Horace Scott II singing lead “For Amy.”
Photo By Paul Undersinger
“For Amy”
written by Mike Merola/Horace Scott & William Manser
Lead sung by Horace Scott
Arrangement By Tony Kadleck
Produced By Tony Kadleck/Horace Scott, assisted By Joseph Borges
Song was Recorded And Mixed By Joseph Borges At Broccoli Rabe Entertainment Complex 15 Gloria Lane Fairfield NJ
Mastered By Greg Calbi At Sterling Sound 88 10 Avenue NY NY
Photo By Paul Undersinger
Genre Jazz-Rock w/Blues, R&B and Soul
Label: City Boys Mike Productions LLC
UPC Code: TBA
Formats: CD single, Audiophile Vinyl, Digital Downloads
Release Date: TBA
Artist Website: www.thecityboysallstars.com
Media Campaign: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services, jim@jazzpromoservices.com Ph: 845-986-1677
The New York City-based City Boys Allstars are three outstanding singers and ten stellar instrumentalists whose new album Personal Thing is receiving global acclaim in the press and earning significant radio airplay. Now they’ve brought their strikingly fresh sound– a mixture of jazz, rock, funk, soul, blues and gospel—to their first single release, “For Amy.” (It’s the first recording they’ve made since the passing of beloved charter member Lew Soloff, the great jazz-and-pop trumpeter.) Featured on the single are bandleader Mike Merola’s exceptional blues-oriented guitar playing; Horace Scott II’s smooth, charismatic vocals and the sophisticated, open-hearted songwriting by Merola/Scott & Manser. “For Amy” also soars thanks to band trumpet player Tony Kadleck’s world-class arranging, and courtesy of a symbiotic musical partnership among the band members. In addition to Merola, Scott and Kadleck are singers Bil Kurz and Angel Rissoff, bassist Al MacDowell, drummer Nick Saya, percussionist Dan Sadownick, keyboards player Rob Clores and saxophonist Andy Snitzer (who solos impressively in interplay with Merola’s own incisive soloing). Making their initial appearance in the studio under the banner of the Allstars are Frank David Greene on trumpet, John Wheeler on trombone, Tom Timko on saxophone and r&b notable Chris Carter on additional guitar–check out the compelling interplay between Carter’s Stratocaster and Merola’s Les Paul. The exemplary musicianship evinced throughout “For Amy” is fully captured by state-of-the-art sound reproduction and mixing—a City Boys Allstars sonic signature.
With past words of encouragement from his friend Soloff always on his mind, Merola did his first serious songwriting with “For Amy.” The lyrics and melody, he says, came to him in “a pure inspirational moment.” Romance is obviously at the emotional core of this arresting tune, but without sentimentality or artifice. Scott evidences his great gift for poignant emotional involvement with words, while Merola shines for the confidence and creativity he brings to his solo, his fills and his rhythm work. Tone and taste are clearly important to both Allstars.
The City Boys Allstars are a special band. Merola, recently inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame, and his friends rate among the best musicians in New York City. Band members have played with everyone from the Blues Brothers, the Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin to the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Ornette Coleman and John Medeski. In addition to Personal Thing, the band has made the well-received albums Blinded by the Night; When You Needed Me and Look Out, Here We Come. Among the glowing reviews for Blinded by the Night is a 4-star review in DownBeat (February 2015); DB also ranks the album as “one of the best of 2015”—no small praise.
