jeffoster

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Follow me on Spotify and create a Heidi Breyer Pandora station. Receive a gift in your email also... http://thndr.me/2n5nBu

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THIS is DELICIOUS...

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1mvbLkAAZc)

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Click the pic!

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GRAMMY Amplifier is a way for musicians to share their music and get a shot at being heard by some of the biggest artists in the world. Check out this tune. If you like what you hear, Amplify it! #GetAmplified

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Stop. Right here, Right now...

I want to take a moment, right in the thick of the deluge, of last minute links, and posts and promises to listen, and offers of consideration, to the F to the Y and the C

TO STOP.This will not be an offer of anything like that from me - if you haven’t heard my music by now, there are CERTAINLY some ways for that to happen.

That’s not what I want to share tonight. Here’s what I want to share...

I want to let you know how beautiful it is for me to see Lucy Kalantari’s son Darius dance to my music, and for her to take the time to post a film of that.

How I cried as my friend Shambhu Vineberg recorded his guitar on a song we’d written on Mother’s Day 2014, on a session that happened to be held the day after my mom’s funeral in September of that year.

How I’ve been able to be in the same room with, or collaborate around the planet with via the miracle of ProTools and Dropbox, to capture performances of - forever - MY MUSIC, by some of the greatest musicians on the planet.

How I feel when I am told by Star Burritt that my music makes an autistic boy happy, and quiet, and peaceful.

When I can have my sweet 13 year old daughter Sammy Rose Oster join me in dance, for the first time, captured by Craig Merrill on film, on a song I co-wrote and performed with, one of my musical idols for the past 40 years, my friend and producer Will Ackerman.

To sit for 100 hours at a mixing board with Tom Eaton, polishing performances into diamonds, pieces so brilliant that just yesterday we received a note from Bob Ludwig, one of the world’s greatest mastering engineers, telling us how “crazy awesome” great our NEXT record sounds, and that he hopes to work on the next “NEXT”.

I want to share how grateful I am to all of my G family, and their friends, who came out to my show last Thursday night at Fenix in San Rafael, and those that came to my show the week before at Lily Pad in Boston. It was magical, and I am grateful, to be told by some that those shows were perhaps some of the best shows they’d ever seen.

And how powerful it was to sit in Carnegie Hall, watching my friends Wouter Kellerman and Vincent Lyn, and Melissa Bailey and their bandmates, make such beautiful music in one of the greatest rooms on the planet.

How thankful I am for the patience and understanding and support of my love Janene Becker, who has witnessed the outpouring of time and effort and hope and sweat that has been these last few years.

I’m grateful for Grant Maloy Smith and Eileen Sherman, for their tireless efforts to create the Indie Collaborative, and for the event I attended in Los Angeles. To see SO MANY artists offer their talents, TO OTHER ARTISTS, to share their music, yes to gain visibility, but ALSO TO CREATE CONNECTION - REAL HUMAN AND ARTISTIC CONNECTION.I am CERTAIN that new music will come from these connections. I am positive that not only will support be gained for awards to be won, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, new music will be created and released into and add joy to a world that dearly needs it!

I am thankful for Kenya and Oscar Autie, for creating the G-Party group here on Facebook, and for Michael Lazarus for creating the FYC group. And there are others. And I thank them. To me, this is the best (and sometimes the worst) of social media in action.

I’m thankful for Al Walser and Linda Chorney, for Laura Sullivan and Eric Sullivan and Ricky Kej and Varsha Kej and Kerry Gogan and Wouter Kellerman and Tholsi Pillay, to Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis, to Jennifer Gasoi and to all those INDIE ARTISTS I’m missing, for SHOWING US THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO WIN!

Remember Roger Bannister? Some of you will, many of you won’t. He was the first man to break the 4-minute mile. NO ONE had EVER broken four minutes running a mile. EVER. And you know how long it took for the NEXT runner to break four minutes? SIX WEEKS! When they asked him how he did it, Bannister said he relentlessly visualized the achievement in order to create a sense of certainty in his mind and body.

All of the artists above, and the many others that support them through their hard work, have paved the way for the rest of us TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE. TO BREAK THROUGH. TO WIN.THAT THIS IS NOT ONLY A GAME THAT CAN BE PLAYED AND WON BY BIG MACHINES AND CORPORATIONS, OF BIG DOLLARS AND MAJOR LABEL DEALS, that the Indie Artist can have a seat at the table too.

Can stand up at the podium, under the big lights in the big room, see their name up on that big screen, next to artists much more widely known then they, to hear their name called, to hear the orchestra play as they walk up those shiny stairs, to read the thank you’s on the piece of paper they had so hopefully prepared before they ever knew they’d win (I wrote my first one in 1982...think on THAT), to have a gold statue placed in his or her hands, as a symbol of not only excellence in music, but also hard work and perseverance.

Of the support of their peers, through tireless effort, hours on planes and at the computer and on the phone, of mailings and postcards, and yes, silk bags and little amulets and pretty ribbons, all neatly wrapping YEARS of hard work to create an album worthy of a vote, of a nomination, of a Grammy.Where else can an independent artist, who has sweated and bled both dollars and blood, share their art with the world, to connect with not only Grammy voters, but the world at large, and share their music.

