"Come To Me" is #3 on Music Choice!
"Come To Me" has moved up to #3 on Music Choice's Top 10 this week. The CD "In Clear View" continues to recieve great reviews and is being played on smooth jazz stations nationally. We want to thank all of you for your support!
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SmoothViews Review of In Clear View
With so many headliners grabbing the glory and the spotlight for their new releases, the myriad of independent artists have a really tough time. But sometimes you come across a CD that just stands out from the pack and captures your attention. Andrew Neu, a saxophonist from Philadelphia, has done just that ..........
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Jazz Police Review - March 27, 2007
Andrew received a great review from Joe Montague, and, since it's rather lengthy, we thought we'd give you the link.
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Jazz Review.com review of In Clear View
Review:
Andrew Neu’s second album In Clear View has a wealth of renown musicians who contributed their melodic sensibilities to his compositions, including Neu’s record producer and bass player Brian Bromberg, keyboardist Jeff Lorber, saxophonist Mark Hollingsworth and R&B singer Rahsaan Patterson. Raised in Philadelphia, Neu’s combination of traditional jazz standards and free form is inspiring. He courses a smooth jazz path demonstrating caressing strokes and showmanship instincts as his saxophone wriggles, glides, silhouettes and stencils sprightly into melodic forms. His sax riffs have a vocal elasticity that guides the sonic wavelengths, melodic clasps and elegant movements into a cohesive collage. His album is tremendously entertaining similarly to Chris Botti, John Tesh and Kenny G. The songs are designed to release a spectrum of emotions from feeling romantic, mischievous and uninhibited to feeling solemn, sentimental and, at times, elated. There is a free spirit and contemporary verve in Neu’s compositions which craft universally pleasing esthetics that is sure to enamor people to his music.
The album opens with a jazz induced rendition of Kool & The Gang’s hit song “Celebration.” From the start, Neu places the listener in the throes of enjoyment with a fun vibe permeating through the upbeat rhythm and vivacious brass section. The vocal chorus arranged by Rahsaan Patterson fuels the tempo’s libation. Neu’s sax movements soar, punctuate and hug the curves of the melody’s grooves. “Wine” struts a seductive atmosphere with a sensual sax gossamer, wicked keys performed by Lorber and steady beats which allow the sax to dip and float through the sonic lanes. Neu creates crescent waves and swirling motions as sprockets of twinkling keys dot the melody. An upbeat momentum flames “Come To Me” and “Seven Mile Bridge” with oscillating sax vibrations accentuating the twists and turns.
“I Heard It In The Night” is the crown jewel in the collection, possessing a medieval-Celtic essence in the enchanting sax melody. The carousal ride metronome is beautifully jeweled with delicate bass beats played by Rob Cochran and finely threaded sax lines. It is actually one of Neu’s more simplistic tracks, consisting mainly of his saxophone embellishments and a basic support of instrument undertones. “Night Lights” is a cool jazz number that projects the impression of an evening walk and the romantic mood of Lionel Richie’s tune “You Are” has a Love American Style hue (from the popular ’70s TV show) with contemporary jazz movements and a sentimental voicing through the links.
The uptempo arrangements on “”Shadow Dancing” and “Sob City” offer quick footed rhythms and heady entanglements of the piano prose and brass sections furnished by Neu’s band The Bright And Tight Horns. Contrastingly, the smooth silkiness of “Clear View” and “Blame It On Rio” provides curvaceous sax moves that peak and wane while slinking through the melody. Neu reciprocates the varying tempos by making them both as charming and graceful as possible. The soft cushioning he slathers with his saxophone on the cover of Styx’s pop single “Babe” is inflated with warmth and tenderness. The satiny textures and dark tones on “D’Aja Vu” channels a smooth jazz circulation attaching a bustling guitar solo played by Mark Walsh. The sax smoke rings on the final track “Easy Pass” drizzles the melody with excitement and splashes the cool rhythm with flashes of stimulation.
Andrew Neu’s saxophone soliloquies are ornate, elegant and intricately stylized on his second album In Clear View, which is the follow up to his debut disc Inspire from 2000. Neu’s additional credentials include touring with Sister Sledge, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Debbie Boone, Manhattan Transfer, Ann Hampton Calloway, Tito Puente and a slew of other prominent jazz and R&B figures. He has played with the Philly Pops since 1996 and at a litany of jazz festivals, including the JVC Newport Jazz Festival, the St. Croix Jazz Festival, the Lake George Jazz Festival and the Mellon PSFS Jazz Festivals. He founded The Bright And Tight Horns and is the featured tenor saxophonist with the Brian Pastor Big Band. Andrew Neu has spent much of his profession being a pupil and a protégé. In Clear View has the potential to take him to the forefront of public enjoyment.
jazzreview.com website>>
Smooth Jazz News Review, Feb. 2007
Reviewed by Brian Soergel
The second CD from Philadelphia's Andrew Neu is clearly a team effort. The talented saxophonist gathered many of the top names in smooth jazz to support the 15-song project, beginning with producer and bassist extraorinaire Brian Bromberg. He also surrounds himself with superb session musicians who help keep this project humming over the course of almost an hour of music. Neu, who keeps his sound bright by touring with a big band and other well-known musicians, also mixes tempo and mood by adding three covers to his nine original tunes and two written by Bromberg and one by close friend and keyboardist Kevin Toney.
The result is a fresh sound that benefits from Neu's expertise on the alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones, resulting in a nice shading of tones and registers. Neu adds punch to his sax sound with the bold and brassy playing of the four-member Bright and Tight horn section, especially on Kool & the Gang's iconic "Celebration" and with the original tunes "Shadow Dancing" and the rollicking, good-time dance song, "Easy Pass".
