Album Notes

The year is 1969 and Miles Davis is recording a ground breaking album entitled Bitches Brew. Somewhere in New York City Larry Coryell is overdriving his amp and bending the strings of a Gibson hollow body guitar.

Jazz musicians by the name of Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, Tony Williams and Chick Corea invite the ghosts of Louie Armstrong, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane to stand next to Jimi Hendrix's Fire. This music was Fusion. It was intense, passionate, and creative and to some who played it as much an example of jazz music as was watching Dizzy Gillespie on 52nd St.

Flash forward to a new Millennium. Mention the “F” word and one can't help but hear the dulcet tones of the Weather Channel and a myriad of “Smooth” Jazz stations on the dial. Drum machines and synth bass take the place of human rhythm sections and advances in recording make improvisation a risk. Fusion has become a dirty word.

Enter Mike Valeras Group. Formed in the rich musical breeding ground of Boston, Massachusetts and led by guitarist Valeras, the band is dedicated to redefining modern electric jazz music, through the influence of those who pioneered the art form. As a result the group blends the two worlds of instrumental virtuosity and popular appeal to create a fresh, energetic form of fusion. With Jim Zaroulis on keyboards, John Medeiros Jr. on Drums and Mark Welcome on bass, the Mike Valeras Group draws from the improvisations of Parker and Coltrane and the compositions of Wayne Shorter as much as it does from the grooves of John Bonham and the guitar licks of Jeff Beck.

The group's self titled, 2000 debut CD garnered them rave reviews from local press and a loyal audience of discernable jazz aficionados as well as rock fans. In 2002 the composition “Mr. Wonderful” received regular rotation on WRBB F.M. and WERS F.M. The band was soon invited to perform at the 2001 and 2002 Nemo Showcases and has appeared on the stages of some of Boston's most popular Jazz clubs. In 2002 Mike Valeras Group released their second CD “Changes”. A work which promises to bring fusion back around full circle; To a place where electric instrumentalists take chances, improvise and explore within intelligent composition and harmony. The Mike Valeras Group promises to build on America's greatest art form by holding tight to the traditions of the past while keeping an ear to the future.