Album Notes

Project Grand Slam was featured in the March 6th episode of NBC\'s hit series \"LIPSTICK JUNGLE\" starring Brooke Shields.

Project Grand Slam is melodies, rhythms, grooves and skillful improvisation combined into one special sound.


The Project Grand Slam Story

Project Grand Slam\'s debut album, Play, features \"The Captain Of Her Heart\" with internationally renowned guest vocalist Judie Tzuke. Her hit \"Stay With Me Till Dawn\" was chosen by the British public as one of the 50 best British songs from 1952-2002. \"The Captain of Her Heart\" was an international Top 10 hit in 1986 for the group Double. \"Captain\" was produced by Haim Cotton and Jan Roeg. An instrumental version is also included on the album.

The rest of Play features 11 original compositions by Project Grand Slam produced by the legendary Frank Filipetti (Grammy Award for James Taylor’s Hourglass).

The musicians of Project Grand Slam are:

Robert Miller plays electric bass and composes. Robert has two albums as leader to his credit: Child\'s Play (Wildcat Records) and Prisoners of Love (32 Records), both of which received excellent reviews. The former album includes performances by Randy Brecker, Jon Lucien and Anton Fig. His band, The Robert Miller Group, played every major New York area club, graduating to the national festival circuit where they appeared with acts like Bruce Hornsby, Bela Fleck and Kenny Barron. In addition, as co-founder of 32 Records, Robert helped develop this celebrated record label that produced the acclaimed \"Jazz For...\" series, including \"Jazz For A Rainy Afternoon\", which dominated the Billboard Jazz Chart.

Haim Cotton plays keyboards and composes. Starting his career in Israel, he recorded over 15 albums. After moving to the U.S., he advanced into arranging and composing. His works have been licensed worldwide in numerous commercials and films. Haim was the musical director for and toured and recorded with the legendary Ofra Haza, appearing at the Montreux Jazz Festival. He also released his own record, 100% Cotton. For the past 20 years this gifted artist has been teaching music at The New School with an ongoing commitment to recording and live performance. Haim has concentrated on production during the last five years and his latest work, Meowbaby (2007 Sugar Whiskey Records) by saxophonist Danny Lerman, has been hailed as a \"breakthrough release.\"

Ron Thaler is one of the most accomplished drummers in New York, having played on and/or produced more than 75 albums. His impressive credits include work with Al Di Meola, Hiram Bullock, Sarah McLachlan, Alicia Keys, Ashley Simpson, Debbie Gibson, Rob Thomas and Taj Mahal. Ron has also released three solo albums: …Works featuring Ray Anderson, Rufus Reid and Adam Rogers, Grain spotlighting Mike Stern, and Jazzed & Confused: The Led Zep Project including DJ Logic, Dweezil Zappa, and Hendrick Meurkens.

Gilad Ronen plays saxophone and is an accomplished master woodwind multi-instrumentalist and composer. He has recorded for numerous Hollywood films such as Anchorman and Raise Your Voice and the ABC series Eyes. In the recent past Gilad had worked with some of the greatest living jazz legends of our time, such as Herbie Hancock, Jack De Johnette, Brian Blade, Dianne Reeves, and Kenny Barron to name just a few.

Frank Filipetti, PGS’s producer, says: \"Project Grand Slam\'s music will appeal to everyone. It\'s totally accessible. Gorgeous tunes, great beats. This record is a home run. I\'m so pleased that I was a part of it.\"

Review Notes:

\"Project Grand Slam is a spectacular mix of jazz, fusion and rock that combines melody, groove and great improvisation!\" - Acid Jazz Magazine


\"(Robert)Miller\'s edgy electric bass work is perfectly suited for a program of brisk, rhythmically turbulent pieces\" - Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

(Haim Cotton\'s)solos demonstrate outstanding ability. His lightness was a dominant factor that swept behind it the entire group. Add to that his sense of humor and you get a superb jazz performer” - Baruch Ben Chorin, msnbc

\"Israeli born saxophonist Gilad Ronen is one of the most promising young musicians in the United States. His musicality and broad perception of sound gave him a respected reputation in the Boston area, and across the U.S.\" - Boston Herald

\"[Ron Thaler\'s] exhaustively innovative drumming\" - NY Times