 A native Southern Californian, Roger Burn was a multi-talented musician; a master vibraphonist, pianist/keyboard player, drummer/percussionist, singer, composer, arranger, meticulous music copyist, band leader & music publisher. He possessed perfect pitch and began playing the piano by ear at an early age. He began his career as a drummer, starting at the age of eleven. By the time he was fourteen, he quickly picked up the piano and soon after, the vibraphone. He began practicing two hours a day, working his way up to five hours a day, at one point. He insisted on keeping his windows closed, even in hot summers, (with no air conditioning) as he was concerned - “I wouldn’t want someone walking by on the sidewalk to hear me while I’m practicing.” He was a perfectionist. His high school band director, Ed Wolfe, describes Roger as being verbally “outgoing” and “perhaps not too subtle” as he recalls their first conversation: “Mr. Wolfe, I’m Roger Burn. I play percussion, and I have a question. Can you improve this jazz program so that it will be as good as Robin Snyder’s at Bonita HS? If not, I’m going to transfer over there for my last two years.”  “Hello, Roger. Nice to meet you!” “Roger and other students would come down to the apartment and play Risk. After the other students left, Roger would always ask questions about music theory. Sometimes he would stay quite late. His parents, Ed and Joyce seemed to always know where he was and did not seem to object, but since we had a Jazz Band rehearsal every morning at 6:30, I would have to ‘throw him out’ often so that we could get some sleep,” said Wolfe. “He was not particularly interested in the traditional harmony of the common practice period, but when we talked about Twentieth Century techniques, his ears really perked up. He learned about tritone substitutions, extensions and altered chords, and suddenly there was an interest in learning to play piano as he was already becoming quite proficient on vibraphone,” relayed Wolfe. Wolfe recalled, “He was not interested in learning technique from the Czerny book I provided, or practicing any of the “adult beginning” pieces I provided. He simply wanted to improvise and learn new chord voicings...(he was especially in love with the dominant seventh with a sharp nine or other altered variations he could use in the blues). He wanted to learn how to arrange, so I “loaned” him my Mancini Sounds and Scores textbook. He kept it for the rest of his life...So it began!” “I did not learn until later that he had begun writing out (by hand) a fake book of jazz tunes that he called ‘The Good Book’. He was proud to exclaim to me that these tunes had ‘the right chords’ and were not like some of those other fake books. In addition to many of his favorite jazz standards (over 150 pages), are some 20 original compositions, some of which were performed by the San Dimas High School jazz combo. “Animal Blues” was written for his friend and bass player, Rusty Houts, and “Gerswintite” was an opportunity to show off some new chord voicings he liked,” said Wolfe. “It was plain to see Roger was a musical prodigy,” said his sister, Elaine Burn. “He would sit daily with a pencil & ruler while he effortlessly re-wrote all the chord changes in the Real Book . He claimed ‘The chords are all wrong!’ ” Wolfe recalls, “Those who spoke with Roger often may have observed that his life was basically one long run-on sentence, with no punctuation in site! He was opinionated, biased, driven and always outspoken, but he was also fiercely loyal, disciplined, caring and compassionate to those who he felt deserved it. He also had a great sense of humor and a sense of right and wrong ...Roger was right, and the rest of us ...had some work to do!” Wolfe relates the following story, “Another time, in Reno, Roger did not make it back to the hotel from the Basie performance at the Pioneer Theater in time for curfew. I went back to the Pioneer and after some searching, found him backstage talking to some of the Basie sidemen....that was Roger!” “In Roger’s senior year, he was leaning towards Cal State Northridge as a choice under the jazz direction of Joel Leach. He was particularly angry that freshmen would have to play in the marching band, frustrated by this, he chose to leave after only one year in the college program. The rest is basically known by all of his professional friends and acquaintances,” said Wolfe. “Over the years, Roger and I remained close. I used him as a guest soloist with my bands, and he was fiercely loyal to me personally as an ‘educator who knew and did it the right way’. He was a good man, and I love him and miss him,” exclaimed Wolfe. He studied with the best in the field - Freddie Gruber for drums and Victor Feldman for vibes. He was self-taught on the piano