Happy New Year! (o.k.... a little belated!-sorry) I hope all is well among all of my friends and family.
I wanted to get back in touch and say "Hey" (I know it has been TOO long!) to you all and give you a little update on a few things.
At the moment I'm hard at work on my next CD. It is a little slow coming out the gate this time around because I've been interacting a lot musically with some wonderfully gifted people (Steve Lukather, Simon Phillips, Scott Ambush, Marco Mendoza and Joey Heredia), getting some things around the house accomplished, and doing my best to get physically fit. I'm hoping for a late spring/early summer release of the new CD if all goes well. I'm going to include a lot of friends I've made along the way. So far, some of those friends are Steve Lukather, Simon Phillips, Victor Wooten, Eric Valentine, Katisse Buckingham, and my wife, Renee. I'm hoping to get in touch with a few more people to include in this project, but for now I'm enjoying the creative process very much.

I also want to let you know about a couple of new friends I met while on the road with Luke last year... they are Rick and Eddy from 'Inside Musicast'. These guys are really good at what they do, and I was really fortunate to spend some time with them last December. We had a great time hanging, and they posted our conversation on their web site. You can check it out here: http://www.insidemusicast.com/current/
You can also check out a lot of other interviews there. Among so many great artists, you'll find Robert Lamm, Steve Lukather, Lee Sklar, Jason Scheff, and Jeff Babko.

For the near future, I'm looking forward to, and preparing for the European Tour with Steve Lukather, which is starting out this year on February 25th. I'll post dates and venue info soon for those concerts in case we might be in your neighborhood, and you might have a chance to see the show. I highly recommend it!

Some personal notes:
-I'm really looking forward to the beginning of the NASCAR season! I'm going to be at the Daytona 500 (1st race of the year) in person this year. I'll be cheering for my favorite driver, Jeff Burton in the #31. "Caterpillar" is Jeff's new sponsor this year. My best wishes to Jeff, his team, and team owner, Richard Childress for a successful year with lots of finishes in Victory Lane!

-If you are one of those folks with "get into shape" on your list of new years resolutions, and you are looking for an alternative to joining the gym, take a look at the "P90X" fitness program. I highly recommend it. I haven't even gotten through 2 weeks of the program yet, and I feel better now than I have in at least 20 years! Be warned though, its intense!!!! I absolutely love it!

-If you haven't yet, you've got to check out keyboardist Jim Beard. I've been really enjoying his album "Advocate". Although it was made a few years ago (in 2000), it sounds brand new. His compositions and playing are incredible. His use of sounds, selection of musicians and overall sonic quality of this CD are on the highest level. On top of all of that, he's a really nice cat! Don't miss this one!

Thats all for now... My wishes to you all for a happy, prosperous 2009 full of love, laughs and great music.

Hello, and Happy New Year!

Thanks to all of you for my friend requests over the last year. I really appreciate meeting and getting to know everyone.
Renee (my wife) and I had a really nice time visiting family during the past holiday season. I enjoyed a lot of really good home cooking (too many cookies!) and decided to join the millions of people who vow to get in shape this year. So along with that New Year's resolution, I am also resolving to get better about contributing to my web sites more frequently. Another thing I'd like to accomplish is getting myself a video camera so I can capture and post some of the cool moments that happen during gigs.
Speaking of gigs...
This year is off to a running start, and a lot of really nice things have been happening. During the last half of 2007, I experimented with different instrumentation, and every time was cool. Just last Thursday (Jan. 3rd), my band consisted of Eric Valentine-drums, Jimmy Earl-bass, and Eric Marienthal-sax. It was a fun night at the 'Baked Potato', and we're looking forward to appearing there again in February.
I've also been working with Marco Mendoza's trio (Joey Heredia-drums), and it is always a blast. Marco invited me to participate on his new solo rock CD. I played keyboards on 2 tracks on the CD entitled "Live For Tomorrow". Next week I'll be performing with Marco at his CD release party, along with drummer Kenny Aronoff, and guitarist Soren Anderson.
I'd like to also mention my upcoming performance with vocalist Kevyn Lettau. I am blown away by Kevyn's singing. She is really unique and does so many creative and musical things that I don't hear too often in other vocalists. Its quite a different musical direction for me which is something that I really enjoy and find challenging in a positive way. Normally, Kevyn works with Russell Ferante, so I'm honored to step in and participate in this band.
Then, of course there is NAMM... Its cool to check out a variety of performances from many artists that seem to cover every genre. I'm looking forward to a new experience working with drummer Derico Watson, and bassist Victor Wooten. Derico got in touch with me a couple of months ago. I just couldn't pass up that opportunity, so we'll be performing Friday night of NAMM weekend (Jan. 18) at 7:30 at the Sheraton Park Hotel in the 'Park Ballroom'.
The next day (Jan. 19), I'll be working with saxophonist Warren Hill in San Diego. Its been great working with Warren over the last year, and I'm looking forward to more throughout the year.
There are some other things in the works for this upcoming year internationally, which I'm thrilled about. More about that in upcoming blogs.
When I'm not working on learning music for live performances, I'm in the studio with Renee. I'm really enthusiastic about the new music that we're coming up with. We were so happy with her bass playing and singing on the "Dark Blue Dream" CD that we decided to do a whole CD together. She has even encouraged me to sing, so look for some of that in this upcoming CD.
All for now...
musically yours,
Steve

