Although I always have 1 or 2 "steady" bands to belong to, I like to "gig" around!
Influences
As a trumpet/fluegelhorn player, you will recognize some of the lyrical Chuck Mangione expressions. On vocals, well, maybe I should have listened more...
Sounds Like
At least in some of the recordings presented at this site, I tried to be as original as possible. Yes, many are my own stuff written from my own personal experiences. I think this means it shouldn't really sound like anyone else... Regarding the more traditional jazz tunes posted recently, you may hear a few borrowed phrases :)
After growing up in a Jazz festival environment in Sacramento, California, M.J. Lawrence has developed from the typical jazz style of that area to a more pop and contemporary artist. He is seldom concerned about to which boundaries his music will be classified (e.g. pop or jazz). As an instrumentalist (Trumpet & Fluegelhorn), his music tends to a pop jazz sound, but as a vocalist, it clearly leans toward soft-pop.
In addition to the original music (studio recorded) presented at this site, M.J. Lawrence can be seen "live" playing with a variety of bands in many directions such as jazz, blues, and pop. His home base is Munich, Germany.
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