and keyboards, taking only one piano lesson! He drew musical inspiration from the greats; Victor Feldman, Lionel Hampton and Red Norvo. He idolized Buddy Rich, Louie Belson and Steve Gadd. He was influenced by Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Oscar Petterson and Gershwin. His modern taste and appreciation included the Yellowjackets, especially Jimmy Haslip, bass player of Yellowjackets, producer & longtime friend, Pat Metheny, Sting, Quincy Jones, Bella Fleck and Peter Gabriel. He began working professional gigs at the age of sixteen in Los Angeles. He would spend entire Saturdays hunting down rare jazz albums at Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, adding to his album collection of over 1,000 albums, all in alphabetical order. He formed several bands and served as the bandleader. His first band, in the 1980s, was “Triple Spec.” The name referring to the music industry phrase, “on spec”, meaning that many projects are on speculation, thus “Triple Spec” was born. They played often at Cafe Cordiale on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles.  Roger Burn and his band Shapes Years later, he formed a new band, “Shapes”, which was a platform for his contemporary jazz compositions as well as for others in the band; Dave Derge (drums), Mike Higgins (guitar) and Andy Suzuki (saxophones & flute) and Dean Taba (bass.) His music was syncopated and sophisticated. He was constantly blazing his own trail. Shapes performed in Jakarta at the Java Jazz Festival and then later, on the island of Bali, performing in Indonesia for two weeks. As part of a back up band for Indonesia's own, Dwiki Dharmawan for his 'World Peace Orchestra', he also performed again in Jakarta for the Java Jazz Festival, along with Shapes’ members Andy Suzuki, Tollak Ollestad, along with charter member on percussion, Walfredo Reyes, Jr., who played drumset. He again played with the World Peace Orchestra at the Temecula Jazz Festival, joined by new Shapes member, Edwin Livingston, on bass. In addition, Jimmy Haslip, of the Yellowjackets & producer of all his albums, played with Shapes on bass, as well as Russ Ferrante on piano, from the Yellowjackets. Highlights of his career include playing with The Brian Setzer Big Band, Chaka Khan, Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Nicks, Lou Vega, Barry Manilow & Ann Margaret, to name a few. He wrote charts for Mary J. Blige and numerous others. He played vibraphones on the score of the Academy Award winning film “Sideways” starring Paul Giamatti. Tragically, cancer took his life at the age of 46. Here’s what he said in his last blog; “I will NOT shed this mortal coil until I'm satisfied that I've done all that I can, and ladies and gentlemen, I have ONLY begun to do what I feel that I'm called to do, which is to make music. All things considered, I feel VERY fortunate and yes, even an agnostic like myself, feels blessed, too. I'm surrounded by the love and support of so many friends, some of which I never knew even liked me!!!!” He played and composed music to the very end! He toured Europe, Indonesia and had plans to return.  WE MISS YOU ROGER! We hope to honor you and your beautiful music that we all felt so blessed to hear, with this re-release of your last three albums! God rest your soul!
Love, Elaine, Jimmy and Blue Canoe  Fromage is Atlanta-based pianist/ composer Randy Hoexter's second recording as a leader and Blue Canoe first. Randy’s vision was to chose a collection of cover songs, with the intent of re- inventing familiar material with a modern twist. However, instead of selecting deep and poetic material, Randy decided to take on the arguably greater challenge of "cheesy" pop songs. Once this concept was established, Randy interviewed many of his fellow musicians, did research, and dug into his own past to put this collection together. Randy puts it like this: "I did lots of research on surveys of the "worst songs" of all time, and certain titles kept popping up. These songs are part of the culture, especially for people my age. The goal here is not to make fun of these songs, but to take them seriously and do our best to make some modern art."  Randy Hoexter Live. Photo Courtesy of Unknown Vincent Once the material was selected, Randy went to work creating arrangements that both explored new harmonic and rhythmic areas but still honored the original themes and ideas in the songs. Many of the tunes were re-harmonized or given a new meter in order to take them in new directions. The timeless sound of Randy’s piano drives all the arrangements, and the majority of the charts feature a five- piece horn section with trumpet, saxophones, trombone and a signature bass clarinet. All of the instruments are brought forward at various times for solos and features.
