A little space
A little space
© 2002 ©Alan Gruskoff (643157097129)
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The group "A little space" presents "Rhythm and Jazz", tuneful, intelligently written songs with heart. It's jazzy, it's funky, it grooves, male vocals and instrumentals. In the same bin with Steely Dan, Al Jarreau, Sting.
tracks
- 1 Pictures Of You
- 2 Sure There Is
- 3 My Own Sweet Time
- 4 She Walks, She Talks
- 5 Story Of My Life
- 6 Need To Know
- 7 Waiting
- 8 Hanging Around
- 9 Sometimes It's Beautiful
- 10 Yes I Would
- 11 Pick And Roll
- 12 Curve In The Road
- 13 Heart In My Hand
- 14 Where Have You Been
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Artist Profile
The group A little space presents "Rhythm and Jazz", tuneful, intelligently written songs with heart. It's jazzy, it's funky, it grooves, male vocals and instrumentals. Building on the sounds of artists such as Steely Dan, Al Jarreau and Sting, though uniquely original.
Answering the obvious question of "What kind of music do you play?" has often been challenging for the group, due to the many styles that are parts of the whole. While completely accessible, the music is truly original, not at all a formula copy of every other artist. Lyrically, the music offers many unique perspectives on personal control and communications, a celebration of the senses observing the world around us. It's the best parts of what American music is about in the present.
Take a base of jazzy chords, funky syncopated rhythms, focused melodies from both strong vocal and instrumental performances. Add the finesse of jazz, the grooves of funk and the energy of an electric band working together to come up with a mix of grace, power and beauty that is A little space.
Brief Bio
The group A little space represents the work of bass player Alan Gruskoff (Big Al) of Pasadena CA. The CD album "A little space" was written, recorded and produced by Big Al who plays most of the instrumental tracks on the album. Big Al grew up in the Detroit / Ann Arbor areas of Michigan, bringing influences of jazz, Motown funk, rock and even Cuban salsa. He is currently a session bass player in the L.A. area and band leader of A little space.
Composer Alan Gruskoff is a prize winner in the Jazz category of the 2001 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for Latin / Jazz instrumental "Yes I Would".
All songs music and lyrics ©Alan Gruskoff 2002, a NARAS and ASCAP member.
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I couldn't let the weekend come without letting you know how much I LOVE this cd.... It is absolutely beautiful!!
Rhonda Kelley
Rainmaker Publicity
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Hello, and thank you for the cd! It sounds great (the remixed tracks blended in very nicely) and looks great too. Keep up the excellent work.
John Vestman
John Vestman Mastering
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BTW: Love your stuff, "Yes I Would" is a killer song.
Roy Elkins, President - Broadjam.com
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I'm listening to your CD on Clickspin (again & again) and wanted to say that A little space music has a natural, honest & positive message and is very captivating.
Jack / Clickspin founder
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The CD album: A little space
The self-titled first CD album "A little space" is a musically varied collection of 14 songs. The 9 Vocal songs present sophisticated song oriented jazzy funk with style, including 3 intimate ballads. The vocals songs can be considered in the "pop" category as being tuneful, with strong melodies. The album's 5 Instrumental tracks present grooving funk, cool sax and high energy electric guitar. Closing with a string quartet requiem and a art concept piece featuring the Alembic bass guitar.
Song Insights - Vocal Songs
1) Pictures Of You (4:31)
Up Tempo Groovin Jazz/Pop. About getting what you want using light in a photographic manner to capture time and memories in a physical manner.
Terrell Moran - Vocals; Big Al - Alembic Essence 5 Bass, Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
2) Sure There Is (4:21)
A ballad, a strong romantic statement. The observer is convinced that the existance of all the senses are provide for the purpose of experiencing their romantic interest.
Terrell Moran - Vocals; Big Al - Alembic Essence 5 Bass, Yamaha APX-4A Acoustic Guitar, MIDI everything else.
3) My Own Sweet Time (4:41)
70?s Funk. A little personal control is a good thing. A statement of non-compliance with conformity.
Terrell Moran - Vocals; Dean Roubicek - Tenor Sax; Big Al - Alembic Essence 5 Bass, Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
4) She Walks, She Talks (4:22)
Modern Motown Funk. The songwriter is a Bass player from Detroit, this groove is required. A very original bass line drives this R&B dance song with style. Lyrically, an acknowledge ment of the independent feminine spirit.
Terrell Moran - Vocals; Big Al - Alembic Essence 5 Bass, MIDI everything else.
5) Story Of My Life (4:33)
A lush ballad, a song of regret, about wanting to do the right thing, yet it never works out. That hauntingly beautiful theme is an English Horn. In a break from tradition, this song starts with the chorus.
Terrell Moran - Lead Vocals; Big Al - Backing Vocals, fretless Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
6) Need To Know (4:32)
Almost funk, but not a ballad. About verbalizing the things that often are understood and left unsaid.
