Keith Andrew Band

The inspiring title of guitarist/composer Keith Andrew’s highly anticipated new full length album Adventurous Soul speaks not only to the exciting, thrill a minute musical journey the 13 tracks take the listener on, but also to the personal life and spirit of the man himself. An avid outdoorsman, he loves hiking, scampering on rocks and mountain biking. For their honeymoon, he and his wife Suzie traveled to Thailand and Cambodia, where they explored 12th Century Buddhist and Hindu Ruins that are one of the Seven Wonders of the World. More recently, they hiked a 15,000 foot mountain near Quito, Ecuador and trekked up to Machu Picchu in Peru. Andrew brings the same sort of wild, freewheeling spirit to the new project, which features a multitude of stylistic excursions centered around his crisp, high energy guitar lines, infectious melodies and in the pocket, funky grooves. With six tracks produced by top genre hit maker and fellow guitarist Nils and others co-produced by Andrew with Nils, Adventurous Soul draws on Andrew’s foundational love for blues, rock, jazz and fusion while also exploring his musical wanderlust for Latin and world music. Complementing the 11 originals (mostly penned by Andrew, Nils or a collaboration of the two) are explosive re-imaginings of R&B classics by The Isley Brothers (“Work To Do”) and James Brown (“Pass The Peas”). While inviting many of the regional musicians he works with in Northern California to create the foundational tracks – including some of the band members from his former longtime group Himalaya on “Pass The Peas” – Andrew and Nils brought out some of the genre’s big guns to take these powerhouse tunes over the top. These include saxophonists Jessy J and Eric Marienthal, keyboardist Jeff Lorber and some of the last-ever sessions by late drummer Ricky Lawson. The multi-talented Johnny Britt adds his mad skills both on vocals (on “Work To Do” and others) as well as trumpet and flugelhorn. Andrew’s previous albums include Contemplation (2007) and Blue Funky Blue (2010), whose single “Pookie’s Groove Revisited” received significant airplay. He worked diligently on Adventurous Soul while performing gigs in the Sonoma and Napa Valley wine country and throughout Northern California. As he continues thriving as a performer at wineries, casinos and festivals, he has upped his game considerably as an independent smooth jazz artist by working with Nils, whose expertise has taken Andrew’s Adventurous Soul to the next level. The two first met at one of Nils’ gigs at Spaghettini, a prominent jazz club in Seal Beach, CA. “I’ve been a fan of Nils’ music for a long time and was happy to discover that he has a similar background as a jazz and rock fusion player,” says Andrew. “Our influences are so similar. The cool thing about working with him is that even though he’s a guitarist himself and contributed some backing parts, he was very objective about my playing and focused on making me shine and bringing out the best in me. We live in different parts of California, so often I would send him rough mixes of new songs I was working on. He would tweak them and send them back quickly and blew me away with his sonic magic every time. I started call him my ‘GG’ – German Genius!” ON STAGE The release of Blue Funky Blue opened up opportunities for Andrew to headline at California jazz hotspots like Spaghettini, but he has also continued to be in huge demand throughout Sonoma and Napa Valley for his winery shows as part of series, special occasions and soirees. Andrew’s success mixing covers and originals in a “small footprint” presentation with just him and his percussionist Osi Reginald Scott has led him to create a business and website called Wine Country Guitar Music. He has also honed this presentation for regular shows in recent years as part of the Reno Nugget Jazz Series at the hotel and casino of that name in Reno. On occasion, Andrew enjoys playing with a full band at rock venues as far away as Lake Tahoe. In San Francisco, Keith and his band have played at clubs like Enrico’s on the North Beach jazz scene, Biscuits and Blues Union Room, and community events like The Haight Street Festival. Keith has also tapped into the growing music scene in Napa, where his band performs regularly at Downtown Joe’s and Silo’s Jazz Club. Other recent appearances include the Matanzas Creek Winery, Viansa Winery and the Cotati Jazz Festival. Closer to his home in Sonoma, the band has headlined at the El Dorado Grill. Down the coast, Keith has performed at the Gatsby Jazz Festival in Santa Barbara (with his longtime band Himalaya) and Monterey Live. When he was with the group Zulu Spear, the band played at major venues in SF, including the Great American Music Hall. NOTABLE LIVE PERFORMANCES Spaghettini Grill and Jazz Lounge - Seal Beach, CA Humphrey’s Backstage Live – San Diego, CA Gatsby Jazz Festival – Santa Barbara, CA The Haight Street Festival – San Francisco, CA Cotati Jazz