Robi Botos - Old Soul (ROPEADOPE RECORDS November 2018)

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

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles announce debut LP, set for release September 29th

Cory Henry - The Revival (Live) 2016

The truly joyful noise of Cory Henry’s B-3 needs almost no accompaniment on this live solo album of gospel, jazz, and R&B classics, which were recorded and filmed with an audience at the Greater Temple of Praise in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

As a member of Snarky Puppy and an in-demand sideman, Henry plays any number keyboards, but the B-3 was his first instrument, and these performances display his great love of the mighty organ. By turns soulful, church-y, playful, restrained, and virtuosic, Henry takes full possession of well-loved songs, beginning with gospel tunes including “He Has Made Me Glad” and “Precious Lord,” and then he is joined by vocalist Jeffrey White on “Old Rugged Cross.” In this context, Henry's version of "If You're Happy and You Know It" takes on a gospel quality, as well, though he adds the irreverent line, "If you're happy and you know it, touch your neighbor."

Secular songs range from Coltrane's "Giant Steps" to The Beatles' "Yesterday" to Stevie Wonder's "All in Love Is Fair," but we can't stress enough how much Henry makes these songs his own. The very nature of the instrumentation—with mostly just B-3 and a little percussion on each song—takes each tune to a different place from the start, but Henry's arrangements masterfully bend the air and the percussive and harmonic qualities of the instrument in beautiful and eye-opening ways. 

And if you want to see how far back Henry's love of the Hammond goes, check him out as age four, at the beginning of a very enjoyable documentary about his career: Gotcha Now.

CORY HENRY

Bio

One of the finest Hammond B-3 organ players of his generation, Cory Henry was a child prodigy, playing both piano and organ by the time he was two years old, making his debut at the legendary Apollo Theater when he was only six. He has worked in the studio and toured with countless artists, including Yolanda Adams, Stanley Brown, Israel Houghton, P. Diddy, Kirk Franklin, Kenny Garrett (the 19-year-old Henry became a fixture in Garrett's touring band for three years), Donnie McClurkin, Boyz II Men, Michael McDonald, Bruce Springsteen, the Roots, and many others. He has also worked as a bandleader and producer as well as an in-demand sideman. Falling closer to the Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson side of the Hammond organ jazz genre than Jimmy Smith, with maybe a little Billy Preston tossed in, Henry at his best combines the best of both gospel and jazz in his playing. His albums as a bandleader include the 2010 holiday set Christmas with You, 2011's Leave You Alone, and 2012's Gotcha Now Doc. Since 2012, Henry has been a member of the acclaimed experimental jazz and funk ensemble Snarky Puppy, with whom he won a 2014 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance and a 2015 Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. In 2016, Henry released the gospel0infused solo effort The Revival. ~ Steve Leggett

Cory Henry, Hammond B-3 organ

Jeffrey White, vocals (04)

01. Lord's Prayer (Live)

02. He Has Made Me Glad (I Will Enter His Gates) [Live]

03. Precious Lord (Live)

04. Old Rugged Cross (feat. Jeffrey White)

05. NaaNaaNaa (Live)

06. That Is Why I’m Happy (Live)

07. If You’re Happy (And You Know It) [Live]

08. Giant Steps (Live)

09. All In Love Is Fair (Live)

10. Yesterday (Live)

11. I Want To Be Ready (Live)

BUY THIS ALBUM

Domi