NICK KEPICS: Piece Offering

Nick Kepics

Piece Offering

© 2002 Nick Kepics (656613894323)

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A dozen original, fresh jazz tunes played by a smoking guitar/trumpet combo. Favors the blue end of the spectrum with some Latin spice. Excellent for cookouts and dinner parties. You can tell these guys had fun making this CD. A must-own keeper.

tracks

1 Dinner Set Groove
2 Get Out of the Blue
3 Dee (Inst.)
4 Lac Fantôme (Fr. Phantom Lake)
5 Piece Offering
6 Song for Suzie
7 Walt's Blues
8 What Were You Thinking?
9 The Hobgoblin's Ball
10 Uma Cobra Louca! (Port. One Crazy Snake!)
11 Headed Back Home
12 Felonius Punk
13 Dee (Voc.)

notes

"Piece Offering" FEATURES:
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Blake Wallace - Trumpet
Leon Alexander - Drums
Chris Brydge - Bass
Nick Kepics - Guitar


REVIEWS:
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"Nick's writing has that instrinsic quality that I call the repeat factor. Good music, whether pop, jazz or classical can be played over and over (repeated) without boring the listener... and so it is with this CD. I can listen to it often without wearing it out." G. Stringfield/Jazz Guitarist

"It's time for some new jazz standards. Piece Offering walks a fine line between smooth jazz and modern jazz. The end result offers something for the jazz aficionado, yet remains accessible to those hearing jazz for the first time. These melodies will stay with you long after you power off the stereo. Miles Davis fans will find much to like here." - Karen Queen/Hampton Roads Monthly Magazine, Dec/2002.

"An album that harkens back in spirit to the great jazz albums of the '60s and '70s, Piece Offering by guitarist Nick Kepics will impress long time jazz buffs and newcomers alike. Successfully covering a wide range of jazz guitar styles, Piece Offering is swinging and reflective, tastefully melodic yet compositionally challenging making it an excellent choice for jazz guitar buffs." - Robert Silverstein/20th Century Guitar Magazine

"I recommend Piece Offering to anyone who loves jazz, no matter what kind. Nick's talent for composing is equaled only by the band's triumph in conveying these up-beat rhythms to the listener. Together, they crank out smooth and sophisticated tunes that demand the listener's attention - this is not your ordinary "background" music. Some of the songs have a Latin beat, while some are, in the words of a couple of other reviewers, reminiscent of the Miles Davis experience. It's a perfect companion for an evening at home, whether you want to chill out or spice things up. Enjoy!" Paul Wright/jazzreview.com

"Piece Offering is a CD of instrumental trumpet-driven bluesy Latin jazz that is very easy on the head and honestly, really kicks ass. It reminds me of Steely Dan. Piece Offering is powerful and very visual in a "movie score" sort of way. Even if you think you hate jazz, check this stuff out. It's a fine example of how music need neither be fast nor loud to rock out. Recommendation - Buy The CD!" - Gail Worley/Starpolish.com

"The album works very well and is reminiscent of some of Miles Davis and Gil Evans' tone poems on Sketches of Spain. Kepics' guitar has a warm, clean, full tone, very much in keeping with the CD's combination of West Coast cool jazz and bossa nova-style grooves. Like a good jazz album from the 1950s, it makes for nice background music, but rewards active listening." - Ed Driscoll

"Congratulations on a job well done! Piece Offering is reflective of an artist who seeks to create the entire musical picture with smart balancing and sophisticated textures. The compositions are thoughtful and each tells a very different musical story with lyrical beauty and logical continuity. Outstanding musicianship and infectious rhythms." - Jae Sinnett - Jazz Producer/Host WHRV-FM 89.5

"Two thumbs up! This is a guy that Sinatra would have hired for his band. These are compositions by someone who clearly loves music. You can tell these guys had a lot of fun making this CD. If you are not already a jazz lover, you will be after hearing this album. Consider this one a must-own keeper, certain to become a collectors' item."

ARTIST STATEMENT:
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Jazz guitarist/composer, Nick Kepics describes his music as "Music for its own sake. The only person I really try to please with it is myself. I'm a pretty tough audience and I figured if I could do that then I was willing to put it out there and see what happens. One of a composers chief jobs, especially a jazz songwriter, is to provide a foundation for others to build upon, a pallet with enough colors for soloists to create their own stories. I like chord changes and bass lines that are nice and open to facilitate improvisation. There are lots of articles out there by industry A&R people with advice on how to "make it" in the music business. I think each artist eventually reaches a point where they define that for themselves and decide what's most important about their music and what they want to do with it. That's what I love about being an Independent song writer. You get to call your own shots and you don't have to operate from a profit-driven mentality. In my case I try and let the art drive the music."

