CD Title: The Next Level
Year: 2008
Record Label: Innervision Records
Style: Various Jazz Styles
Review:
From the opening notes of The Next Level, bassist D-Lucca frames this as a San Francisco treat, as you can hear the trademark nuances that so often mark music from that region. This starts off with the promise that it will be a very pleasant aural journey. It delivers on that promise throughout.
D-Lucca has played with quite the impressive and diverse list of who’s who in the business, including the late, great vibraphonist/percussionist Lionel Hampton, drummer Peter Erkskine, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the late saxman Michael Brecker, as well as Rosemary Clooney, Debbie Boone, and Tony Tennille. The influence of that experience comes across immediately here. D-Lucca is also currently touring with keyboardist Terry Disley of Acoustic Alchemy fame.
The material on this album is at once refreshingly original, smooth, cool, and well-written. His and his band’s masterful technique and playing don’t hurt, either! There’s substance, feel, and a genuine sense that all’s right with the world in listening to this abundantly charming project. Tunes like the opening and title track, as well as “Keepin’ the Fire Lit” and “Blues Driver,” clearly show that D-Lucca tried very hard not to leave many stones unturned in cranking out the creativity. Of course, I singled out those tunes only because they are among my favorites. They are not the sole tunes of note, mind you. This album is worthy of a complete listen, lest you miss something truly inspiring. Everything fits here---from the jazzy chords of guitarist Lorn Leber to the driving drums of several different contributors in this area. D-Lucca’s various basses add, as usual, several different dimensions to it all. Truly impressive work, and congrats are definitely in order.
Tracks: The Next Level, Taste My Love, The Alchemist, Auto Pilot, Keepin' the Fire Lit, The Essence of You, Blues Driver, Pacifica, A Mother's Love, The Wagon, Sweet Nell, Brothers, Everything, Timeless, Seasons of Love, HSM&B
Artist's Website: http://www.dlucca.com
Reviewed by: Ronald Jackson
Influences
Jaco Pastorious, Geddy Lee (RUSH!!!!!), Squarepusher, Billy Joel, D'Angelo, and pretty much everything else except country.
Sounds Like
Cool sootheing thought provoking jazz with D-Lucca's Piccolo Bass in the lead.
Daniel Lucca Parenti
D-Lucca
Musically, people had been taking notice of Daniel since the age of 12 when a junior high school music teacher, impressed with his ability to read music, handed him a bass and said, If you can learn to play this over the summer you can be my bass player in the jazz band. And so he did. Over the next few years, a lot of hard work, lessons, and hours of practice kept him advancing through high school jazz band.
Inspired by great teachers and legendary artists such as Billy Joel, Journey, Rush, and many more from all genres, Daniel began to focus his talents and by age 17, had become an accomplished jazz, swing, and rock bassist. After high school he attended Cal State University at Hayward and was selected as a freshman to play with Dave Eshelmanns top Jazz Ensemble and was also working professionally to help pay for his college tuition. By this time Daniel had discovered the amazing music of such artists as Jaco Pastorious, Dave Holland, DAngelo, and Squarepusher which inspired him to begin to write and perform his own music. At age19 hed been tabbed to be the bassist for Matt Catingubs Copa Cat Pack Band, with Concord Jazz Records.
Daniel would go on to tour with several popular jazz artists, including, Rosemary Clooney and Michael Feinstein, as Bassist for The Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat Pack. With Rosemary and Michael, over a four year period, Daniel made several appearances on The Rosie ODonnell Show, and The View, toured all over the continental U.S., Hawaii, Germany, and Canada, and performed at many popular Jazz Festivals, including, 2000 Stuttgart Jazz Open, 2000-1 Westbury Jazz Festivals, NY, 2001 Maysville Jazz Festival, KY, and also 2000-1 Human Rights Campaign, DC. With Big Kahuna, Daniel performed and recorded with the reputable Honolulu Pops Orchestra; and recorded four full length CD's with Concord Jazz Records, two of which were Grammy Nominated. And, he still managed to complete his Bachelors Degree in Music Performance and Composition at the same time.
Currently, Daniel is touring with Terry Disley from Acoustic Alchemy and has become one of the top call bassists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Daniel, in two years time, has also released two full length original jazz albums of his own The All For You Project, and Cruise Control. He is now working on yet a third album to be released in late 2006.
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Composer/Arranger - 15 years experience writing and arranging music in many different genres.
Instrumentalist - 20 years experience performing in many different genres on several different instruments. Including: Acoustic Bass, 4 and 5 String Electric Basses, Piccolo Electric Bass, 6 String Guitar, Piano, Drum Set, and Percussion. Note - Bass Instruments are the primary focus.
Genres include - Rock, Ska, Pop, Contemporary Jazz, Straight Ahead Jazz, Big Band Jazz, Latin Jazz, Progressive Jazz Fusion, Free Jazz, Drum & Bass/ Techno, R&B/Funk, and Hip-Hop.
Producer - 11 years experience producing and assisting on original Album's in the Genres of Jazz, Rock, Ska, Drum & Bass, and Hip-Hop.
Other skills and attributes include - Sight Reading, Notation, Transcription, Booking, Promotion, Merchandising, Recruiting, Organization, Punctuality, Dedication, and Determination.
Memberships
ASCAP since 2003; writer and publisher.
NARAS, currently applying.
Awards
2002 Grammy Nomination for Rosemary Clooney's "Sentimental Journey," Concord Records 2001.
2003 Grammy Nomination for Rosemary Clooney's "The Last Concert," Concord Records 2002.
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
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Review by Smoothjazz.com...
D-LUCCA Have Yourself A Fretless Little Christmas Innervision Records
The unmistakable sound of the fretless bass is complex and rich and everything that is deep and meaningful in music. D-Lucca knows this instinctively and has become a master of reaching all new melodic highs (and lows) on his instrumental work. HAVE YOURSELF A FRETLESS LITTLE CHRISTMAS is such a special holiday release that we will be playing nearly half of the tracks from it on SmoothJazz.com and SmoothLounge.com Radio this holiday season. The two-time Grammy-nominee bassist for Rosemary Clooney (he also played with Michael Feinstein) has put his heart into the holidays with this seasonal release. I so love the hip, swagger on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,”and the chill-out, late night vibe on “We Three Kings,”while the smooth and jazzy “Silver Bells" makes me want to whip out my Macy’s card (it’s that festive) right now. D-Lucca’s spin on “Drummer Boy” is swampy-thick and the resonating harmonics are lush. I guarantee that you’ve never heard “The Christmas Song” like the one on HAVE YOURSELF A FRETLESS LITTLE CHRISTMAS… some sort of hyper-disco, dance trance version, like maybe the Espresso machine was actually in the recording studio… super fun! And perhaps the sweetest tune on here is the album’s namesake, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” featuring D-Lucca’s melodious playing alongside Terry Disley’s delicious piano. Ahhhh yes, soon it will be Christmas Day and we’ll be fretless all the way! ~SANDY SHORE
Hey Bro- hope you are doing good! Man, I can't say enough about "THE ALCHEMIST"!!! That is such a GREAT song, I love that love! It makes me feel good, Great work bro.