Hi Myspace Friends!

It has been a while since I've put anything up here and I thought it would be cool to mention some things.

First, and probably most obvious on this page is the addition of all the 'Upcoming Shows' with Warren Hill. I first met and worked with Warren about 7 or 8 years ago. I enjoyed working with him then, and I'm glad to be working with him again. He really knows how to put on a show and plays great. We've already played a couple of shows recently and it was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to all the dates ahead and hopefully will get a chance to meet some of you Myspace people at these venues.

Second, I'm glad to mention that I'll be performing with Mike Miller, Tom Brechtlein and Brian Masek at the Sioux Falls Jazz Festival on July 21st. A few months ago I got an e-mail from Brian, a bassist living in Sioux Falls. He attended the L.A. Music Academy and studied bass there with my friend Hussain Jiffry, who played bass on my "Life Times" CD. We discussed the possibility of performing at this festival and I'm glad to see it come to reality. I'm looking forward to hearing Brian play in this band. I work with Tom quite often in the "Nu Alliance" band, so it will be fun to work with him in another musical situation. The last time I worked with Mike was with jazz vocalist Marilyn Scott a few years ago, so it will be really interesting to work with him. He is another one of my favorite guitarists, so this will be fun. I'm also looking forward to trading some 'fishing stories' with him. :-)

On the subject of "Nu Alliance"... we are scheduled to record our new CD at the end of July. We are all working together on new music for this recording. It is our hope that the new CD will be released in time for our tour to Scandinavia/Europe this fall. So far, the schedule seems to be lining up. I will post new info here at myspace and at http://www.steveweingart.com about these events and touring as it comes in.

Speaking of http://www.steveweingart.com... that website will appear completely new in the near future. I've seen some advance previews of how it will look and I'm very happy with it so far. I'm looking forward to seeing it completed and will let you all know when it is up and running.

Thats about it for now... Thanks for stopping in!

Steve

Hello myspace Friends!
I got a chance to add some "Dark Blue Dream" CD reviews today and I thought I'd also tell you about a link to some videos provided by Sabian from the "Sabian Live!" event at this past NAMM show. Here it the address:http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SabianVault

In the band with me is: Frank Gambale-guitar, Tom Brechtlein-drums and Carlitos Del Puerto-bass.
You'll notice our videos are listed as "Tom Brechtlein"-one of the Sabian endorsing artists of the evening. The first clip (7:00 minutes long) is of "Outside In" from the CD "Dark Blue Dream". The second clip (4:25 minutes long) is of "3 Til Dawn", also from "Dark Blue Dream". Enjoy!

STEVE WEINGART
Dark Blue Dream
Skeewa Music 2006

Keyboardist Steve Weingart (Dave Weckl Band, El Grupo) recently released his second solo album, "Dark Blue Dream" (Skeewa Music). Joining Weingart on this album are Frank Gambale - guitar, Jimmy Earl - bass, and Tom Brechtlein - drums; with guest appearances by Ernie Watts - sax, Ronnie Gutierrez - percussion, and Renee Jones (Weingart's wife) - bass and vocals (there's no lyrics on the album, but Jones sings some supporting melodies on 2 tracks). I really liked Weingart's work with Steve Lukather's El Grupo band, and Frank Gambale is one of my favorites, so I was eager to check this disc out.

The album features full band tunes, plus some compositions that Weingart put together completely on the computer. The group performances on the band tunes were all recorded live in the studio; a cool approach for a fusion record.Weingart later added some effects while mixing the tracks. The whole album has a west-coast feel to it, but it's very fresh. The combination ofWeingart's writing, his use of ambient sound effects, and the live band recordings give the album a very "new" sound.

