FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: Rick Scott 310.306.0375
Lao Tizer’s deliciously diverse
new album warmly welcomed with airplay & critical
acclaim
Adventurous keyboardist-composer
lining up concert dates
to support Diversify
Inspired, young and prodigious
keyboardist-composer Lao Tizer
unveiled his second full-band album, Diversify, Tuesday (April 3) with
his sights set on perilously obliterating boundaries while forging his own path
in popular music. The collection
was released nationally by his Yse
Records label, which is distributed by the ARTizen Music Group. With the urban-charged “Uptown” presently garnering
radio spins from coast to coast and a bevy of follow-up singles to come, Tizer
bodes to achieve great heights while bringing an invigorating new energy to
contemporary jazz. He possesses the
innate ability to gracefully balance his expansive artistic muse and commercial
instincts by providing widely accessible melodies in radio-friendly packages
alongside challenging and intricate pieces displaying musicianship and
production values of the highest magnitude.
While his previous collections -
three of which were self-produced and released by the time he was 17 years-old -
showcased his gifts of composition and improvisation, Tizer uncompromisingly
elevates his craft on Diversify by
sculpting with tools of contemporary jazz, World Music, R&B-funk, fusion,
classical, Latin and instrumental pop resulting in majestic amalgams. Tizer penned fourteen compositions for
the 77-minute opus that was produced by his long-time guitarist Jeff Kollman. Special guests on the CD include Tizer’s
mentor, guitarist Chieli Minucci
(Special EFX), violinist Karen
Briggs (Yanni, Chaka Khan), percussionist D. Munyungo Jackson (Sting, Stevie
Wonder) and saxophonist Andy Suzuki
(Michael Franks, David Benoit). The
album is rich with musical treats that will make you dance (“A Night In The
City,” “Uptown,” “Up A Notch”), sing joyously (“Diversify,” “Summer Dayz”),
reflect intimately (“A Hui Hou,” “Autumn Sky,” “Improvisation,” “November,”
“Ella’s First Light”), cuddle up romantically (“Flow,” “Rapture”) and embark
upon an adventure (“Olivas Adobe,” “Namaste”).
Album reviews are starting to
appear and they have been enthusiastic. Music Connection offered,
“…Lao
Tizer is a brilliant keyboardist and composer whose seamless blend of hard and
soulful grooves, spirited improvisations and extreme sense of melody puts him in
the same league with the more celebrated Brian Culbertson… Smooth jazz artists
are often accused of playing it safe, but Tizer plays to the adventurous part of
the genre’s audience." SmoothViews wrote, “There is a lot
of music to absorb on this CD, and it (is) exactly what smooth jazz fans have
been looking for. A grouping of fresh new music bursting with creativity,
emotion and surprises. Lao’s change of pace from keyboard to piano is just
beautiful and truly shows the world his creativity.” Jazz
Monthly declared, “…Tizer makes a case for becoming one of the genre’s
headliners with Diversify, a
multi-faceted project that displays his talent for everything from in the pocket
funk to exotic fusion and ballads that stay in the heart.” Sounds
of Timeless Jazz
stated, “This
collection of music features Lao’s creativity in a stylistic array of songs
which culminate in a beautiful musical spectrum. From Classical to World, Tizer takes you
there via a little help from his remarkable musical family and guest
artists…Tizer’s performances entice you into their musical hideout and reveal
several new dimensions of Tizer’s progressive musicality. These songs are beautifully
arranged…With more longing for true musical virtuosity from his generation, Lao
Tizer is poised to contribute a musical legacy that will be enjoyed for years to
come.”
A dynamic and engaging performer,
Tizer will lead his band out on the road to support the album release. They’ll kick things off by opening for
legends George Benson and Al Jarreau at the popular Jacksonville
Jazz Festival on April 13th.
Catch Tizer performing with his
band on the following dates (dates will be added):
April 13
April 14
June 24
JazzTrax Summer Music Festival
Big Bear, CA
June 27
Summer Concert Series
July 1
Summer Concerts in the Park
July 5
Summer Concert/Segwick
July 6
Friday Afternoon Club Concert Series
Boulder, CO
July 7
Festival Nights/Cherry Creek Arts Festival
Denver, CO
August 3
Summer Sizzle/Historic Third Ward Jazz Festival
August 11
Jazz by the
August 12
Summer Concert Series
August 19
Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts
October 19
Additional information on Tizer
is available at www.laotizer.com.
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Keyboardist-composer Lao Tizer
broadens his jazz muse on Diversify
April 3rd album release
prefaced by radio single “Uptown”
By the time keyboardist-composer
Lao Tizer was 17, he had already
released three self-produced, self-released solo piano and keyboard albums. Being an overachiever who ambitiously
strives to grow, stretch and achieve new heights comes naturally to him. Tizer is now set to release an expansive
and accomplished sophomore outing with his own band. Diversify will be unveiled
nationally on April 3rd via his Yse Records label, which is distributed
by the ARTizen Music Group. Tizer wrote fourteen new songs for the
sumptuous opus that clocks in at over 77-minutes of inventive contemporary jazz
that encompasses fusion, classical, World Music, Latin and instrumental pop
tapestries. He also co-produced the
record, with his long-time guitarist Jeff Kollman seated in the producer’s
chair.
Radio was recently serviced the
first taste of Diversify, the funky,
hooky, accessible urban-powered “Uptown,” a song Tizer and his band use to close
their dynamic concerts. Although he
records under his own name, Tizer is quick to emphasize the group aspect of the
project and the invaluable contributions the band makes to his music both in the
recording studio and on stage. He
humbly shares the spotlight equally with Kollman (guitars, programming), Steve Nieves (vocals, saxophones and
percussion), Christopher Maloney
(bass) and Drew Megna (drums). Special guests on the album include
guitarist Chieli Minucci (Special
EFX), violinist Karen Briggs (Yanni,
Chaka Khan), percussionist D. Munyungo
Jackson (Sting, Stevie Wonder) and saxophonist Andy Suzuki (Michael Franks, David
Benoit). While diverse, the songs
are seamlessly bound by a thread that keeps the collection cohesive. As a composer, Tizer deftly dispenses
simple intoxicating pop melodies, astute and complex compositions that
incorporate a variety of musical stylings, fun and robust R&B-funk jams, and
beautiful, sensitive moments that touch and emote
poetically.
“The music on the album
represents what inspires me. It’s a
combination of influences including World Music, funk and intimate moments,”
explained Tizer. “The message
behind the album is about being open to the music and the journeys it can take
you on if you allow it. It
represents diversity and the melding of composition and improvisation. It’s the combination of both
(composition and improvisation) that can elevate the musical experience from the
mundane into something truly special.”
Tizer’s fiery, youthful and
compelling concerts play a major part of what makes the artist a complete
musician. He’ll lead his band out
to launch the push to support the album release on the concert trail on April
13th by opening for legends George Benson & Al Jarreau at the prestigious
Jacksonville Jazz Festival in
A native of
Lao Tizer’s Diversify contains the following
songs:
“A Night In The City”
“Autumn Sky”
“Uptown”
“Improvisation”
“Diversify”
“Up A Notch”
“Flow”
“Namaste”
“A Hui Hou (Til We Meet
Again)”
“November”
“Olivas Adobe”
“Rapture”
“Summer Dayz”
“Ella’s First Light”