BIOS
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Nick Kepics - Guitarist/Composer, was born in Tarentum, PA, in 1949. Self-taught for the most part, he has been a working musician in various bands for over 4 decades starting with Quagmire, Angus, Trance, Full Circle, After-Glow, The New Orleans Sentinels, Maelstrom, The Red Shift, The Usual Suspects, First Class Band, J-Mood, the Nick Kepics Big Time Band, and many others. Nick has performed with saxophonists Rudy Wooten, Sonny Morgan, Phillipe Fields; trumpeters Bob Ransom, Bill Brown, Blake Wallace; jazz singer Jeri Hollins (Japan); bassists Elias Bailey, Terry Burrell, Chris Brydge; pianists Steve Weisberg, Tim McDonald; drummers Shannon Leggette, Russell Scarborough, Howard Curtiss, Leon Alexander and Jae Sinnett. Several of Nick's tunes have been placed in Film and TV. He continues to write and perform locally in Tidewater, Virginia. In addition to his home page, www.nickkepics.com, Nick also has web site links on garageband.com, broadjam.com and myspace.com

Leon Alexander - was educated at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the University of California San Diego. Leon has played with artists such as Melba Moore, Billy Preston, Freddie Hubbard, Aaron Neville, Charles Neville, Dr. John and the Wild Magnolias. He has played in performing groups such as the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra and the United States Navy Steel Band.

Chris Brydge - was at the top of the list for who should play bass on Piece Offering. Chris's mastery of the upright is simply astounding. He is very melodic and really cooks. Chris has a degree in music from Old Dominion University and supplements his vocation as a professional bassist by teaching music full time as well.

Blake Wallace - Credentials include performing in the US Navy Show Band as well as a lengthy tenure as instructor in the Armed Forces School of Music. Blake is now retired from the Navy and continues to perform locally and nationally while working in his recording studio Indigo Recording.

INFLUENCES/SIMILAR TO
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Miles Davis, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval, Cal Tjader, Oliver Nelson, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Tal Farlow, Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, Howard Roberts, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Steely Dan, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Cream, Traffic, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Spencer Davis, James Brown, Jr. Walker, John Mayall, The Yellowjackets, Spyro Gyra, Sting, and so on.

reviews

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  • Piece Offering fits in perfectly with the musical landscape of today’s educated
    author: Derek Winterberg/thesmoothjazzsite.com

    Piece Offering, the debut album by Nick Kepics and his band-mates, trumpeter Blake Wallace, bassist Chris Brydge and drummer Leon Alexander brings something new to the contemporary jazz scene by going back in time to the jazz of the 60's. Something old is something new again, although old is perhaps not quite the right word for what Nick and company have produced because the music fits in perfectly with the musical landscape of today’s educated jazz listener. The album begins, appropriately, with a song written for the express purpose of acting as filler for the first hour at weddings when everyone is running around making those last minute preparations and need a little tension relief. From there on in the listener is treated to a musical odyssey ranging from the gentle, bluesy ballad that Nick wrote for his wife, Song for Suzie, to the almost rock-concert guitar solo sound of Walt's Blues. Probably one of the best back-stories for a song that I've heard in a long time is for Uma Cobra Louca! which is Portuguese for One Crazy Snake! It's the story about a farmer watching a snake that swallowed a rodent gorged with deadly locoweed. Writhing and twisting, the snake unkowningly performs its last dance for an audience of one. Someone who can create music out of something like that can make music out of anything. All the songs on this album were written by Nick himself and two of those songs are dedicated to and in honor of a couple of his influences. Nick describes What Were You Thinking, a tribute to John Coltrane, as "the most technically challenging and musically complex tune I have written so far." It is, certainly, an engaging and enjoyable song that should prove to be worthy of one of the greatest names in jazz history. Another name synonymous with jazz is Thelonious Monk, and Nicks homage to him, Felonius Punk, is unconventional enough to do him justice. In case anyone was under the impression that Nick is an overnight success he's included on this album a copy of his original demo, Dee, which he recorded back in 1980 at Cimirron Rainbird Studios in Yorktown, VA. There is an instrumental version of this song and also a very jazzy vocal version with Anthony Colon handling the lyrics. As Nick states in the liner notes, this is a good way to hear the contrast between then and now. Then was good but now is even better. Do yourself a favor and accept this Piece Offering from Nick Kepics and add him to your album collection. - Derick Winterberg/www.thesmoothjazzsite.com

  • Excellent songwriting
    author: Sting

    This CD exemplifies great songwriting. It's all here. All you have to do is listen. The music takes you to far off exotic places. I collaborate with Nick regularly on all my new song ideas. If you like Sting, Steely Dan or Miles Davis, buy this CD!

  • One of the music industries best kept secrets. I call him for songwriting advice
    author: Madonna

    Put this CD on and go about your business. Let it get under your skin and work its magic on you. Whether I want to get totally physical or just kiss Britney, this music always puts me in the mood to do things people will notice.

  • These are compositions by someone who clearly loves music.
    author: N.L.Bethune

    I really like this cd. It is more sophisticated than my usual musical choice, but I have an open mind. This is a guy that Sinatra would have hired for his band. I especially enjoy it with a nice meal.

