Earth, Wind & Fire, The Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Jeff Lorber, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dick Morrisey, Wilton Felder, Ernie Watts, The Crusaders, Sting, Chet Baker, The Yellowjackets, Bob Berg, kenny Loggins, Bob James, Bill Evans, Mel Torme, Don Weller, Stan Getz, Larry Carlton, Jerry Hey, Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Quincy Jones, & oh so many more! .........
Shilts Returns Home to NuGroove and Releases "Jigsaw Life"
What do you get when you combine unforgettable hooks and atomic energy? You get a sound that is fresh, unique and totally Shilts. The former frontman for the funk-fortified Down to the Bone and groove jazz specialist, Shilts has signed with nuGroove for the release of his new CD, Jigsaw Life.
“NuGroove Records was the original home for Down to the Bone. I’m excited to have Shilts back with us. When I heard cuts from this release, I was ecstatic. The songs are unbelievable. There was so much good material on this release that we had a hard time picking the first single,” said David Chackler, President and Co-owner.
Paul “Shilts” Weimar originally hails from London, England and has been playing saxophone since his early teens. His career has spanned all forms of jazz, soul, rock and pop music. He has toured all over the world and performed with a host of international artists, such as The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, Peter White and many more. Eventually Shilts became the most visible and identifiable member of the UK jazz group Down To the Bone. In his eleven years with the group, he remained excited creating a separate identity for himself. He did this with his highly anticipated debut, See What Happens, which earned a 2001 Smooth Jazz Award nomination, followed by his second and highly acclaimed follow up, HeadBoppin. His third and latest release, Jigsaw Life, is a powerful showcase of Shilts' multitude of performing and composing talents, focusing not only on his tenor brilliance but also his instantly infectious melodies.
“I’ve been lucky that I’ve played in so many different styles of music…soul, fusion, pop, big band, smooth jazz. I’ve brought all those different styles in this CD. I’ve tried to make each track sound different. The jigsaw to me is different styles of music,” said Shilts.
A little taste of the Jigsaw Life:
Jigsaw Life opens with “Piece by Piece.” One of the first songs that Shilts chose for the album, it was originally a tune he wrote for Rick Braun and Richard Elliot but never recorded. On second glance, Shilts decided to crank up the tempo and enriched the funk. Additionally, for the first time in 20 years, Shilts decided to play the soprano. Unfortunately, he no longer owned a soprano. Luckily, Yamaha was gracious enough to loan him one and “Piece by Piece” blossomed into a duet between the soprano and tenor.
Destined to be a summer hit, the upbeat dance track and first single to go to radio, “Back on The Hudson” was untitled for a long time. “I was performing in New York with Down to the Bone on the Spirit Cruises and decided I wanted to play it during the set to test out the new tune. Everyone loved it and asked me the name…I didn’t have one.” In celebration of the location, Shilts name the song “Back on The Hudson."
In contrast to the rowdy “Back on The Hudson,” the sole ballad on Jigsaw Life is “A Promise is a Promise” with a stunning soprano ballad melody. “This one is for the ladies,” said Shilts.
Keeping to the spirit of making each song unique on Jigsaw Life, Shilts enlisted the aid of a string quartet for “Broken Silence.” Simple and emotionally powerful with a soprano lead, the song slowly builds with a Hammond B-3 and acoustic guitar added to the mix with a dynamic electric guitar solo at the end.
“One of my favorites is track seven, “Outside the Box,” said Shilts. “It’s the furthest away from any other tracks on the album. I originally was going to call it “Southern Fried Sax.” It has a bluesy, southern soul sort of sound with a trio of tenor saxophones interacting with one another…a dirty, nasty, funky groove, yet very minimalist.” With the exception of the guitar, Shilts plays all the instruments for this party track.
This is just a small sampling of the pieces of the music that make up Jigsaw Life. To learn more, please visit www.shiltsmusic.com.
SINCE THE RETURN FROM HER STAY ON THE MOON LUCIANNA LISTENS LIKE SPRING AND SHE TALKS LIKE JUNE
Now that she's back in the atmosphere With drops of Jupiter in her hair She acts like summer and walks like rain Reminds me that there's time to change...
Tell me did you sail across the Sun,did you make it to the Milky Way? to see the lights all faded and that heaven is over rated...
Tell me did you fall for a Shooting Star? One without a permanent scar...
And,"DID YOU MISS ME",while you were, "LOOKING AT YOURSELF", out there?
Now that she's back from that Soul Vacation Tracing her way through the Constellation She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo Reminds me that there's time to grow...
Now that she's back in the atmosphere I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol'Jane Told me a story about a man who is afraid to fly, so he never did, never really knew why...
Tell me did the Wind sweep you off your feet, did you finally get the chance to dance along the Light Of Day, or head back to the Milky Way?
Tell me did Venus blow your mind? was it everything you wanted to find...
And,"DID YOU MISS ME",while you were, "LOOKING FOR YOURSELF",out there?
I HOPE YOU SAW YOURSELF AMONG THE STARS,I HOPE YOU FOUND YOU JUST AS YOU ARE!
~Thank you for the add. You are just a delight to listen to. Your knowledge & training on the sax has combined to form some magnificent sounds. I am so anamered with your music. Fondly, Sandra~jaz
~Thank you for the add~my dear 'Sax-man'. The Sax is my preferred(Jazzy)instrument. Your music is(crisp & fun).I will be listening to you & (checking out) any new stuff~that you might present here on your page. Aloha~
Hey Shits, Just wanted to stop by your page to show you some luv!!! Glad to see we are still friendz and that you are still doing your thing. We haven’t talk in a while. So what have you been up to?? Come check your boy out and hope we can talk soon. But spring in the air and it’s time to get it poppin!!! HS
Un ciao caldo, Spero bene il vostro, il vostro soddisfatto e che il vostro cuore sia Lite, riempito di luce e di amore. Goda, abbracci di una festa bella!
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<br /> Lucianna
Hi Shiltz,
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<br />Just wanted to say, "Happy Spring", and that I appreciate your fantastic music. Have a great weekend!
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<br />Stay in the Groove, ~John
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