“Salta” – Excerpt from the album SHE
Eric Starr’s debut album, She, reflects a lifetime of musical influences, from jazz to pop, Brazilian to avant-garde. Starr’s concept for this album was to bring together musicians from widely different backgrounds and disciplines to create a body of music that is, at once, steeped in the jazz tradition yet distinctive and fresh.
To accomplish this task, Starr handpicked musicians whom he thought would best realize this objective. The first call was to Sting’s long time guitarist, Dominic Miller. “Dominic was perfect for the Jobim influenced tunes, as he specializes in nylon-stringed acoustic guitar,” explains Starr. “Dominic’s South American roots still really drive his playing; his touch is sensitive yet exact, and his timing is impeccable.”
There was also the question of a featured soloist. London based saxophonist, Iain Ballamy, immediately came to Starr‘s mind. “I’ve always loved Iain’s playing. He’s probably the most lyrical player out there; his silky tone, and mellifluous phrasing just knock me out.” Indeed, Ballamy is no stranger to the jazz scene, having collaborated with Dewey Redman, McCoy Tyner, Gil Evans, Bill Bruford, and long-time partner, Django Bates to name a few.
Other musicians such as pianist Kenny Ascher, who was nominated for an Oscar for his song “The Rainbow Connection” (The Muppet Movie), and who has worked with artists as varied as Paul Simon, Lenny Kravitz, and John Lennon, was an ideal choice for this project. “Ken gets a full-bodied tone from the piano, much like Bill Evans did,” explains Starr. “Plus his love of diverse musical styles made it easy for him to fit in quite naturally with the overarching concept of this album.”
But there was still one very critical element missing: the voice. Starr’s brother Nelson was an ideal choice. “A strong multi-instrumentalist and passionate singer, Nelson was the only choice for the demands of this project,” says Starr. “Biased as I may be, Nelson confirms his musical gifts with each performance and each recording that he does. Plus, he’s a great producer. He’s really a triple-threat.”
Trombonist Alan Ferber, of Charlie Hunter fame, hard-bop trumpeter,Jim Rotondi, who regularly works with Toshiko Akiyoshi, bassist John Flaugher, who toured with Jane Monheit, and Starr’s father, Nelson Sr who played trumpet with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, round out the superb mix of musicians featured on this disc. Together with rich string and horn arrangements, this impressive list of performers brings to life Starr’s unique musical vision.
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