Neu's approach on the high-register soprano compares to Kenny G's on tunes such as "Come To Me," "I Heard It In The Night" and Lionel Richie's "You Are". Neu also picks up the soprano for one of the two best songs on the CD: "Wine", a hit-worthy song penned by Bromberg-who adds a delightful bass solo-and featuring keys by Jeff lorber. The other standout, "Sob City," uniquely combines a downtempo, chillish vibe with a dash of blues and some truly inspiring jazz sax solos by Neu.
City Sounds Radio Review:
"Andrew Neu's fresh release In Clear View is a glimpse into the future of what we can expect from the up and coming smooth jazz artists. From the first track Celebration to the last track Easy Pass, Andrew shows his ability to groove with the best and the best is represented here. In Clear View is produced by Brian Bromberg and hosts a list of who's who as guest musicians. This is definitely a cd that smooth jazz fans will want to include in their library."
Dick Fairchild - City Sounds Radio
Full Review from City Sounds Radio
Andrew Neu - In Clear View
When preparing to do a review, I like to spend some time researching the artist in an effort to get a feel for the man behind the music. I found it very interesting that this young artist has produced two albums and the only text on him are reprinted notes from his website bio and liner notes from the albums. I'm not familiar with his first album but this project deserves much more than that.
Andrew kicks off the album with a Kool and the Gang cover Celebration and with the solid backing of his horn section, the Bright and Tight Horns, gets to stretch out on the melody a bit. From here it just gets better. Wine is a contrasting mellow track penned by Brian Bromberg and nicely executed by Andrew on soprano sax. Jeff Lorber doubles on keyboards and guitar to round out the ensemble. Then it's on to Moving On and Come To Me which both display fine sax work by Andrew and have a funky groove going amidst an otherwise smooth jazz flavor. Seven Mile Bridge is a blending of the Tight and Bright Horns and Andrew's alto sax along with some fine guitar work by Richard Tucker.
Now....I'm a fan of the tenor sax and up to this point it's been all alto and soprano, but on Night Lights Andrew brings out the tenor and delivers that deep throaty sound throughout the track. That's the beauty of this album. He covers all musical interests whether it be an instrument or a particular style and seems to do it comfortably no matter what the setting.
We're back to the soprano on I Heard It In The Night. This track has a lot of different things going on in it. It's a mellow track, but almost gets to the point of having an underlying classical/medieval melody to it. It's interesting how he interprets the music on the sax.
Then we're taken to the Lionel Richie days with a cover of You Are. Andrew does an exceptional job transposing the vocal melody to instrumental. It is very hard to meet expectations when the vocal is so well known. I find, if artists fall short anywhere on a mixed cd, it will be in this area. Not so for Andew. His varied musical background makes it possible for him to deliver the melodies with comfort and ease. Having made Richie proud, he moves into a light airy track called Shadow Dancing and then back into the softer smooth track of Clear View.
At this point, we are about two thirds of the way through this cd and one thing has become blatantly clear. The Bright and Tight Horns are the common thread through most tracks on this album and they provide the backdrop for everything that occurs musically. They seem to be the rock the other mucisians lean on and the glue that binds everything musically together. It's easy to understand why they're in demand.
This next track, Sob City, is one of my favorites. Not only does Andew bring the tenor sax back out, but he fires it up to a straight ahead jazz flavored track. I especially like the trumpet work of Anthony Bonsera. He and Andrew definately capture the flavor of jazz days gone by.
Babe is next up and is a Dennis DeYoung composition handled back in the day by none other than Styx. Andrew hits this one on the mark with some help from Mikki Kornegay's background vocals. It makes you forget the song ever sounded any different. From here we are handed a nice groove called D'Aja Wu. Gerald Veasley is on bass on this track and has a bit of help from Mark Walsh on guitar. Together, with Andrew, they take you for a very funky yet very smooth listening experience on this comtemporary jazz track.
We get a latin flavor on Blame It On Rio and an awesome blend of sax with flute which gives a soft almost tranquil effect to the song. The fact that the latin rhythm is mixed so slight is what makes the flute/sax blend work. This is a very nice sounding track.
And finally Easy Pass, a hot little groove, finishes out the album. Andrew adheres to the old adage "Start strong and finish strong" with this one. Larger than life performances from the horn section and Andrew here.
This young artist can be very proud of his project. The collaboration between Neu and Bromberg are simply incredible. They not only produced and arranged a quality product musically, but they knew the right musicians to bring onboard for the guest spots. And, of course, let's not forget Andrew's Bright and Tight Horns. These guys are awesome. It surely is an album that should produce several hits and one that any listener of quality jazz music would want to have in their collection.
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Advance Reviews of "In Clear View"
“Thanks for giving me your CD. (It) sounds very cool.
You sound very good. All the best.”
Jeff Lorber, keyboardist and Narada Jazz recording artist
“I wanted to drop a line or two to say that I enjoyed listening to your CD. I appreciate you sharing it with me – I listened during my “quiet time.” Your intonation is especially good and your playing very melodic. I also like your tone.
I wish you well out here and look forward to seeing you perform live.”
Sincerely, Kirk
1Timothy 2:5
Kirk Whalum, saxophonist and Rendezvous recording artist
“Nice to see you in Philadelphia. I listened to your CD. Great job
buddy, you sound terrific. This format loves great melodies.
Best of luck to you and hope to see you soon.”
Michael Lington, saxophonist and Rendezvous recording artist