To live out the heartbreak of category moves, of their projects being left off of the ballot (and witnessing the outpouring of support from the artists that they’d likely “compete” against)It is important, to me, to just stop in the middle of all of this, to think about, to feel, the truth of this.

I want to end with this question. WHY DO YOU WANT TO WIN A GRAMMY? I suspect that the answer would be very revealing indeed. Go ahead...ask yourself...WHY DO YOU WANT TO WIN A GRAMMY?

Here are a few of my answers, in no particular order:

To make my Mom and Dad proud (even though they’re both gone from the planet - my Mom left last year as I finished NEXT). It’s just TRUE. I’ll always want to make my parents proud.

To know that my FIFTY YEARS of trumpet playing has reached such a level of excellence, that MY FELLOW ARTISTS, so many beautiful and fine and accomplished artists, deemed it worthy enough to write the number next to my entry on their ballot, out of the hundreds of others they could have chosen.To prove, to MYSELF, that all of the years of practice, of shitty road food, of hiding vodka bottles in my horn case, mixing it with free cranberry juice behind the kick drum to save money, of hours in vans, of nights away from my loved ones, of missed notes and failed auditions, of new age derision from old age jazzers and young turks, of playing Proud Mary to the backs of 5 drunk people in the San Fernando Valley at 1:15pm on a Tuesday night, of dancing like a trained monkey to the whims of a club owner that doesn’t give a shit about me or my music, or anything else other than the dollars at the end of another shitty night, WILL HAVE BEEN WORTH IT.

There is something permanent about  the words “Grammy nominated, or Grammy winning artist” that can NEVER BE TAKEN AWAY. That will be associated with an artist’s name forever. That might open a door that would have remained closed, that might get a phone call answered, a song heard, a bigger room booked, and perhaps, a bit more money in the bank.

But most of all, winning a Grammy, for me, means that what I believed as possible for myself, BECAME REAL. And all of it...ALL OF IT, starts and ends with THE MUSIC. I am PROUD to be an indie musician, PROUD of the music I have created, of the friends I’ve made and will meet throughout this amazing  journey, and of the beauty I have added to the lives of countless people through my music - people I would have never met unless I had reached out and shared my songs for hours and hours and hours as I followed this BIG DREAM of mine, to follow the road as best as I could, to Grammy Gold.

It is WORTH IT. Every second of it. I have given it my ALL, and I can look in the mirror with pride, knowing that I have done my best. And make NO mistake - I can and do hear the words “and the Grammy goes to...JEFF OSTER, for NEXT”, I can SEE myself walking up those shiny stairs, I can FEEL the weight of that Grammy in my hand, and damn, it feels GOOD.

May it be so, for MANY OF US.

-Jeff Oster - Alameda, CA. 10/22/15

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TY1y_tJjak)

It's official: "NEXT." is on the 58th Grammy Ballot: BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL and INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION (for "NEXT." (feat. Nile Rodgers) http://nextfyc58th.com

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeff Oster (@jeffosterpix)

#chiclive #nilerodgers bringing it to Berkeley

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Dream realized. Thank you, #nilerogers for saying yes! https://jeffoster.bandcamp.com/track/next-feat-nile-rodgers

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And We Dance

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And We Dance (feat. Will Ackerman)

Download "AND WE DANCE" here: Jeff's Official Site: http://music.jeffoster.com/track/and-... On iTunes: https://itun.es/us/i6TG6?i=981655328 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the Jeff Oster album NEXT (2015) http://nextfyc58th.com Co-written, performed and co-produced by Will Ackerman - Grammy winner (Best New Age Album) and founder of Windham Hill Records This video features my daughter Samantha Rose, joining me for all too brief a moment... They grow up so fast.

https://youtu.be/aDOCtlvG0vs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Video by Craig Merrill and Jeff Oster Edited by Jeff Oster Special thanks to Michaela Lynch and Dance Arts Project: http://www.danceartsproject.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES ON THE RECORDING: This was the very last song of the six days I recorded NEXT at Imaginary Road (Will's studio), and it happened, beginning to end, in about an hour... We were at the very end of the last day - and Will grabs his guitar and says "well, this might be something"...and proceeds to play the beautiful guitar tracks we captured for this song. Will leaves the room after he tracks - he won't sit there as it's edited - and after we edited the song into place, we set up a mic for me, (we'd already changed the room configuration and had moved Imaginary Road's Steinway B back into the main room) - and I wrote the horn melody as I played it and Tom Eaton recorded it...in ONE TAKE, straight through on 99% of what you hear. I wanted to change it, and Tom said - NO...it was SO fast, and SO perfectly easy...Will came back in, we tweaked a few note placements and we were done.. I love this song, now added to my "dream come true " series of recordings - recordings with just me and Will - we've done four now: At Last, Released, On One Knee and now And We Dance. I am grateful... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CREDITS: from NEXT, released 14 April 2015 Written by Jeff Oster & Will Ackerman Jeff Oster: Flugelhorn Will Ackerman: Guitar Engineered by Tom Eaton Mixed by Tom Eaton Produced by Will Ackerman, Tom Eaton and Jeff Oster Published by Retso Music (ASCAP) & Beautiful Daughter Music (ASCAP) © 2015 Jeff Oster & Will Ackerman

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Http://nextfyc58th.com

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Thank you Heath!!!