  • Two thumbs up!
    author: Karen Queen - Hampton Roads Monthly Magazine

    * "It’s time for some new jazz standards. These melodies will stay with you long after you power off the stereo. Miles Davis fans will find much to like here." - Karen Queen - Hampton Roads Monthly Magazine, Dec. 2002 issue

  • Congratulations on a job well done!
    author: Jae Sinnett

    "Piece Offering is reflective of an artist who seeks to create the entire musical picture with smart balancing and sophisticated textures. The compositions are thoughtful and each tells a very different musical story with lyrical beauty and logical continuity. Outstanding musicianship and infectious rhythms" - Jae Sinnett - Jazz Producer/Host WHRV-FM 89.5

  • "... a CD of instrumental trumpet-driven jazz that, honestly, really kicks ass."
    author: Gail Worley

    Gail Worley - My personal tastes mostly fall in the rock and roll domain, branching out to various genres such as classic hard rock, heavy metal, melodic industrial, power pop and singer/songwriters. So I'll be looking for and listening to artists whose music excites me and about which I feel inspired to write. Any criticism will be constructive in nature; meant to shine a light on an area where the performance could be improved. I have never been one to review a song I didn't care for, just for the purpose of ripping on it, and I don't plan to start now. Hopefully, my reviews will be fun to read and will turn people on to some cool new bands. You can email me at Rezpect@aol.com. Strictly speaking, I am not a fan of jazz nor do I usually even attempt to write about music of that genre because, frankly, I don't know dick about jazz. But Nick Kepics was kind enough to send me his CD and I always promise to review anything that anyone sends me in the mail. Thus, here I am listening to a CD of instrumental trumpet-driven jazz that, honestly, really kicks ass. Coming from a total Rock background, I could say Nick Kepics' stuff reminds me of Steely Dan and you might get what I’m talking about: Bluesy Latin jazz that’s very, very easy on the head. When I was listening to "Dee," for example, I got all sweetly nostalgic for the days when I was maybe 5 years old and my Dad would take me and my brother for drives in this huge old Cadillac we owned. He’d play the "Beautiful Music" radio station that was based in Tijuana, Mexico and we’d listen to Herb Alpert and Henry Mancini and stuff like that. So, you know, this music made me miss my Dad, and I guess that means it’s powerful in some way. The two other Starpolish tracks, "Lac Fantome" and Native American-influenced "Piece Offering" are great too and very visual in a "movie score" sort of way. Even if you think you hate jazz, check this stuff out because it’s pretty cool. I’m really glad I got the chance to hear Nick’s music; a fine example of how music need neither be fast nor loud to rock out. Recommendation - Buy The CD!

  • reminiscent of some of Miles Davis and Gil Evans' tone poems on Sketches of Spai
    author: Ed Driscoll

    "While most self-produced CDs these days seem to be either rock or techno-oriented music, Nick Kepics has taken a decidedly unique turn with his self-produced CD, titled Piece Offering. For most of the album, Kepics plays a hollow bodied Ibanez jazz guitar, with a warm, clean, full tone, very much in keeping with the CD's combination of West Coast cool jazz and bossa nova-style grooves. An interesting variation to the cool jazz theme is "Lac Fantôme", with a first half that's reminiscent of some of Miles Davis and Gil Evans' tone poems on Sketches of Spain… Kepics, on the liner notes, says it was inspired by a desert mirage outside of Edwards Air Force Base. …. the album works very well. Like a good jazz album from the 1950s, it makes for nice background music, but rewards active listening. Kepics, while a first rate jazz guitarist, and the leader of the band, wisely goes for an ensemble feeling, giving equal weight to the other musicians in the group…" Ed Driscoll

  • "An album that harkens back in spirit to the great jazz albums of the ‘60s and ‘
    author: Robert Silverstein / 20th Century Guitar Magazine

    "An album that harkens back in spirit to the great jazz albums of the ‘60s and ‘70s, Piece Offering by guitarist Nick Kepics will impress long time jazz buffs and newcomers alike. Assisted by trumpeter Blake Wallace, drummer Leon Alexander and bassist Chris Brydge, Kepics swings his way through a dozen guitar-based instrumentals and one set-closing vocal called "Dee". Musically, somewhere between smooth and modern jazz (with a strong Miles Davis influence), Kepics keeps an open ear to the future while crafting his homage to the great jazz stylists of the past. Successfully covering a wide range of jazz guitar styles, Piece Offering is swinging and reflective, tastefully melodic yet compositionally challenging. Muted trumpeter Blake Wallace is the perfect foil for Kepics’ innovative electric guitar styling, making Piece Offering an excellent choice for jazz guitar buffs." Robert Silverstein / 20th Century Guitar Magazine

  • Great songwriting!
    author: M. Ohara

    I love this CD. The songwriting is really something. It reminds me of the kind of tunes Miles Davis was writing back in the 60's. There is also an indescribable newness to their approach. Very enjoyable, easy listening, good background music for outdoor barbecues or cocktail parties. If you're not already a jazz lover, you will be after hearing this album.

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