Anthony J. Resta: A Retrospective with a Progressive Producer

 
Anthony J. Resta in his element at Bopnique Musique Studio.

Anthony J. Resta: A Retrospective with a Progressive Producer

By Marshall Terrill  

         Music producer Anthony J. Resta is the kind of person who naturally inspires superlatives.

         Iconoclastic, innovative, gifted, and perfectionist are but a few that come to mind. In addition to his duties as a producer, he's also a composer, soundscape artist, holistic music creator and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, drums, synthesizers, flute) not to mention a devoted father and spouse, a hardcore fisherman and a very cool guy.

         He has earned twelve RIAA certified gold and multi-platinum awards, and his discography is somewhere in the neighborhood of 300. His collaborations with artists reads like a Who’s Who of the industry. They include Duran Duran, Elton John, Collective Soul, Megadeth, Perry Farrell, Vinny Vincent, Sarah Mclaughlin, Missing Persons, Peter Wolf, Shawn Mullins, Del Marquis of Scissor Sisters, Green River Ordinance, Sarah Evans, Blondie, actor Michael Chiklis and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.

         In a massive five-part interview Resta discusses his musical roots, rise to stardom, experimentation with vintage machines, working with icons, his new foray into Hollywood and how he brings music to life a former textile mill in Boston.

         Ladies and gentlemen, Anthony J. Resta...  

Juber heads to Boulevard for next gig

Two-time Grammy-Award winning guitar artist Laurence Juber is heading to the Boulevard for his next gig.

Juber will play 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2012, at Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. Tickets are $17.50. Juber will also host a two-hour guitar workshop preceding the concert from 4 to 6 p.m. The cost is $40.

Known for playing lead guitar in Wings from 1978 to 1981, Juber, known as ‘LJ’, has since had a distinguished career as a solo finger-style guitarist. A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, LJ fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. Laurence has released 20 acclaimed solo albums since Wings folded, including two volumes on The Beatles and one on his former group with McCartney.

His latest, Soul of Light, is a retrospective collection of original compositions that span over 30 years of creative work on solo guitar. All newly recorded, some of these tunes may be familiar from being heard on TV and radio, while others have been touchstones of the solo guitar. “I started out as a composer for solo guitar and I’ve written well over a hundred tunes. The compositions on Soul of Light reflect a particular mood – one of romance,” Juber says. “Not only pure love songs, but also in the sense of using imagination and narrative to expand and transcend the traditional solo guitar genre. It also serves as a complement to the blues/jazz direction that my current composing and arranging is taking me.”

As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow, Al Stewart and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting and Dirty Dancing, the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Love Me and most recently The Muppets Movie.

For more information visit: http://laurencejuber.com/

What: Laurence Juber Where: Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City 
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16 
Cost: $17.50 Information: 310-398-2583 or http://www.boulevardmusic.com/

Wings guitarist lands in Valparaiso

Two-time Grammy-Award winning guitar artist Laurence Juber will make an appearance in Valparaiso this weekend. Juber will play 7 p.m. Sunday, May 20, 2012, at Cornucopia Coffee Co., 210 E. Lincoln Way, Valparaiso. Tickets range from $20 to $25. Known for playing lead guitar in Wings from 1978 to 1981, Juber, known as ‘LJ’, has since had a distinguished career as a solo finger-style guitarist. A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, LJ fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. Laurence has released 20 acclaimed solo albums since Wings folded, including two volumes on The Beatles and one on his former group with McCartney. His latest, Soul of Light, is a retrospective collection of original compositions that span over 30 years of creative work on solo guitar. All newly recorded, some of these tunes may be familiar from being heard on TV and radio, while others have been touchstones of the solo guitar. “I started out as a composer for solo guitar and I’ve written well over a hundred tunes. The compositions on Soul of Light reflect a particular mood – one of romance,” Juber says. “Not only pure love songs, but also in the sense of using imagination and narrative to expand and transcend the traditional solo guitar genre. It also serves as a complement to the blues/jazz direction that my current composing and arranging is taking me.” As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow, Al Stewart and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting and Dirty Dancing, the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Love Me and The Muppets Movie. For more information visit: http://laurencejuber.com/

What: Laurence Juber Where: Cornucopia Coffee Co., 210 E. Lincoln Way, Valparaiso When: 7 p.m. Friday, May 20 Cost: $20 to $25 Information: 219-405-1000 or http://cornucopiacoffee.net/

LJ still on course and on the run

More than three decades after Wings folded, Laurence Juber is a man still on the run.