Terrell Moran - Vocals; Big Al - Alembic Essence 5 Bass, Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
7) Waiting (4:58)
Bluesy slow funk, almost a ballad. About keeping and breaking promises to show up and the angst and confusion it brings when broken.
Terrell Moran - Vocal; Michael A. Willis - Lead Guitar; Big Al - fretless Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
8) Hanging Around (4:34)
A jazz ballad, semi-acoustic. About stating the intimately obvious fact of not taking for granted the grace of someone's presence.
Terrell Moran - Vocals; Big Al - fretless Fender Jazz Bass, Yamaha APX-4A Acoustic Guitar, Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
9) Sometimes It?s Beautiful (4:11)
Bright, semi-acoustic jazzy pop. About the choices we make every day in human communication regarding the risks and rewards in talking to strangers.
Big Al - Vocal, fretless Fender Jazz Bass, Yamaha APX-4A acoustic guitar, MIDI drums.
Song Insights - Instrumental Songs
10) Yes I Would (3:41)
Latin / Jazz, Up-tempo Bossa Nova. This song is another rule-breaker in that the Verse sections have 3 distictly different melodies. Some body part will be moving after listening to this song for at least 30 seconds. Soprano Sax and Electric Guitar share the melody statements.
Dean Roubicek - Soprano Sax; Big Al - fretless Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
This song is a prize winner in the Jazz category of the 2001 John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
11) Pick and Roll (4:57)
Hard Funk. Good theme for the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers. A sophisticated chord arrangement over aggressive funk rhythm offers soloists a favored environment. Electric Guitar melody statements and solo.
Derek Soros - Lead Guitar - Fender Stratocaster; Big Al - Alembic Essence 5 Bass, Rhythm guitar - Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
12) Curve In The Road (3:55)
Groovin Funk, Acid/Jazz. Good music to drive fast on curvy roads or the soundtrack to your morning run. A strong Bass line drives the Tenor Sax led melody.
Dean Roubicek - Tenor Sax; Big Al - Pulcinella Level 5 Bass, Fender Stratocaster, MIDI everything else.
13) Heart In My Hand (3:06)
Chamber pop, string quartet with light drums and piano. A requiem for the victims of Sept. 11 2001. A somber but beautiful piece that would do well in movie sonudtracks.
Big Al - MIDI everything.
14) Where Have You Been (3:30)
Bass Feature, yet another rule-breaker, spotlighting the electric bass as a melody instrument. A solo bass piece in 5 flavors. Your composer has in fact listened to some Mozart records.
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reviews
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This is the kind of music that makes you feel good; it?s funky and full of rhyth
author: Keith 'MuzikMan' HannaleckFeatured Artist: A Little Space CD Title: A Little Space Year: 2002 Record Label: Independent Records Musicians: Big Al Gruskoff (guitars, bass, MIDI), Terrell Moran(vocals); Review: This is the kind of music that makes you feel good; it?s funky and full of rhythm and the promise of a new day. A Little Space is Big Al Gruskoff, who plays guitars, bass, and MIDI, while Terrell Moran adds his sweet and soulful vocals. These are the two primary individuals behind all this great music, although several guest musicians help out as well. What I found most enjoyable and satisfying about this CD is that all the vocal tracks are excellent, and after a good helping of meaningful lyrics pushed along by some fine jazz and pop instrumentation a different aspect of the group takes over, the instrumental side. Tracks 10 through 14 serve as a spotlight on those talents. So not only do you get variety with lyrical content you get the full color palette of jazz at its best, without the vocals. While I really enjoyed the vocal tracks immensely, I honestly believe that the most powerful and meaningful music is played by instruments alone, and in jazz in particular it?s more evident than in any other style of music. This kind of music reminds me of when I was just beginning my jazz journey in the early eighties while I was out in California. I was listening to this great music on a radio playing somewhere and I asked what station it was and a person replied-?Why, that?s KBLX, the Quiet Storm.? What better way to explain what jazz is?a quiet storm, isn?t that perfect? It?s as if the people creating the music have an emotional storm brewing inside and rather than expressing itself with words it comes pouring out through instruments and becomes a thing of beauty. This all makes so much sense to me. Thanks Big Al for reminding me of when I discovered jazz and what it means to me, your music brought it all back with a smile that is enduring in my heart as I write these words. What?s even more gratifying is that this music becomes more meaningful and understood with each successive listen. This is one of the most upbeat and consist jazz and pop CDs that I have heard in some time. The liner notes are an added bonus helping to make your experience that much more meaningful, comments are made on what style of music is being played along with what the lyrics are conveying. So do yourself a favor to take the time, give yourself a little space, then kick back and relax to enjoy a nice long ride on the smooth waves of this quiet storm.