Robert Francis
Robert Francis’ “Valentine” due out 11/27/15 is a redux of the classic 1954 vocal debut of Chet Baker. Pressed on 10” vinyl, same as the original, there are only 500 copies available, all hand signed and numbered by Robert.
"From time to time, Robert drops by the Wednesday night jazz gig I produce. He’s not a jazz guy by any means, but he does love good musicianship and a decent cocktail. Robert had gotten to know the band a bit, and they were familiar with his career. Zane had played on Robert's "Heaven" album, and they were working on some new things together.
The last time he came by, I asked Robert to sing a standard with the band. The only tune he could remember most of the lyrics for was “My Funny Valentine”. Before the first line was finished, the crowd had become starkly quiet. Before the song was over, I got the idea to do this record. 3 weeks later, Robert and the very band he sang with that night recorded these 8 classic songs in one day. The result is a mesmerizing blend of emotion and musical virtuosity.
A few weeks after we finished this recording, sax player and dear friend Zane Musa tragically passed away. We'll never get to hear Zane invent new lines again, nor enjoy his always great company. But we have this. I’d like to thank the rest of the band (John, Tim and Kenny) for making the time in their schedules and for their beautiful playing; thanks to Mark Rains for always being a great engineer; thanks to Marc Gabor for his artistry in documenting this very quick journey on both film and video. And thanks to Robert for trying something different. It’ll be a record to listen to for a very long time.
This recording is, of course, dedicated to the memory of Zane Musa." - John Mastro, Aeronaut Records
Vocals - Robert Francis
guitar - John Storie (Spencer Day, Kathleen Grace, New West Guitar Group)
tenor sax - Zane Musa (Arturo Sandoval, Roy Hargrove)
bass - Tim Emmons (Art Pepper, Lionel Hampton)
drums - Kenny Elliott (Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole)
Recorded direct to 2 track on January 4, 2015 at Station House Studio, Echo Park CA.
Engineered and mastered by Mark Rains.
Photography, video and graphic design by Marc Gabor
Produced by John Mastro
RIYL: Chet Baker, New West Guitar Group, Karin Allyson, Nora Jones, Arturo Sandoval
TRY: #2, 3, 1
Download full album here:
https://www.piratepirate.com/downloads/
More Info Here:
http://aeronautrecords.com
http://www.robertfrancismusic.com
https://www.instagram.com/robertfrancismusic/
https://www.facebook.com/robertfrancisofficial/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Francis_(musician)