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Bryan Savage
RUSH HOUR
by Jonathan Widran
Bryan Savage's two provocatively titled break-through smooth jazz recordings, 1996's Cat Food and his Higher Octave Music debut Soul Temptation (1997), were  well-deserved success stories at radio, with select tracks reaching the Top Ten on the
Gavin and Radio & Records charts. This tremendous reception and resulting sales fulfilled the tremendous promise of his first three critically acclaimed independent releases in
the early Nineties. While Savage truly established himself as a multi-talented composer, saxophonist and flutist, on his biggest hits he had the tremendous support of some of the biggest names
in smooth jazz, including producer/trumpeter Rick Braun. His latest Higher Octave release Rush Hour, a highly melodic, funk-drenched
exercise in hip and cool, is also a truly home-grown effort and a tremendous exercise in self-confidence.
For the first time in his career, Savage takes most of the production reins
himself and works with his core band of guitarist Howard Arthur, keyboardist Dave Hanson, bassist Chris Engelman and drummer Larry Thompson, a
tight ensemble that has played together for eight years. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band keyboardist Bob Carpenter co-produced three tracks with Savage: the
seductive Latin flavored "Walkabout," the moody and retro-soulful "Innuendo" (which features Savage on both soprano and alto) and the graceful, lyrical
flute ballad "Seville". Savage's band keyboardist Dave Hanson contributes energetic keyboard and piano harmonies to a moody, sensual cover of the 60's hit "Sunny."
Since the release of Soul Temptation, Savage became a Protools user and simply felt it was time to assert himself behind the board. But from a more
practical angle, Savage had moved back from Los Angeles to the mountains outside of Aspen and logistics dictated that it would make more
sense to gather his home grown Colorado musician comrades rather than commute back and forth to the West Coast. "At first, the decision to do Rush
Hour largely on my own was because of the travel and scheduling difficulties," he says. "But it turned out that doing the album this way gave me
a tremendous opportunity to grow as both a player and producer. I learned so many things from both Rick Braun and my previous producer Dick
Darnell, and after five recordings, I realized I could do it, too. It was a lot of fun but also a bit scary.
"Rick's usual m.o. was to take a demo and completely rework the song on a
sequencer, and I did some of that this time," Savage adds. "But because I would have the final say, I tended to record the initial demos as if they were
nearly the final mixes themselves. I allowed myself a lot of time to get things right, and there was a lot of trial and error in working with Protools. But as
always, my goal was to create songs that were as good as possible, and create tracks that served them well."
Other key tracks on Rush Hour include the hypnotic, gently percussive but
also very ambient sax tune "Scenic Route"; a folksy, flute driven glide down "Wind River"; the acid-jazzy title track, featuring a bluesy synth organ
harmony and electronic vibes; the smokey, gentle soprano ballad "Coral Princess," which was named after a favorite hotel in the Yucatan Peninsula in
Mexico; and a lush, very retro flute led version of Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour". Rush Hour also features a shuffle groove remix of "Coral
Princess" by Savage's Higher Octave labelmates 3rd Force.
Bryan Savage's resume extends back even further to the Seventies, when
his band Starwood signed with Columbia Records and toured with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The Dirt Band, along with Savage's unforgettable sax,
backed up comedian Steve Martin's camp classic "King Tut," which went novelty gold. Savage was also an integral part of singer Al Stewart's band in
the early 80's, playing alongside future smooth jazz guitar star Peter White (who later played on Cat Food) on tours of the U.S., Canada, Europe and
Japan. Over the years, Savage has also worked with The Amazing Rhythm Aces and John Denver,and has opened concerts for Bonnie Raitt, Mick
Fleetwood, Santana, Glenn Frey, Eddie Money, Journey, Gary Burton and many others.
"Because of all of those varied experiences, it's really just a natural
experience for me playing contemporary jazz," says Savage. "It blends elements of all of the styles I have played and love, drawing on so many
influences from jazz to rock and even to country music. It all blends together for me to shape who I am as an artist. I heard it all as a kid, from Stan Getz
to Dave Brubeck to the Animals and Wilson Picket."
After spending most of the Eighties playing the Aspen nightclub scene, Savage focused on launching a solo career and eventually signed with
Elation Artists. While many cuts from his popular self-titled debut are still in radio rotation today, it was Saxafaction which originally broke him through
as a presence in the contemporary jazz world. The disc reached #4 on the national PAC charts and eclipsed 30,000 in sales in just a few months. His
follow-up Night Fire performed even better and earned Jazziz Magazine's praise as "an attractive combination of fire and ice." The same publication
exclaimed that his follow-up Cat Food was "a promise come to exciting fruition." Cat Food peaked at #2 on the Radio & Records smooth jazz
charts, and ranked #11 overall for the year; Soul Temptation then reached similar heights, breaking into the Top 15 on the strength of its title track.
Savage, who lives in Colorado after a few years in Los Angeles, but recently purchased a condo at the beach in Port Hueneme, wondered if ìRush Hourî
was too stressful a name for a smooth jazz recording. And of course, the name was too good not to keep, capturing the wide range of his explosive
yet often gentle style. Rush Hour plays like a grand adventure while also confirming Bryan Savage's place among the elite sax and flute players in smooth jazz.
For more information about Bryan Savage please contact:
Brett Merritt
Higher Octave Music
p. 310-589-1515
f. 310-589-1525
brett@higheroctave.com
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