Trio Album
The Craig Jaster Trio's debut album is now available online and I am so excited!
I've enjoyed playing with drummer Tim Gilmore for over 15 years. When I sound good, it's often because of him. (Incidentally, he played on most of the tracks on The Buskers' 2009 recording Spank That Tambourine). It was Tim who suggested bass player Brendan Dowd a year or so ago when I wanted to make this trio, and I couldn't be happier that Brendan got on board.
Knowing my move to Germany was imminent, I got the trio into the studio for two days in June to capture a little of what we've been doing this past year. These tracks were recorded in real time with no overdubs, at CedarHouse Sound, New London, NH. I sang as I sat at the Steinway B.
The arrangements are succinct; generally in service of the melody and the groove. No long solos (partly an outcome of the time equals money studio constraint), but these guys are not just supporting players. They are right up there at the front of the bus with me, which is the way I like it.
Three of the songs exist in earlier iterations on Buskers recordings: "It's Gonna Rain, It's Gonna Pour" and "Home Tonight" are on Ray's Vacation (2004), and "So Dark Out There Sometimes" dates all the way back to the band's 1999 debut. None of the other songs have been recorded before.
I've never asked for donations, never had a Kickstarter or GoFundMe campaign, but your $9 purchase of this album from CDBaby goes a long way to support me directly. When only 350 people download the album, I will have recouped what I invested (and can start planning the next project). Also, I can have cds made of this album, with better sound quality (24-bit WAV, not MP3 downloads). Streaming? It would take half a million streams, at best, to break even. Not gonna happen; this is jazz we're talking about here.
What else can you do to help?
• Give a short review of the album on cdbaby or iTunes.* This helps raise the visibility of the album so more people have a chance to find it.
• Like my music Facebook page. So people think I'm popular!
• Share this post with others you think might like my music. And word of mouth....
• Book the trio!
Thanks again!
Craig
* It may be a few days before the album is synced to other outlets: iTunes, Spotify, etc. for streaming or purchase, but CDBaby skims the least off the top of every dollar.