The former Wings guitarist and virtuoso just may be the busiest man in the music industry.

In addition to recently playing a part on tribute albums to Bob Dylan and Linda McCartney, Juber performs almost 100 dates a year, has regular session work, conducts professional workshops, performs on soundtracks for feature films and television and has three upcoming CD releases.

"There's always something going on. Knock on wood, I'm as busy these days as I've ever been, including my days with Wings," says the affable two-time Grammy Award-winning guitar artist.

Juber is scheduled to make an East Coast swing in early 2012 with a handful of appearances in New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

"This trip finds me playing at some new venues and making my solo Broadway debut. The jazz club ambiance of Times Square’s Iridium will no doubt encourage me to stretch out," Juber said. "I’m also looking forward to sharing the bill with Boston Blues Artist of the Year, guitar ace Johnny A, at a pair of shows at TCAN in Natick, Massachusetts. This will be my first time at New Hampshire’s excellent listening room the Tupelo Music Hall. I round out the run with an afternoon show at the Greenwich Library which I’m told has a fantastic concert hall.”

A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, Juber fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting, the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Love Me and most recently, The Muppet Movie.

Known to his fans as LJ, Juber has released 19 acclaimed solo albums. His celebrated arranging skills are featured on two volumes of LJ Plays The Beatles, the first of which was voted among the all-time top ten acoustic guitar records. Juber says fans never tire of hearing him play their songs and he remains endlessly fascinated by their catalog.

"Every time I hear a Beatles record I gain a new appreciation for them," Juber said. "Above and beyond the analytical part of it and creating the arrangements, when I start deconstructing Beatles songs, I find unexpected things. I can never listen to a Beatles record twice and hear exactly the same thing. There’s always something that I’ve missed, or a new discovery where you say, 'Wow, what was that little guitar lick?' Or the way in which the backing vocals come in…there’s always something new to discover in their work."

For more information visit: http://laurencejuber.com/

Tour dates are as follows:
1/11 NYC - The Iridium Jazz Club
1/12 Londonderry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
1/13 & 1/14 Natick, MA - TCAN Center for the Arts
1/15/12 Greenwich, CT - Greenwich Library


Photo credit Randi Anglin - taken at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium Nov. 2011

Gail Jhonson headlines Oct. 1 Green jazz concert

Jhonson jazzes up concert series

Acclaimed jazz keyboardist Gail Jhonson will bring the sounds of Philly to ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus as part of the Green Jazz Series.

The series, sponsored by Arizona State University Online and the Herberger Theater Center, helps low-income families adapt to a “green” lifestyle. Jhonson’s concert takes place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

The second of six concerts that will run through April 2009, the Green Jazz Series combines the blue sounds of jazz with “green concepts” for sustainable living. Flautist Althea Rene kicked off the series on Sept. 4.

Proceeds from the concert series will support the Green Survival Initiative (GSI), a Phoenix-based sustainability project. Through the use of cost-effective green technologies such as compact fluorescent lights, low-flow shower heads and water heater blankets, GSI seeks to mitigate increasing energy costs for approximately 7,000 low- and fixed-income households in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

“We’re hopeful the concert series will help shift the awareness and culture of green living while helping low-income households,” said Mernoy E. Harrison, Jr., ASU Online and Extended Campus vice president and executive vice provost. “The premise is that jazz is the bridge between music and sustainability.”

The initiative will help low-income families make the conversion to a sustainable lifestyle.