The opening track "Night Visitor" is one of the strongest tunes on the album. The main melody is great, and Gambale takes a nice solo over some cool changes. Plus, there's some intertwined guitar/keyboard lines in this song that almost give it a prog-rock feel in places. "3 Till Dawn" really shows Weingart's strengths as a composer and arranger as well. This tune is chock-full of great chords and melodies.

"Dark Blue Dream" has a cool deep-funk groove. I love the way Gambale builds his solo on this piece. He starts with a measured approach, playing some sparse bluesy phrases with lots of space, before kicking it up a notch with some nice sweep patterns.Gambale also sounds great on "Pursuit"; a wicked funk tune where the band sounds tight and well-rehearsed.

"Outside In (Part 1)" is a good example of how the live-in-the-studio approach really enhances the band tunes. Gambale and Weingart do some nice trading-off in the tune, and it definitely has a "live" feel. This is some of Gambale's best work on the album. For "Outside In (Part 2)", Weingart took some of Gambale's guitar lines from Part 1 and created an entirely new piece using drum loops and synth sounds. Pretty cool.

Overall, this is a very fresh-sounding album. A lot of keyboard-heavy jazz fusion records sound stuffy to me, but that's not the case here at all. Weingart's writing and playing are great, and his use of effects and different synth sounds always keep things interesting. And if you're a Frank Gambale fan, you'll definitely want to pick this up. He plays some great stuff here, and knowing his solos were done live with the band make them all the more impressive.

Rich Murray
http://www.guitar-channel.com

STEVE WEINGART
Dark Blue Dream
Skeewa Music 2006

Look for the Jazz Fusion hall of fame, and you'll find listed in the section keyboards an ex-Dave Weckl Band member, keyboardist (or better "key wizard") Steve Weingart.

His professional fine touch is everywhere on "Dark Blue Dream" his latest CD where he shares the "stage" with Frank Gambale, Tom Brechtlein, Ernie Watts. Although the word fusion may suggest a sort of amorphous mix, "Dark Blue Dream" is not just well balanced from an artistic point of view, but also a technical achievement. Keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and voice have each a clear expression: you can enjoy with the same pleasure the ensemble or the individual sonorities. Steve Weingart, is a colorist and quite an intuitive improviser and arranger. In dialog with Frank Gambale's frenetic guitar (memorable on Outside In (Part 1 and 2), or soloing on nuanced soundscapes he always puts the right color or tone at the right place, giving the album a subtle sensitivity warmth and coherence.

www.jazzworldquest.com

STEVE WEINGART
Dark Blue Dream
Skeewa Music 2006

Finally I had the chance to put my hands on Dark Blue Dream, the new CD by the great keyboard player and composer Steve Weingart. As everyone may know Steve has been (for several years) in the Dave Weckl Band taking not only the role of the keyboard player but being (for what I think) also the composer that influenced in such a great way the music and the sound of that band. His strong ability to compose is really evident in this new work that he push in different direction in every track. His sound is really strong and all of this is spiced with great personality and originality. You can tell (I do...) it's a Steve Weingart composition since the first note... Having said this I'm not surprised by the fact that Steve wanted to take a journey producing his own music and... (Hey!) doing it so well!

For this adventure Steve surrounded himself by some of the greatest musicians on this earth: Tommy Brechtlein on drums, Frank Gambale on guitar and Jimmy Earl on bass plus some great guest like Ernie Watts on saxophone, Ronnie Gutierrez on percussion and Renee Jones on the bass.

All the musicians listed above offered their contribution at their best with brilliant performances and (above all) sounding like a real tight band. Steve Weingart is simply impressive with his unique way of leading the ride, playing keyboards and offering such a great, beautiful and highly-identifiable sounds.

Tommy Brechtlein is one of the greatest drummer in this world and you can discover why if you only listen to this record. He's really a gifted drummer and he has such a great ability to play grooves and drum solos like few ones do. What he plays throughout all of the tracks is simply amazing. Not to mention Frank Gambale that is able to astonish anyone with his playing that is simply out of this world... Jimmy Earl close the circle with such a great elegance and solidity contributing in a great way to create a great rhythm section like you rarely may hear.

The music show different influences and you can hear remembrance of Weather Report here and some harmonic changes there that could take the mind to some of the compositions that Steve wrote in the past for the Dave Weckl Band and that really lifted the level of that band...

