Jazz / Adult Contemporary, Jazz-Pop, Smooth Jazz
Curtis Stigers - Sax (Tenor), Producer, Vocals, Producer
Andrew Pham Package Design
Dominick Maita Mastering
John Burk A&R
John Pizzarelli Guitar
Josiah Gluck Engineer, Mixing
Keith Hall Percussion, Drums
Larry Goldings Harmonium, Piano, Producer, Arranger, Wurlitzer, Glockenspiel, Organ (Hammond), Accordion, Vibraphone, Celeste
Lyle Workman Ukulele
Mary Hogan A&R
Matthew Fries Piano, Wurlitzer
Phil Palombi Bass
Seth Presant Mixing Assistant, Digital Editing
Tom McCauley Engineer
Yohei Goto Assistant Engineer
Real Emotional showcases Curtis Stigers's talent as a writer of original material and as an interpreter of modern standards by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits, Mose Allison, Paul Simon, Randy Newman and Hoagy Carmichael.
"This is my niche, my specialty", says Stigers. "I have a great love and an eclectic knowledge of a wide array of songwriters and musical genres, and I know how to bring them all together into one cohesive sound. I want to follow in the footsteps of my heroes. This is what Ella and Billie Holiday did. This is what Sinatra and Nat Cole did. This is even what Miles and Coltrane and nearly all of the great jazz artists have done. They’ve taken the popular songs of their generation and created something new from them. I know a lot about Rock music and Alt Country and Urban Blues and Folk music and Punk Rock. So I use that knowledge. And that's what I’m steadily becoming known for."
Curtis Stigers
Active Decades: '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary, Blue-Eyed Soul, Jazz-Pop, Pop/Rock, Smooth Jazz
Singer/songwriter Curtis Stigers' interest in music began as a teen in Boise, playing in punk and blues bands as well as receiving classical training in clarinet and saxophone in high school. After graduation, Stigers moved to New York to pursue rock music, but soon found himself more at home in the city's blues and jazz clubs. He attracted label attention as the saxophonist/vocalist of a jazz trio, signing a deal with Arista and releasing two albums for the label: 1991's self-titled, multi-platinum debut and 1995's Time Was. His smooth, ballad-heavy blend of soul and rock translated into commercial appeal, particularly on his cover of Nick Lowe's "Peace, Love, & Understanding" on The Bodyguard soundtrack. 1999 saw the release of his third album, Brighter Days, which featured appearances by Jackson Browne and Benmont Trench, as well as songs co-written by Carole King and Jules Shear. The album's single "To Be Loved" also appeared on the Dawson's Creek soundtrack, ensuring his continued popularity. In addition, Stigers moonlighted as a jazz vocalist, performing and recording with artists like Gene Harris and the Doky Brothers. In 2001, Stigers issued an album of jazz standards, Baby Plays Around, which was recorded for the Concord Jazz label and featured backing by Randy Brecker and Minh Doky, among others. Three more jazz oriented albums for Concord followed, Secret Heart (2002), You Inspire Me (2003) and I Think It's Going to Rain Today (2005).
--- Heather Phares, All Music Guide |
