Album Notes

"As a child of the 70s and a teenager of the 80s, I was pretty much a rock-n-pop junkie," said Jeff. "The music of the Beatles, Billy Joel, Steely Dan and the Police were my drugs of choice. But, in the late 1980s, jazz became my nicotine patch. Influenced by pianists Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans, I began my composition studies and detox at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. I became re-addicted, this time to a certain blend of jazz and pop. I don't know whether to call it Jop or Pazz, but somebody should really stop me before I do."

"I'm excited about this new album (that, or it's the caffeine again)," he mumbled while drinking another sip of coffee. "We cooked up 11 great new songs that have seasonings of Donald Fagen, Tom Waits and Bill Withers with liberal dashes of Monk, Evans and Gene Harris for good measure." Once again, like the first CD effort, it's an even split between vocal and instrumental tunes. "But, even though the CD table of contents lists a side 1 (vocal) and 2 (instrumental), please don't turn the CD over. It's just a tip of the hat to the vinyl I used to listen to. If your CD actually plays when it is flipped over, please call and tell us where the CD was purchased and what planet/alternate reality your on/in. We'll fix the problem one way or another."

The Jeff DeHerdt Group tripped and stumbled on to the Midwest music scene in 1999 with a dull thud. But, since a performance in the 2000 Indianapolis Jazz Fest, they draw regular followings in a great many Midwest venues and festivals. Recently, the group played in Indianapolis' Clowes Hall before bands featuring Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove and Wayne Shorter.