These demanding, modern arrangements immediately brought to mind the talents of former Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip, who enthusiastically joined in. Legendary drummer Dave Weckl contributed three tracks as well. Randy also brought in a group of the Southeast's finest jazz players including saxophonist/multi woodwind virtuoso Sam Skelton, brilliant guitarist Trey Wright, Veteran session drummer Tom Knight and Cirque du Soleilpercussionist Kit Chatham. Fromage, an elegant name for the everyday, sums up a recording that takes the listener to a new, and yet familiar place. MORE INFO: Randy Hoexter's Artist Page Randy Hoexter's - "Fromage" Album Page Cody Carpenter is at it again with his sophomore release “Force Of Nature” on Blue Canoe Records. This stunning instrumental prog-rock, fusion effort is the follow-up to the outstanding "Interdependence" (2018). This prolific songwriter and keyboardist has teamed up with some old friends and new to bring the listener into the prog glory days of Yes and Emerson Lake and Palmer.  Cody Carpenter is the son of Adrienne Barbeau, a star of film, television and the Broadway stage, and legendary Academy Award winning writer, actor, composer, producer and director John Carpenter. The Senior Carpenter is best know for classic horror films (Halloween, The Fog, The Thing) and sci-fi thrillers (Escape From new York, Starman). As a composer, he is known for synthesizer-based pieces and is perhaps best known for the theme song to the movie Halloween (1978). It is not difficult to see how Cody Carpenter comes by his synthesizer based compositions. Cody was introduced to his first musical instrument around the age of three and has been playing and composing original music ever since. In addition to contributing music for two of his father’s films, Vampires (1998) and Ghosts of Mars (2001), Carpenter composed and performed the full-length score for “Cigarette Burns” and “Pro-Life” in Showtime’s Masters of Horror (2005) movie series. Cody co-wrote, co-produced, and performed on the acclaimed Lost Themes (2015) and Lost Themes II (2016) with his father and Daniel Davies. In 2016 and 2017 Cody toured North America and Europe with his father and a six piece band, performing material from both Lost Themes albums and his father’s films. In 2018, Cody (along with John Carpenter and Daniel Davies), helped to compose the music for the latest Halloween movie released on October 19th, 2018, starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Mr. Carpenter opens like a tornado with the expansive track "Transcendence". He plays all the instruments on this firestorm except the drums contributed by Grammy nominated (with Tenacious D) artist Scott Seiver (Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran). "Transcendence" pulls no punches and sets up Cody Carpenter's blistering pace for the rest of the "Force". Cody brings in some friends on "Fantasy of Form". He rounds out the rhythm section with multi-Grammy winner Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets founding member). Mr. Carpenter starts things off with a bouncing keyboard lead and Grammy winner John Konesky (Tenacious D, John Carpenter) responds with a singing solo. Mr. Haslip lights things up with a riveting solo about midway through just before Mr. Carpenter takes over and brings things home. The interplay between rhythm section and the soaring keyboard work is mesmerizing. Cody Carpenter’s "Force of Nature" is an incredible second effort. The years of absorbing the influence of his father and the fusion masters have certainly brought sonic fruit in this 50-minute demonstration of power. There is clearly no slowing down this "Force of Nature”.   Low end powerhouse and former Yellowjacket backbone, Jimmy Haslip collaborates with pianist, composer, arranger and educator Otmaro Ruíz and virtuosic rhythm guru Jimmy Branly for a project that is a perfect mix of composition and broad audience appeal. Mastered by Grammy nominee Rich Breen (Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, Peter Erskine, Charlie Haden and more), "elemental" is a current jazz classic bringing elements of old and new to keep fans on their toes. Grammy nominee Otmaro Ruíz (2016), composer of most of the "elemental" tracks, holds an honorary doctorate from Shepherd University and has played with all the modern greats...Gino Vannelli, John McLaughlin, Tito Puente, Steve Winwood, John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta just to name a few. Mr. Ruíz is regarded as one of the most sought-after keyboardists on the scene yet still finds time for teaching. He is a frequent guest clinician at Los Angeles Music Academy and Musician's Institute. Jimmy Branly is from Cuba and began his studies at the Conservatory of Music in Havana Adolfo Guzman and ENA (National School of Art). Mr. Branly also has played with greats from all