Festival – Sonoma Wine Country, CA The Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA Biscuits & Blues Union Room – San Francisco, CA Viansa Winery – Sonoma, CA Monterey Live – Monterey, CA Silo’s Jazz Club – Napa, CA Enrico’s – San Francisco, CA Downtown Joe’s – Napa, CA Nugget Jazz Nights - Reno, NV Hopmonk Tavern – Sonoma, CA Pub Republic – Petaluma, CA The Annex Wine Bar – Sonoma, CA Marilyn’s on K Street – Sacramento, CA El Dorado Grill – Sonoma, CA Blue Wing Saloon at the Tallman Hotel – Upper Lake, CA MUSIC Andrew’s decision to record his sparkling, high energy cover of The Isley Brothers’ early 70s funk classic “Work to Do” stemmed from hearing the tune randomly performed by a cover band one night and finally getting familiar with the original version after years of being acquainted with the Average White Band version. A powerful way to launch a truly Adventurous Soul, “Work To Do” features Andrew’s crisp fluid melody, his playful interaction with Eric Marienthal’s potent sax and irrepressible horn accents. Penned by Nils, “Love You More” is a pure balmy tropical flavored delight, with Andrew’s snappy melody riding soulfully over old school soul-jazz keyboard textures. Along the way, the island cool gives way to a burst of high octane jamming. The bluesy, brassy funk jam “Milk Shake” and the dreamy, exotic “Samba Dulce” offer dynamic showcases for Andrew’s sizzling interaction with his guest stars. “Milk Shake” shows Andrew’s darker, bluesier electric edges while featuring some wild runs from Marienthal, the brassy sass of Johnny Britt’s trumpet and Ricky Lawson’s feisty groove. “Samba Dulce” reflects Andrew’s gentler side as his fluid guitar flows along with Jessy J’s sensual sax. Likewise, Jeff Lorber adds his inimitable retro-keyboard touches to the easy struttin’ title track. The most progressive production by Andrews is the globally conscious “Namaste Dance,” which blends old school soul atmospheres, hypnotic vocalizing and a thumping dance groove – all of which combines to create spiritual house music. Nils’ most dynamic turn behind the boards is the high energy twist on James Brown’s “Pass The Peas,” which features some fun shout outs of the title, a bluesy foundation and an infectious Euro Dance beat. FROM THE BEGINNING Originally from Baltimore, Keith began playing guitar at 10 years old and as teenager moved with his family to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he was exposed to the rich and diverse SF music scene. His musical passions eventually led him to Los Angeles, where he had the opportunity to study with some of the world’s greatest jazz and contemporary guitarists, including Robben Ford, Joe Pass, Buzz Fieten, Scott Henderson and Joe Diorio. While attending college in Los Angeles, Keith was a featured soloist with the Chaffey College Jazz Ensemble, earning several awards for outstanding musicianship from the National Association of Jazz Educators. He later went on to attend the world-renowned Guitar Institute of Technology. Graduating at the top of his class, he subsequently joined the faculty as a staff instructor. Shortly after graduating from the Guitar Institute, Keith teamed with keyboardist and composer Morris Beeks, with whom he formed the jazz/R&B band Himalaya. The Himalaya sound was soon defined by Keith's unique compositions, which made them one of the most popular and dynamic groups on the L.A. circuit. Himalaya’s debut album Friend to Friend received national airplay. Shortly thereafter, they embarked on a nationwide tour with notable appearances at the Santa Barbara Jazz Festival as well as major nightclubs and venues in New York, Washington D.C., Memphis and San Diego. Since moving back to the Bay Area, Keith’s style has gravitated towards world jazz fusion. His taste for world music was also inspired by performing at some of the top bay area venues with the popular South African band Zulu Spear. It was with that band the he teamed up with two great musicians from Austin Texas, multi-instrumentalists and producers, Cecil (P-Nut) Daniels and Carlton Lowe, who have been at the core of many of Keith's SF based recording and live performance projects. They have also formed the popular groups Sound Minds and P-Nut and The Apocalypse. REVIEWS “In my rave review of Keith Andrew’s Blue Funky Blue a few years ago, I called the disc “adventurous”, never dreaming that this word would be part of the title and the overriding vibe of his latest album, Adventurous Soul, a wild, festive and funky set which takes the concept to even higher levels. The genius of what Andrew and his producer Nils – a renowned #1 artist in his own right – have created is that it perfectly balances instantly hummable melodies, funky grooves and Andrew’s crisp, soulful playing with crazy-fun excursions to unexpected places. Quite simply, this is one of the best contemporary jazz recordings of 2014.” – Jonathan Widran Jazz, Fusion, Jam Band, Wine Country Guitar Music, HardTail Records