JEFF WYATT: Reflections at Every Corner

Jeff Wyatt

Reflections at Every Corner

© 2008 Jeff Wyatt (875531003154)

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With the eclectic concept album 'REFLECTIONS AT EVERY CORNER', veteran guitarist, songwriter JEFF WYATT presents a clever mix of Blues, Pop, Rock, Folk, Jazz, Ethnic, World and Classical music influences in his unique acoustic and electric song stylings.

notes

“My work has been described to me as an interesting mix of styles resembling that of artists like Ry Cooder, David Wilcox, Mark Knopfler, Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash, Gordon Lightfoot, Jeff Beck and others. Well,...I'm truly humbled at the mere thought of any such remote comparisons to these musical giants. Personally I just think I sound like me,... whatever that is,... however, all those personalities have certainly influenced my playing and writing.”
(Jeff Wyatt – 2008)

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TO HEAR THE FULL LENGTH TRACKS OF THIS ENTIRE ALBUM GO TO:
http://www.jeffwyatt.com/Recordings/Recordings.html
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With the eclectic concept album 'REFLECTIONS AT EVERY CORNER', veteran guitarist, musician, singer, songwriter Jeff Wyatt presents a clever mix of Blues, Pop, Rock, Folk, Jazz, Ethnic, World and Classical music influences in his original and unique acoustic and electric song stylings. You’ll hear interesting and imaginative guitar and piano instrumentals, as well as songs with a moody and thoughtful lyric content that is both personal and reflective. If you like piano, finger-style acoustic guitar, electric and slide guitar in both raw upbeat, and smooth laidback settings delivered along with deep, rich vocals,... you’ll enjoy this disc. The textures of the occasional orchestrated section add color and warmth for your ears, mind and emotions to become carried away with. This album deals with Jeff's reflections of the woven memory-fabric of various people and events throughout his life.
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TRACK-1 & TRACK-2:
With 'LIFE AT EVERY STATION' the album cleverly opens with what resembles a thin sounding AM transistor radio scan which reveals bits of each of the upcoming album tracks (an overture of sorts), as if they were being broadcast on various radio stations along the dial. This appropriately leads directly into the pop/rock (slightly country) track 'TAKE IT FROM ME' which begins with a bang in its full sonic and stereophonic dynamic range. It’s a song about a failed relationship and some of the bitterness and blaming that goes with it. The use of mandolin gives it a slight, country flair, but it’s probably more of a rock tune. However, when Jeff performs it he’s often told that it could have been a Waylon Jennings or Johnny Cash song.

TRACK-3:
The dreamy, bluesy, slightly orchestrated, shimmering electric guitar instrumental 'KERALA SUNSET' captures a sunset on the west coast of India in the lovely province of Kerala with the waves of the Lakshadweep Sea lapping on the shore as the ocean breeze subtly plays with bamboo wind chimes and the gulls fly lazily overhead.

TRACK-4:
The upbeat blues influenced 'PART-TIME LOVE, FULL-TIME PAIN' is about an unhealthy relationship and features an edgy, busy bass line reminiscent of the style of the late renowned and beloved jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius.

TRACK-5:
When his son Chris and wife Debbie married in 2005, Jeff wrote an acoustic guitar ballad in dedication to them and their relationship. The song is ‘AND THROUGH IT ALL’ and although the story is specific, the message of love, understanding and mutual appreciation is universal.

TRACK-6:
'SAVING GRACE' is a light, upbeat acoustic guitar instrumental that is accompanied on percussion by Indian tabla. Style-wise, this track is tricky to classify, although it definitely has a World beat influence.

TRACK-7:
For the somewhat dark, innovative, unrequited love rock track 'ALBANIA' Jeff was very fortunate and proud to be able to feature brilliant backup vocals graciously provided by the talented, west coast singer, songwriter Camille Miller. This song is carried percussively with the help of World Beat rhythms. (NOTE: Check out Camille Miller's albums on CD Baby. Camille Miller and Nick Haggar are a dynamic songwriting team worth listening to.)

TRACK-8:
The classically influenced piano instrumental ‘IF SHE COULD KNOW’ was a wedding piece dedicated to Jeff’s cousin and her husband. The accompanying string and flute sections add a colorful, moving backdrop giving it the feel of a movie soundtrack.

TRACK-9:
With ‘THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME AGAIN’ Jeff again performs on piano and sings a heartfelt, autobiographical love story about him and his wife Janice – how they met and where they are today. He added a vibrant brass section and electric guitar solo to help paint the mood of the song.

TRACK-10:
‘IN HER OWN TIME’ is a rock/jazz influenced work which was originally written and recorded as an instrumental in 2004 in memory of Jeff’s dear friend Kasandra who passed away that same year. He has since returned to it in 2007 adding bits of her voice from a recorded conversation they had while she was still alive. Jeff also dumped the original bass guitar track in favor of the newly recorded bass that appears here. This tune features electric slide guitar, piano and a repeated short lyric that expresses his memory of Kasandra and the difficult life she had.

