New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) If you've heard Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky', you've heard Nathan East. That his signature bass line is holding down, what is arguably, song of the year, comes as little surprise. This is just the latest in a long line of high-profile engagements for the founding member of world-renowned jazz quartet Fourplay. For more than three decades, East has been called upon to perform on hit songs for many of the greatest artists in music. On March 25, 2014, Yamaha Entertainment Group will release Nathan East's long-awaited, eponymous solo debut.
With a mix of instrumental and vocal compositions, and produced by Chris Gero and Nathan East, the anticipated album showcases the same stellar bass work East has provided for artists like
Eric Clapton ('Tears in Heaven', 'Change The World'),
Phil Collins ('Easy Lover', co-written by Nathan),
Michael Jackson ('Bad'), Whitney
Houston ('Greatest Love of All', 'Saving All My Love For You'), Beyoncé ('Listen'),
Randy Newman ('I Love LA'), Babyface,
Barbra Streisand and
Stevie Wonder to name a few. With his expansive style, melodic soloing and creative lines, East shares the well-earned spotlight with longtime collaborators including Bob James,
Michael McDonald and
Chuck Loeb - with a special guest performance by Sara Bareilles.
Masterfully leading his blistering horn section through a lively rendition of the
Stevie Wonder classic, 'Sir Duke', East carves out the iconic vocal melody with verve and virtuosity. '101 Eastbound', an instrumental co-written with brother Marcel, opens with East finessing lilting chords from his trademark 5-string bass to warm bossa nova rhythms, before shifting up a gear into an infectious Earth, Wind & Fire-style groove for this re-imagined
Fourplay standard. In contrast, East is never so majestic as with Pat Metheny's precious "Letter From Home", which twinkles to life belying the sweeping, cinematic orchestration that is to follow. Together with a re-harmonized rendition of "America the Beautiful" and a heartfelt cover of "
Yesterday", accompanied by East's 13-year-old son Noah on piano, the album marks a major milestone in the career of one of the most recorded musicians in history.
"I've made friends and music quite beyond anything I could have imagined," says the self-effacing East of his career to date, "and I couldn't have wished for a better partner in Chris Gero and Yamaha Entertainment Group for my first album."
Nathan East's numerous award-winning accolades include a U.S. Congressional Record, bestowed for his significant contribution to American music, and the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting, Great Britain's most prestigious music award. In addition to his collaboration with Daft Punk, his recent work includes performing on famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli's album "
Passione", Bob Dylan's "Complete Album Collection Vol. 1" and producing on Anita Baker's forthcoming album - proof still of the protean talent of this most valuable player.