genres including Colin Hay, Abraham Laboriel, Michael Nezmith, John Patitucci, Doc Severinsen, Ricky Martin, Andy Garcia, Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan. He performed at The White House in 2013 a Latin presentation for President Obama. Jimmy Haslip was a founding member and 32 year band mate of The Yellowjackets. Mr. Haslip has been nominated for 22 Grammy awards and has won 3. Over his 50+ years of playing, he has contributed to the biggest names in music over a plethora of genres (Jeff Lorber, David Sanborn, Jerry Garcia, Bruce Hornsby, Chaka Khan, Allan Holdsworth, Oz Noy to name a few)  "Elemental" opens with "A Good Start" and right out of the gate leaves listeners slack-jawed. The high energy mover leads with dramatic injections from both Mr. Branly and Mr. Ruíz. These lyrical jabs give way to a simple, soaring melody on keyboards that establishes the emotional trajectory for the rest of the song. The trio brings the audience up then down then back up again all the while compelling exquisite anticipation. The troupe rewards in the end with a crescendo of harmonic punches as "A Good Start" gives way to "Greed". "Greed" leads with a coy, sly keyboard melody that is enticing. Mr. Branly and Mr. Haslip jump in quickly in a way that are both supportive and improvisational. The listener is left with a slightly uneasy feeling as the rhythm's presence rolls up and down and moves from support to spontaneous until Mr. Haslip steps out with a subdued but perfect solo. Mr. Branly rounds things out and brings it in as Mr. Ruíz's keyboards sail home. "Elemental" is a fusion of the most talented jazz artists of our time. More than that, though, the resulting sound is clearly greater than the sum of it's parts. When asked to comment on the compilation, Otmaro Ruíz thought carefully and stated simply, "Music for All". Indeed...music for all.
Grammy-nominated Pianist/Composer Otmaro Ruiz, Drummer Jimmy Branly and Bassist Jimmy Haslip team up together to create an incredible jazz trio album titled, "Elemental". Available on 11/23/2018 ARTIST INFOALBUM PAGE
Low end powerhouse and former Yellowjacket backbone, Jimmy Haslip collaborates with Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech) and Hungarian superstar and session guru Gergö Borlai to create the best jazz release of this decade. ARC Trio features guest appearances by Vinnie Colaiuta, Gary Novak, Steve Tavaglione and Judd Miller and delivers unbelievably listenable virtuosity.
Jimmy Haslip was a founding member and 32 year band mate of The Yellowjackets. Mr. Haslip has been nominated for 22 Grammy awards and has won 3. Over his 50+ years of playing, he has contributed to the biggest names in music over a plethora of genres. To list a few:
• Jazz: Al Jarreau, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Bill Evans, Randy Brecker, Toots Thielemans • Smooth Jazz: David Sanborn, Kenny G, Michael Bolton, The Rippingtons • Fusion: The Yellowjackets, Peter Erskine, Bela Fleck, Jeff Lorber, Allan Holdsworth and Alan Pasqua • Rock: Joe Cocker, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jerry Garcia, Joe Walsh, Tommy Bolin and Gary Wright • Pop: Randy Newman, Bruce Hornsby, Kenny Loggins, Dusty Springfield, Gino Vannelli and Herb Alpert • Soul: Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, Anita Baker and Roy Ayers Ubiquity • Blues: Robben Ford, Oz Noy, Robert Cray and Harvey Mandel
A two-decade veteran of Tribal Tech, one of the most influential electric jazz groups, keyboard wizard Scott Kinsey has worked with many of the world’s greatest musicians including Scott Henderson, John McLaughlin, Oz Noy, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gary Willis, Mike Stern, Matthew Garrison, Michael Landau, Nicholas Payton, Hadrien Feraud, Louis Cole, Tim Lefevbre, Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers and many others. He is considered a protégé of jazz icon Joe Zawinul, with whom he collaborated for several years.
Hungarian drummer Gergö Borlai began playing at age 3 and has appeared on more than 300 albums. Since 2012, Mr. Borlai is a professor at the Liceu Academy/Jazz Departement in Barcelona and has received two lifetime achievement awards, the Golden Drumstick Prize and the Artisjus Lifetime Achievement Award in Hungary. He has played with greats such as Al DiMeola and Hiram Bullock.
From L to R: Gergö Borlai, Jimmy Haslip and Scott Kinsey
ARC Trio opens with "Owosso" as Mr. Borlai places the listener under his spell with a rhythmic trance-like groove. Slowly, Mr. Haslip enters with his hypnotic response in lock-step with Scott Kinsey's subtle assurance on keys. When asked about Arc Trio, Mr. Haslip says, "I wrote music that deals with deeper emotional experiences...searching for knowledge and opening my awareness of a world in need". Certainly, a song like "Owosso" fits this bill and is timely in these contentious times.