TRACK-11:
Since 1993 Jeff has been performing live his guitar instrumental version of the popular American folk song 'SHENANDOAH'. Being that he improvises around the melody, this tune comes out different every time he plays It. Now, for the first time he has recorded it for this album, adding colorful, moody dynamics to various sections with the help of symphony orchestra and choir. A quiet conga drum and tambourine accompanies the guitar throughout.

TRACK-12:
The raw, bluesy, electric slide guitar tune 'CORAE CORAE' premiers the competent reed stylings of west coast blues harpist John Evoy, as well as a troop of Jeff and Janice Wyatt’s friends in a fun, tongue-in-cheek, bar room style singsong ending. The recording session that captured these backup vocals appropriately occurred during a party at Jeff and Janice Wyatt's home and studio. As Jeff humorously reminisces, "I could never have gotten this group of friends to agree to sing if they were sober. In the end what they gave me was the bar room vocal character I was looking for."

TRACK-13:
The moody title track 'REFLECTIONS AT EVERY CORNER' is mainly an orchestra piece with a song in the middle. However, the approaching ending introduces the addition of a rock drum kit, bass guitar and a searing electric guitar solo bringing the album to its big concert hall climax. The ending thins out and transforms back to a brief AM radio scan (similar to track 1) before you hear the radio being switched off.
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Below are some gracious, unsolicited comments received regarding a limited pre-release of the cd as well as from postings of some of the album's tracks as audio streams on the web:

"I love ‘PART-TIME LOVE, FULL-TIME PAIN’ the best and ‘ALBANIA’ is really good… very different. All the tracks sound very Pro… you mixed them very well and your voice is very strong on all the tunes. This is another feather in your cap... Your use of old world and new world musical instruments gives your CD a texture that not a lot of artists can reach,…not without a lot of help but you did this on your own, way to go Jeff.”
(Stan Dorsett – Long & McQuade, Calgary, Canada)

“Some seriously good playing here. Johnny Cash meets Weather Report meets REM.....more please!”
(Paul Sherry – Australia)

“Jeff nails it again! Anyone who is into blues with real musicianship should check him out. I'm hearing all sorts of interesting influences....and I swear the ghost of Jaco Pastorius visited the studio the night Jeff recorded this. Great playing mate, just loving it at the moment.”
(Paul Sherry – Australia)

“Thank you for your music. I am enjoying it very much!"
(Anna Lee John)
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Below are excerpts from the CD review by veteran music reviewer Tom Harrison posted in the Vancouver PROVINCE, March 18th, 2008:

“His guitar playing is attractive and soulful,... his singing... is not unlike Waylon Jennings..."
"His lyrics, too, have an honesty and sincerity that is appealing..."
"A song such as 'CORAE CORAE' makes you wonder how good an album he'd make if he concentrated on blues-rock."
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In August 2008 a CD review for REFLECTIONS AT EVERY CORNER was posted by veteran music reviewer Ron Bervoets at the Belgium site ROOTSTIME. (Ron also has the interesting job of doing interviews that are posted on the site. He has had the pleasure of interviewing blues legends that include Jim Suhler, Johnny Winter and John Mayall.) ROOTSTIME is a non-profit internet magazine and internet radio station that promotes the music of known as well as unknown singers/songriters. If you can read Dutch, you can see the review by going to ... http://www.rootstime.be/..., and clicking on the CD REVIEWS link on the upper left of their homepage. JEFF WYATT is listed under the AUGUST 2008 link. If you are unable to read Dutch, below is an English translation:
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'Although "Reflections at Every Corner" is a cd with a diversity that might be considered detrimental, it is interesting. In as much as the style of Jeff Beck is difficult to put a label on…this album ranges from jazz rock tinted guitar numbers, pure blues rock over calm laid back ballads and country tinted songs, all the way to folk and world music. Moreover, Jeff did most everything himself with his own portable studio. A mishmash one might think, on the contrary, this album presents itself as a small story incorporating all these musical styles. The cd begins, for instance quite original. You hear Jeff seat himself, turn on a cheap transistor radio and pass the dial through all sorts of radio stations. Suddenly the sound quality improves, presenting "Take it From Me", a Celtic seeming song with mandolin. Into this he also brings a country as well as a folky atmosphere, along with a voice that is reminiscent of Waylon Jennings. Seamlessly, this song blends into a long guitar number "Kerala Sunset"; a beautiful, dreamy instrumental which introduces itself with the sounds of ocean waves and seagulls. This atmosphere perfectly reproduces that of a sunset on an Indian beach, where you hear the clear influences of Jeff Beck; a man who Jeff Wyatt admits to be an admirer of. Jeff is mainly a guitarist, but he also plays bass guitar, piano and other instruments. In "Part-time Love, Full-time Pain” he plays a virtuoso bass which is a reminder of another one of his heroes, Jaco Pastorius, who passed away from us much too early. "Saving Grace" is an Indian style instrumental with tabla and acoustic guitar, bringing folk and world music together. The dark, distinct sounding song "Albania" is delivered with the vocal help of singer songwriter Camille Miller. This follows with the slow, classical sounding piano ballads "If She Could Know" and "Thank You For Loving Me Again" which features a beautiful intense guitar solo, with Jeff delivering all he has. Once again we change the pace with something very different; "In Her Own Time", dedicated to a deceased friend, Kasandra. Beginning with a recording of loose shreds of a conversation with her, this song features searing slide guitar. The traditional "Shenandoah" is a beautiful distinct adaptation, following which we get "Corae Corae" near the cd’s end, sounding much like a blues rock version of the traditional folksong "Corinna, Corinna". The eleven-minute title track is a kind of symphonic epic, which brings us to the album’s conclusion. This is indeed a mixed plate. But for the superior beautiful guitar contribution, alone, this cd is worth the purchase.'
(Ron)
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WE SINCERELY HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CD WITH IT'S FULL 73+ MINUTES OF MUSICAL CONTENT. THANKS SO MUCH for supporting CD Baby and the music you discover here!!!