Album Review - Jeff Oster - Next

Jeff Oster’s Next is either exactly the album you’re looking for, or not at all the one you want to hear.  Across twelve instrumental songs, Oster lays down some of the smoothest trumpet sounds you’re ever likely to hear.  But Oster doesn’t play things strictly by the book in that this isn’t just a smooth jazz album; it has a lot of ambiance elements to it which make it almost fall into a new age sound from time to time.  Certainly there are some who are going to find this kind of album boring, due to its large emphasis on atmosphere and mood, but it does these things so extremely well that it’s a mandatory listen for fans of the genre.

The title track opens the album with a strong bassline and the aforementioned, smooth tones of the trumpet.  The percussion track is kept simple to start as are the keyboards which function to set a dark, late night kind of setting.  Legendary guitarist and producer Nile Rodgers contributes guitar to the track, and it’s interesting to hear him play in a more subdued fashion.  He does a wonderful job in maintaining the mood while simultaneously spicing up the track.  As the song continues it builds up in sound, allowing the drums to perform some tight fills while Oster’s trumpet cries away.

“Night Train to Sofia” continues this mood but tones down the drums and ups the ante on the bass.  Almost like a continuation from “Next,” the late night vibe is present and accentuated by the combination of the trumpet and keyboards.  There is a bit of a vocal track in the form of a small choir like effect that once again contributes more to the atmosphere than it does the actual melody of the song.  The bass really makes it all memorable though, with the slap effects giving a small dose of funk to the mix.

In an example of how Oster can make a song develop, “Gardens of Varanasi” spends its first half like the songs that precede it, but past halfway, it drastically changes.  Suddenly the trumpet becomes a bit louder, the keyboards go from atmospheric backing to playing a piano melody, and a simple percussion track comes in to give it all a bit more momentum and kick.  It’s enough to give the song its own identity without breaking away from the general mood of the album.

One of the more intriguing song choices is the inclusion of a cover of the popular Bonnie Raitt classic, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”  Oster is able to accomplish with his trumpet what Raitt was able to accomplish with lyrics and voice.  Even without knowing the words to the song, you can sense the longing, pain, and heartache within Oster’s performance.  The backing keyboards help establish the somber tone, but this is one of the instances where Oster steps out of the background atmosphere, into the forefront, and gives a performance that goes well beyond the ambient, new age tones of the other tracks.

In similar fashion, “On Mother’s Day” is another beautifully constructed piece that goes more towards the ambience side of things, but with a great deal of emotion.  Along with the trumpet, softly played guitar permeates the piece.  It’s a shorter number, but it does a lot in under three minutes to shift the tone of the album slightly and evoke different emotions.  This is something the closing track, “And We Dance” does, but over a longer period of time.  Acoustic guitar features prominently in both of them, and the way it interacts with Oster’s trumpet is remarkably serene.

During the second half of Next, Oster embraces a bit more energy in his music, starting with the fantastic, “Avenue D.”  Along with some string sounds we get the chiming of keyboards, a rattling percussion track, and awesome bass playing.  The drums pick up fantastically, giving a stellar jazz performance while the trumpet continues to alternate between being atmospheric and carrying the melody; ultimately the song is worth listening to for the rhythm section alone.

Finally of note is the penultimate number, “Heroes.”  Unique to this track alone is the saxophone stylings of Jeff Taboloff.  This is easily the most energetic song here with strong, synthesized percussion in the opening, piano like keyboards, and a gorgeous trumpet soundscape.  In the song’s second half, the sax comes into its own, laying things on so smoothly it’s goosebump inducing.  But the real greatness of the song lays in the synergy between the sax and trumpet; two talents combining to make something bigger than the both of them.

Ambience isn’t a thrilling genre of music, but Jeff Oster almost makes it that way.  This is, without exaggeration, one of the best records of jazz ambience you’re ever likely to hear.  The trumpet that holds Next together creates atmosphere, mood, and melody in exquisite fashion.  If this album doesn’t make you a fan of smooth, quiet, jazz; nothing ever will.  And to those lucky ones who do embrace that genre of music, congratulations, you’ve reached musical nirvana.

Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5) Review by: Heath Andrews

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All About Jazz has just posted this review of all four of my albums. Thanks to Jakob Baekgaard for taking the time to listen and write about my music..

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   I'm proud to share this video with you. It's a "behind the scenes" story of how the music on my new album NEXT came to be. Ask for what you want...sometimes you get it!    (via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAPlSFOyCCU)

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In honor of those who serve, and those who have paid the ultimate price - THANK YOU. 

Jeff Oster - On Mother's Day https://youtu.be/JfD8lpQ3f3U  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfD8lpQ3f3U)