A lot of the tracks go into many different directions too and always with great originality and personality. The thing that I like the most is that you'll never have the chance to put this music into any kind of classification simply because... it's impossible. In my opinion, this is the best thing that could happen in a musical context.

What I have to tell you is that I'm not able to remove this CD from my player since the day that I've listened to it for the first time!

The only thing that it remains to do is to go and get the CD for real and wait to see this band live.
Fasten your belt and prepare for the take off.
Destination: Planet Weingart...
Well done Steve!


Roberto 'BOB' Baruffaldi
www.thedrumland.com
Copyright © 2001-2006 Robertopeland. All rights reserved.

PRESS RELEASE

STEVE WEINGART BAND AT THE BAKED POTATO, STUDIO CITY, CA - JANUARY 17, 2007

The Steve Weingart Band will be performing at legendary jazz mecca, The Baked Potato, 3787
Cahuenga Blvd West, Studio City, CA 91604 on January 17, 2007. Keyboardist Steve Weingart's
band, featuring Tom Brechtlein (Drums) and Carlitos Del Puerto (Bass) with a SPECIAL GUEST on
guitar will be performing tracks from Weingart's recent release, "Dark Blue Dream". Call venue
(818) 980-1615 for details. For further information, check out http://www.thebakedpotato.com and
http://www.steveweingart.com

STEVE WEINGART BAND AT SABIAN LIVE! NAMM 2007 - JANUARY 19, 2007

The Steve Weingart Band will be performing at NAMM 2007, at the Sabian Live! Party, at Hilton
Hotel, Convention Way, Anaheim, CA, on January 19, 2007. Keyboardist Steve Weingart's band,
featuring Frank Gambale (Guitar) Tom Brechtlein (Drums) and Carlitos Del Puerto (Bass) will be
performing tracks from Weingart's recent release, "Dark Blue Dream", as well as a selection of
Frank Gambale, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock compositions. Check out
www.myspace.com/steveweingartband for further information.

Steve Weingart will also be appearing at the Clavia stand, Anaheim Convention Center, Hall B
booth 5914. Visit http://www.clavia.se and http://www.namm.org for further information.

Saturday, December 09, 2006


Steve Weingart "Dark Blue Dream" PRESS RELEASE
Category: Music

PRESS RELEASE

STEVE WEINGART
Dark Blue Dream
Skeewa Music 2006
Having amassed a wealth of international touring and Los Angeles studio experience whilst lending his considerable talents to some of Jazz/Fusion's most notable exponents, including the Dave Weckl Band, Steve Lukather & El Grupo, CAB featuring Virgil Donati, Bunny Brunel, Tony Macalpine, Simon Phillips & Frank Gambale, the Marco Mendoza Trio, and the Howland/Imboden Project, Steve Weingart's remarkable new release, "Dark Blue Dream" is an inspirational collection of heartfelt compositions, featuring all-live group performances from some of the West Coast's most in-demand musicians.

Despite lucrative enticements to continue touring internationally through his enviable reputation as one of the most highly regarded keyboard players, Weingart's desire to further push the boundaries of jazz/fusion extemporisation founded on his Cincinatti Conservatory classical training. With this latest release, he has realised his ambition to produce an even more challenging follow-up to his 2003 debut, "Life Times Vol. 1", in which he collaborated, amongst others, with Robben Ford and Brandon Fields.

Enhanced by the exceptional creativity of Frank Gambale (Guitar) Jimmy Earl (Bass), Tom Brechtlein (Drums) and Weingart's wife Renee Jones (Vocals, Bass), Weingart's band deliver impeccable performances, freshly captured in digital format yet with a group recording ambience. Weingart mixed with outstanding clarity, no doubt influenced by his substantial involvement with pioneering the "virtual concert" phenomenon, ideally suited to his intense compositions and ethereal keyboard voicings of Grand Piano, Fender Rhodes and Clavia Nord Lead 3. Weingart acknowledges Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Ernie Watts as inspiration for three of the compositions but fans of his improvisational prowess will not be disappointed, with consumate displays of his genius liberally sprinkled all over, bringing his Dark Blue Dream to life.

Life Times Vol. 1 and Dark Blue Dream are available now at: www.cdbaby.com/cd/weingart2 www.abstractlogix.com www.audiophileimports.com

For further information, visit www.steveweingart.com

© Will Minting, London, November 2006 www.myspace.com/willminting