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*******************************************************************
TO HEAR THE FULL LENGTH TRACKS OF THIS ENTIRE ALBUM GO TO:
http://www.jeffwyatt.com/Recordings/Recordings.html
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**ALBUM CREDITS**
PRODUCED BY: Jeff Wyatt
LABEL: Cardboard Alley Music
RECORDED AT: Druid Studios, New Westminster BC and Cardboard Alley Music recording facility, Coquitlam BC, between 2004 and 2007.
MUSICAL HELP: Harmonica in Corae Corae performed by John Evoy. Additional back up vocals in Corae Corae performed by Janice Wyatt, Rene Berard, Greg Dreysko, Hal Hand, Gordie Schultz, Roberta Mullen, Greg Bjork, Anne Leaman and John Evoy.
BACKUP VOCALS: in Albania performed by Camille Miller.
ENGINEERED & MIXED BY: Jeff Wyatt
MASTERED BY: Jamie Sitar at Suite Sound Labs, Vancouver.
ARTWORK & COVER DESIGN BY: John Evoy
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Janice Wyatt and Steve Kotyk
CD REPLICATION, PRINTING & PACKAGING BY: Seth Goldberg and Digital Media Alliance, Vancouver.
PARTICULARS: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bass and keyboards performed by Jeff Wyatt. Digital percussion, choirs and orchestrations programmed and performed by Jeff Wyatt. Recorded on a dual processor PowerMac G5. Software used included Digidesign Pro Tools, Garageband, Amplitube, Reason, Sampletank, Miroslav Philharmonik, Maxim and Amadeus Pro.
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Jeff, originally from the Saskatchewan prairies, has been involved with the Canadian west coast music scene (writing, recording and performing live) for almost 20 years, prior to his 20 year involvement with the Canadian prairie music scene. As well as being a guitarist for over 40 years he also graduated from the 'Digital/Analog Automated Recording Arts' program at Columbia Academy in Vancouver, Canada in 1992.

His earliest solo recording project dates back to 1990 with the album 'FLIGHT OF THE HAWK', which was a folksy, bluesy, rootsy compilation of original tunes presented in a simple, uncomplicated fashion.

In 1994 he produced a follow up solo CD entitled 'THE BULLFROG SESSION', which featured Jeff’s acoustic guitar playing skills as he further explored and expanded his acoustic guitar technique using slide and alternate tunings. The Bullfrog Session, also bluesy and rootsy, was recorded with Jeff performing on vocals and a single guitar only,…no additional instrumentation,… leaving it intimate, simple, clean, crisp and acoustically melodic.

In 2005 Jeff co-invented a musical duo with songwriter Barry Greenfield, simply known as 'greenfield and wyatt' (subsequently shortened to 'greenfield wyatt'). Together they rehearsed, wrote, co-wrote, recorded and performed concerts to favorable reviews in and around Vancouver, Canada. Some of their live performances were fortunate enough to include various combinations of the talented musical hired guns Tom keenlyside (woodwinds), Jack Duncan (percussion), Gaye Delorme (guitar), Roge Belanger (percussion and vocals), Nick Apivor (percussion), Richard St Onge (cello and didgeridoo) and Ken Dahl (percussion and vocals). Jeff and Barry wrote, co-wrote, arranged and recorded their collaborative album 'SONGS FROM THE ROTHSTEIN'. Veteran music reviewer Tom Harrison of the Vancouver PROVINCE favorably scrutinized the album and complimented Jeff's contribution by writing...

“Greenfield’s fourth and most atmospheric album thanks to Wyatt’s stately strings and fluid guitar…”.

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