The dynamic flow of ARC Trio leads followers skillfully to track four, "Viera", a song about Mr. Haslip's mother. At this point, the core trio makes introduction to guests that need no introduction. The soulful strength of Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa, Sting, Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck, many others) on drums and Latin fusion hero Steve Tavaglione (Jorge Strunz, Eduardo Del Barrio, Dave Weckl, Sly & The Family Stone, Steve Winwood) on flute. This powerful tribute starts with distinct Latin rhythm and brings in Mr. Tavaglione' soaring injections. It is chaotic at first before locking in tightly and fusing genres and styles. The interplay of flute and keyboard melody is masterful on the a palette of constantly evolving drum and bass improvisation.
ARC Trio is the biggest sound you will hear this year. The fusion of gratifying sounds, feels and styles leaves one satisfied yet craving more. When asked about live performances relating to this masterpiece, Jimmy Haslip exclaimed without hesitation, "ROCK THE HOUSE". Hold on...it's going to be wild ride!
Artist Page: Jimmy Haslip | Scott Kinsey | Gergo Borlai
Album Page: ARC Trio
 Blue Canoe Records releases “Cody Carpenter’s Interdependence”, the debut effort from Cody Carpenter on January 26th, 2018. Mr. Carpenter combines the best of 80’s synth-pop with the jazz / rock fusion of that time to create a complex, breakneck brew that both inspires and energizes.  Photo Credit: Joakim Reimer Cody Carpenter is the son of Adrienne Barbeau, a star of film, television and the Broadway stage, and legendary Academy Award winning writer, actor, composer, producer and director John Carpenter. The Senior Carpenter is best known for classic horror films (Halloween, The Fog, The Thing) and sci-fi thrillers (Escape From new York, Starman). As a composer, he is known for synthesizer-based pieces and is perhaps best known for the theme song to the movie Halloween (1978). It is not difficult to see how Cody Carpenter comes by his synthesizer based compositions. Cody was introduced to his first musical instrument around the age of three and has been playing and composing original music ever since. In addition to contributing music for two of his father’s films, Vampires (1998) and Ghosts of Mars (2001), Carpenter composed and performed the full-length score for “Cigarette Burns” and “Pro-Life” in Showtime’s Masters of Horror (2005) movie series. Cody co-wrote, co-produced, and performed on the acclaimed Lost Themes (2015) and Lost Themes II (2016) with his father and Daniel Davies. In 2016 and 2017 Cody toured North America and Europe with his father and a six piece band, performing material from both Lost Themes albums and his father’s films.  Cody Carpenter opens his debut with the expansive track “Jinrai Fuuretsu”. The Emerson Lake and Palmer drenched opener rushes out of the gate like a tornado. Mr Carpenter’s driving synth melody bashes up against the phenomenal rhythm section of Scott Seiver (drums) and Jimmy Haslip (bass). Mr. Seiver has worked with current pop stars including Aimee Mann, Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. He also drummed on Grammy award winning recordings for Tenacious D and Flight of the Conchords. Mr. Haslip was a founding member of jazz fusion superstars The Yellowjackets and has worked with Bruce Hornsby, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau and Donald Fagen among others. The track opens powerfully and then soars wistfully before Mr. Carpenter drives the listener back home to its powerful opening theme…only to spin back to a thoughtful passage. The track resolves only to leave the listener yearning for further insight. Another track of note is “Thinking Of What Might Be”. Mr. Carpenter’s gracious synth melody drifts out in front of the tight, pulsating rhythmic punches. While much of Cody’s music is fairly complex, this straight-forward tune harkens a daydream on a sunny afternoon. Mr. Carpenter even steps out with a contemplative guitar solo midway through that sits perfectly afloat on the steady rhythmic offering. “Cody Carpenter’s Interdependence” is a brilliant entry for Cody Carpenter that has been a long time coming. Drawing on the many years of playing with John Carpenter and his accomplices, Cody finds his own unique voice all while the accepting the independence he has come by honestly. “Cody Carpenter’s Interdependence” deserves a serious listen. Cody Carpenter's Official Website: CodyCarpenterOfficial.com
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