Contact Open
Door Management for a press kit for Mike Melvoin. A 300DPI
photograph (jpg) is available for download for print purposes.
England sounds most at home on the Melvoin penned tunes. For example, on “Whatever My Bianca Wants” and “You Know” England digs into the lyric in a strong, take no prisoners manner. He has a real affinity for these songs that comes through with bravura performances. Whether it’s because of his friendship with Melvoin or some intangible, England absolutely brings forth a torrent of marvelous emotion on these songs. Of note is England’s short scat at the end of “Whatever.” It’s obvious he’s willing to take chances instead of playing it safe.
As a pianist Melvoin is as expected, incredible. His solo on “Living Without You” is tasteful and technically thrilling, and his chords behind the lyric of “Embraceable You” goes beyond the pale of so many other pianists into the realm of real style.
—Thomas R. Erdmann, JazzReview.com
March, 2008
Tucked into a corner of the cover of England’s disc is the line, “featuring Mike Melvoin.” Now, there’s a recognizable name.
One of the greatest keyboardists in the history of the L.A. scene, Melvoin has worked with everyone from Stan Getz and Nina Simone to Peggy Lee and Nancy Wilson, appeared on the soundtracks for Rocky and Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty for Me and, within the span of a single year, played on both the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and Sinatra’s That’s Life. Indeed, it is Melvoin who is the driving force behind this impressive album, serving as producer and arranger, writing all six of the original tracks (including the marvelously Cole Porter-ish “Whatever My Bianca Wants” and a lovely, understated homage to budding romance called “At Last Now”), and backing England with exquisitely elegant and intelligent playing.
—Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes
October, 2007
Pianist Mike Melvoin's is the consummate music business professional. With collaborations reaching from Stan Getz and Frank Sinatra to Cher and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with a long list of television and film scores, specials and documentaries, it's obvious that Melvoin (the first active musician to serve as president of the Recording Academy) has all the characteristics of a musical Renaissance man.
—Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times
December 12, 2006
There are plenty of musicians around who, for better or worse, attempt to redefine the piano trio format. Then there's Mike Melvoin, who shows that in the proper hands, the tried-and-true can still sound fresh. This mix of standards and original material is straight-ahead jazz at its finest.
Although certainly not given to wild experimentation, Melvoin is adventurous in his own way. Most notably, he slows down John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" to an easy mid-tempo swing, filling in the harmonic leaps with brief flourishes. Only at the conclusion does he emulate the breakneck pace of the original.
There's also the subtle tension that Melvoin creates on the bittersweet bossa nova "La Luna Negra." Melvoin's solo conveys darker melodic possibilities behind the upbeat rhythm. Conversely, another track that explores South American rhythms, "Life is What You Make It," showcases Melvoin's lighter side, particularly the quote from Charlie Parker's"Ornithology" at the beginning of his solo.
Melvoin favors warm, expressive chord phrases and crystal-toned single-note
passages. His style lends a melancholy romantic feel to most of these
pieces, particularly Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" and the title track.
Bassist Tony Dumas' thick, fluid lines and drummer Ralph Penland's easy
swinging style provide graceful support throughout. The music here is proof
that sometimes the simplest approach works best.
—John Frederick Moore, Jazziz
November, 2006
"This is music of the highest quality with a seriousness of purpose that dares to suggest that there is more to American culture than the Neanderthal yelpings of hip-hop, the dumbed-down blatherings of teen pop, and the mind-numbing inanities of so-called “smooth jazz.” Like a Shakespeare play, a Preston Sturges film, or a painting by Michelangelo, Mike Melvoin and company exhibit qualities we seldom encounter in music today: wit, subtlety, elegance, intelligence, and a range of emotions that extends beyond the boundaries of teenage angst."
—William Grim, AllAboutJazz.com
"Adult Songs for and About Adults"
August 27, 2006
"Pulitzer Prize winner James Tate called Jaffe’s poems “so vivid and passionate I could hear the tunes and see the smoke.”
Melvoin knows enough styles and vocabulary to channel effectively different eras and musicians to complement beautifully the poetry."
—Donald Elfman, AllAboutJazz.com
"Beats and the Boppers: Playing The Word and A Few Incidences"
May 5, 2006
"Whether or not the name rings a bell, Mike Melvoin has very likely had a sonic impact on your life over the last four decades.
A respected pianist, arranger and conductor, he ranks highly in the legion of Los Angeles-based studio musicians whose sound can be heard on screens big and small, as well as on pop records."
—Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara News-Press
"Back to the Jazz of the Matter"
April 7, 2006, Scene
"The music is flawlessly intertwined with the words. Mike Melvoin weaves blues and jazz into the stories. Together, the pair recreate a place in mind that seems now to have been suspended in time. Quite a beautiful session."
—Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz.com
"Playing The Word"
"Mike Melvoin might very well be the hippest—and most accomplished—pianist you've never heard of."
—Bob Young, Boston Herald: Jazz/World
"Studio Stud Melvoin Takes Hub Stage"
June 18, 2004. pg. E.08
"Chances are you've never heard of the master Los Angeles studio musician Mike Melvoin. But chances are virtually nil that you've never heard him play keyboards, which he's done with everyone from Frank Sinatra to John Lennon to the Beach Boys.
Melvoin's name could get a lot more familiar, too."
—Bill Beuttler, Boston Globe
"Session Man Melvoin Takes Center Stage"
June 18, 2004
"The piano trio has remained the heart-and-soul
of jazz for nearly 70 years, and this album—a perfect match of
performance and repertoire—helps explain why."
—Neil Tesser, Host of Miles Ahead
Jazz from Chicago
"His music has a lot of 'meat and potatoes'—right
up my alley! I love it! ... not just your regular Tin Pan Alley.
It's the American song form raised a notch. Mike is like fine wine..."
—Phil Woods
“Melvoin’s tunes-spry, bright, and quick except when
they’re intimate and thickly honeyed-sound as solidly footed
as anything Bud Powell or Sonny Clark cut.”
—Andrew Bartlett, Jazziz
“Melvoin’s pianistics are rich and involving, with shades
of romanticism … his interpretive skills are top notch.”
—Phil Gallo, Daily Variety
“… a player who brings a compositional
unity to his improvising, building well paced solos over a propulsive
undercurrent of swing.”
—Don Heckman, LA Times
“… he boasts a wealth of harmonic knowledge …”
—Neil Tesser, Playboy Guide to Jazz
“Oh Baby is about as good a jazz piano trio album as you’ll ever hear, at least in this millennium.”
—William Grim, AllAboutJazz.com
“There aren't many contemporary songwriters whose tunes are worthy of being included in the Great American Songbook, but Melvoin is one of the notable exceptions.”
—William Grim, AllAboutJazz.com
Read a full interview by William Grim. »
“Mike Melvoin has the speed, soul
and mastery of his instrument as did Powell, yet his personal touch
is always evident.”
—JohnnysJazzPage.com