brecker’s, as are his general approach and mannerisms. And his formidable technique allows him to execute even the most challenging passages. Speaking of which, the virtuosic tenor/ guitar unison passage on Coldplay’s “Clocks” is remarkable for its accuracy. Guitarist Andrew Synowiec also plays fine mainstream Jazz guitar on such tracks as Luer’s “You Should Have Known,” but solos effectively with a distorted Rock sound on the leader’s Steps Ahead-suggesting “Mind the Gap.” Pianist Andy Langham impresses throughout on both acoustic and electric pianos. And drummer Dan Schnelle and bassist Edwin Livingston, required to provide a variety of rhythmic and percussive backgrounds,
do so with élan, including the latter’s tuneful bowed solo on Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.”
Two of my favorite tracks are “Black Hole Sun,” with its lazy back-beat and blues-drenched tenor lines and Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones, with its quietly soulful soprano sax melody and rock-ballad ambiance.
David Franklin
Check out Adam Greenberg's Review of my new album "Project Popular":
"Cross-pollination between jazz and pop music has become something of a mini-trend in the last few years, ranging from interesting fusions and covers on smaller labels up to a high-exposure Grammy for Herbie Hancock's renditions of Joni Mitchell songs. In the same vein, Los Angeles-based sax player Tom Luer reworks a handful of major hits into easygoing West Coast modern jazz on Project Popular. This is light, airy music fresh from the cafes more than the nightclubs, and seemingly opposed to the darker material Luer chose to cover. Aside from his own excellent compositions, Pearl Jam's dark classic "Jeremy," Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," and tidbits from Prince, Audioslave, and Coldplay are represented. The magic here, however, is in the skill with which the pieces are both rearranged (into light, almost happy pieces) and the skill with which the pieces are played by Luer's ensemble. Solos come only when they fit, strings dance lightly over melodic lines, and both lead and rhythm combine to find the ultimate goal -- pieces that sound simultaneously entirely new due to their lightness and arrangement styles, and entirely familiar due to their essential core."
http://allmusic.com/album/project-popular-r2082233
I will finally be recording my own album as a leader in December. I am excited to have some great musicians on board for this project. Look for an album release sometime in the spring of 2010.
Tom had the pleasure of recently recording a CD with the Mike Barone Big Band. It was an honor to be included in a project with some of the "who's who" in Los Angeles musicians. You can purchase a copy of Mike's CD "Flight of the Bumblebee" at www.mikebaronemusic.com.
The Bicoastal Jazz Collective CD is now available from Origin Records! Visit Origin to check out audio clips and to purchase this CD!
On Friday, February 13th, Tom had the great privilege of performing with Patti Austin and the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Visit www.gordongoodwin.com for all the latest news on the Big Phat Band.
This past week marked the debut of the Bicoastal Collective in San Jose, CA. This is a new ensemble formed by saxophonist Aaron Lington and trumpeter Paul Tynan. The group recorded a CD and performed a concert at the Theater at San Pedro Square in San Jose. Some incredibe music was made, and if you are interested in purchasing a CD once they are available, go to www.aaronlington.com, or www.paultynanjazz.com.
Tom just returned from the 41st Annual UW-Eau Claire Jazz Festival in Eau Claire, WI, where he was a featured adjudicator. It was a great opportunity to hear some incredible student musicians, as well as catch up with many old friends. Thanks to Bob Baca, Director of the UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensembles, and to all of the students at UW-EC who made the festival such a wonderful experience!
Tom is back from touring with Queen Latifah! He has resumed teaching part-time at Cal Poly Pomona, and is also performing locally. Watch the "Performances" page for more information. Tom is also collaborating with The Etch-A-Sketch Man, Christoph Brown, on an upcoming project. Please check out his website at www.etchu.com to see what Christoph is up to, and how you can contact him for bookings.
Looking ahead, Tom will be a featured adjudicator at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 41st Annual Jazz Festival in Eau Claire, WI. The festival runs from March 27th to March 30th, and will feature performances by Benny Golson, Dave Weckl, and others. Go to www.uwec.edu and click on the "Jazz Festival" link for more information. Tom is a graduate of UW-Eau Claire, and this will be his first time returning for the festival in over 10 years!
In mid-September, Tom will begin touring with Queen Latifah as she promotes her new album "Trav'lin' Light". The album goes on sale September 25. For more details on her album, and a full tour schedule, visit www.queenlatifah.com
To view a clip of Tom performing with Queen Latifah on the Ellen Degeneress show, click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-3-JPkqVZQ
The Queen Latifah Tour officially kicked off on September 28th in Dallas, TX. Click on the following link to read a review from the Dallas News:
Addtional articles regarding Queen Latifah and her new album:
www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003641862
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071005&content_id=2251858&vkey=ps2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003641862
On Monday, August 20th, Tom performed on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with Oliver Future. Tom also appears on Oliver Future's new cd "Pax Futura". You can hear this performance archived at www.kcrw.com. Just follow this link to go directly to the archives: http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb070820oliver_future
Be sure to visit Oliver Future's myspace page as well!
In June, Tom traveled to Lima, Peru, where he performed with the Jazz House Orchestra, under the direction of Carolina Araoz. You can view videos of Tom's performance at www.youtube.com Just enter "Tom Luer" into the search engine. To find out more about Jazz House Peru, visit www.jazzhouseperu.com
Additional Reviews and Articles
Review of Stockton Helbing's "Lodestar" at allaboutjazz.com
www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=19164
Review of Stockton Helbing's "Nothing is Secret"
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