Diversity is a term often used to describe a blending of several different types of skills or people or traits or any number of things. It can also be referred to in layman’s terms as a “melting pot.” In music, perhaps no other style has demonstrated a “coming together” of various styles of music as the music that we call jazz. Jazz has many colors and is often influenced by other kinds of music from outside the genre, incorporating elements of popular music, Classical, World music, and about any other one can think of, yet never losing the improvisatory roots that characterize jazz.
Jazz, in the modern sense, has rooted itself in the urban cities of the United States and abroad. Many great cities have produced fine jazz musicians.  One such city is Houston, TX. Houston has long been known as a “melting pot” of people and industry, with natives and imports alike sharing space here to create a wonderful blend of culture in food, art, and music. Houston’s jazz scene has experienced such an infusion over its storied history. Legends have come, gone, stayed, left, and all have told their stories and left their marks here and away.

It is in this tradition that Houston-based musicians Mike Owen and Paul Peacock have come to explore the music they love. Their journey of jazz has led them from the traditional swing and blues to modern, cutting-edge compositions, classic ballads and vocals, a delve into the near Classical and Impressionistic music inspired by Ravel and Debussy, and now a more pop-based project. The duo, together or accompanied by the finest musicians in the city, have truly become their own “melting pot” of jazz styles; taking bits of each and incorporating them into their own compositional styles to produce something new and remarkable.

With the Urban Jazz Project, Mike and Paul seek to take the sounds of popular jazz and mesh them with their own complex composition styles to produce something interesting to both broad music audiences and the most acute jazz aficionados. The results are borne out in the recording you now hold. We invite you to sit back and take in the blending of sounds and textures and enjoy the 
Urban Jazz Project. – Paul Peacock
PERSONEL:

PAUL PEACOCK
Soprano, Alto, Tenor Saxophones
Flute (4, 8), Organ (2nd solo on 3), Vocals (8), Synth Percussion (2)
MIKE OWEN
Piano, Guitar, Organ, Fender Rhodes, Synths
GLEN ACKERMAN
Bass
BILLY MCQUEEN
Drums
GIANNA WELLING
Vocals (6, 10)
NELSON MILLS III
Trumpet, Vocal (4)
YVONNE WASHINGTON
Vocals (2)
ERIC ELDER
Bass (7)
TIM SOLOOK
Drums (7)
MARVIN SPARKS, JR.
Drums (10)


Engineered, Mixed, Mastered and Produced at
    BirdBoy Studios by Paul Peacock
Co-Producer – Mike Owen
Cover design, liner notes and art FX by Paul Peacock
Back/liner photo by Stacey Crosetto
Front photos by Pin Lim (Paul) and Paper Dolls Photography (Mike) 

Many thanks to the great musicians that helped make this CD come to life! Thanks to our families for putting up with this and listening to it over and over again! Thanks to Carey Wise, Greg Scott, Andrew Lienhard, and the Houston jazz musicians who’ve supported us and lent critical ears. 

Dedicated to Jill Owen, Dora Peacock, Gwen Peacock, Maceo Parker, Kirk Whalum, all of the musicians and artists and people that have inspired us through the years.

Track #8 dedicated in loving memory to Fred Lloyd Peacock
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