DIAMOND
Dedicated to a dear childhood friend, the pianist/keyboardist András Losó, who was nicknamed gyémánt (Diamond). Unfortunately he passed away very young due to heart disease. Many great memories...I learned a lot from him about playing & music in general. His presence & music brought a lot of joy to many. One of the funniest people ever, too… I incorporated grooves & chord changes that we used to jam on for hours & hours. R.I.P
BUDAPEST
A song that contains mixed feelings. A bittersweet tribute to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Many different experiences there for the first 20 years of my life. Some of the best, but unfortunately some of the harshest ones too.
OLD SOUL
Somehow that’s how this tune felt like to me. That’s the title which came to me from the feeling of it. Musically, this track is all over the map. It has many old & soul-oriented influences from Romani, Folk, Baroque Classical to Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Fusion to Motown & more...it all just came out like that. It also paints a musical picture of my journey from old Europe to North America.
PRAISE
I used to play in Church a lot. I always try to play the same way I did when I was performing in Church, everytime I am on stage. This song is really a prayer. Praising the One who gave me all good things including music. As my former teacher Jim Blackley said to me: “you are not the doer, you are the instrument”.
HOPE
A Latin influenced tune, with a positive outlook. I wrote it shortly after winning the Montreux Jazz festival piano competition with a heart full of new hope.
DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
One of my favourite standards, with a groovy twist. I love old standards & the joy in finding fresh ways of playing them without losing their meanings.
CALHOUN SQUARE
A tribute to the one & only Prince. One of the funkiest musicians, multi-instrumentalists & producers who ever lived. He was a musical chameleon. One of the few who knew his craft, kept & respected the tradition, but also brought a totally new thing to the scene.
Produced by Scott Morin and Robi Botos
All Compositions : Robi Botos
except Calhoun Square (Prince) and Days of Wine and Roses (Mancini/Mercer)
Recorded on Sunday, July 3rd at Planet Studios – Montreal, Canada
Engineered by Nicolas Roberge at Planet Studios
Recording Supervised by Dan Cinelli at Planet Studios
Piano Tuning : Oliver White
Mixed by John ‘Beetle’ Bailey at The Drive Shed
Percussion Overdubs Recorded at Sound Lens Studio, Markham, Ontario
Engineer : Ted Sevdalis // Studio Owner : Lenny Binder
All audio Mastered by Peter Letros for Wreckhouse Mastering
Photography : Tracey Nolan
Art Direction and Design : Simon Paul
Production Management : Geoff Lang for A440 Entertainment Inc.
Release Coordination : Celine Peterson and Scott Morin
Videography in-studio : Cedric Sequerra
ARTISTS
Robi Botos : Piano, Keys, Harpejji, Melodica, Percussion
Larnell Lewis : Drums
Mike Downes : Acoustic and Electric Bass
Seamus Blake : Saxophones and EWI
Featuring Special Guests on Calhoun Square :
Cory Henry : Hammond B3 Organ
Ingrid Jensen : Trumpet
Lionel Loueke : Guitar
String Section on Budapest and Old Soul :
Drew Jurecka :Violin 1
Rebekah Wolkstein : Violin 2
Shannon Knights : Viola
Lydia Munchinsky : Cello
Robi Botos plays Nord keyboards and Yamaha pianos.
Robi endorses: Roli Ltd, Propellerhead Reason Software, D'addario Canada, Hammond Melodicas, Marcodi Musical Instruments, Native Instruments North America Inc., Erikson Music/Audio, and Jamm Industries
Larnell Lewis endorses Yamaha Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, and Promark Drumsticks
Seamus Blake endorses Ted Klum mouthpieces and Roberto’s Winds Reeds
1. Diamond 06:33
2. Budapest 06:58
3. Old Soul 11:35
4. Praise 07:27
5. Hope 06:26
6. Days of Wine 06:39
7. Calhoun Square 07:50
8. A Time to Love 07:00
9. End Of An Era 04:35