“The GSI recognizes that there is a cost to convert to a green lifestyle and those who need it the most might not be able to make that conversion,” said George Brooks, publisher of Southwest Green Magazine, who is an event sponsor. “We believe that once these conversions are made, each household could save anywhere from $300 to $500 annually.”

An educational component is also incorporated into the concerts, including information booths and promotional giveaways.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Jhonson began her musical quest at the age of 10. Proving to be a gifted pianist, she advanced quickly, and by the age of 14, landed several jobs playing keyboards with local rhythm and blues and funk bands. She later enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she received a bachelor’s degree in music composition.

Jhonson’s first big break came in 1985 when she toured with Morris Day and the Time. She eventually moved to Los Angeles and collaborated with recording artists Vanessa Williams, Norman Brown, Bobby Womack, Jermaine Jackson, Pink and Peabo Bryson.

Breaking out on her own in 2004, Jhonson’s Keep the Music Playing CD received international acclaim and strong support within the music industry. A year later Jhonson became the musical director for artist Norman Brown on his Summer Storm Tour. Signing with NuGroove Records in 2008, the label produced Pearls, her latest musical release.

Jhonson said the concert series falls in line with her professional and personal beliefs.

“Jazz musicians have always been sensitive about issues relating to the world around them, and many artists I know have adapted to a green lifestyle,” Jhonson said. “I’m proud to be associated with an organization that gives back to the community because I’m all about giving back.”

The Green Jazz Series was conceived and produced by Brotha Love Productions.

What: The Green Jazz Series concert featuring Gail Jhonson

Where: Herberger Theater, 222 E. Monroe St., Phoenix

Tickets: Tickets cost $40 for VIP seats, $20 for general admission and $10 for ASU students with a valid I.D. Call the Herberger Theater box office at (602) 254-7399 or visit www.HerbergerTheater.org.

Marshall Terrill, Marshall.Terrill@asu.edu

(602) 496-1005

ASU Office of Public Affairs

Definitive Pete Maravich book now in paperback

"The definitive biography of Pete Maravich" - David Lloyd, ESPN sports commentator

One of 2007's most acclaimed sports biographies is now in paperback. Focus on the Family and Tyndale Publishers proudly present Pete Maravich: The Authorized Biography of Pistol Pete by Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill.

With a new photo section and a foreword by Dr. James Dobson, the 480-page biography is the definitive account of the basketball superstar.

After staying silent for two decades, Jackie Maravich has welcomed authors Federman and Terrill into the superstar basketball player's private world. She has shared her personal memories and also provided unfettered access to the family archive of scrapbooks, films, letters, calendars, diaries, and photographs to allow Pete's story to be fully told for the first time.

The result is Pete Maravich, the Authorized Biography of Pistol Pete.

From childhood Pete Maravich mesmerized fans and opponents alike with audacious ball handling and relentless scoring. Julius Erving called him "a basketball genius." The mop-topped, floppy-socked prodigy was a legend at LSU, averaging a staggering 44.2 points per game--the highest in NCAA history. Then a brilliant pro career with the Hawks, Jazz and Celtics led to enshrinement in the Hall of Fame and selection as one of the top 50 players in NBA history.

But there was a price. Maravich brought a child-like exuberance to the court that often masked a tortured and confused adult. His obsessive personality--he often referred to himself as a "basketball android"--and inability to win a championship triggered despair and thoughts of suicide. Eventually he found peace in Christianity and a quiet home life.

Then, at age 40, Maravich died. The exact cause--a congenital heart defect-- stunned both the sports and medical worlds. Pistol Pete had been living on borrowed time. It was called a medical miracle that he survived his teens, let alone become a superstar athlete.

In addition to countless hours spent with Jackie and her sons, Jaeson and Joshua, the authors also interviewed more than 300 teammates, opponents, journalists, coaches, detractors, fans, and extended family to bring back to vivid life the story of a transcendent athlete who thrilled everyone except himself.

Also included is a comprehensive appendix of Maravich statistics, plus Pistol Pete's 25 greatest games.

For more information, go to www.MaravichBook.com

'Green Jazz' series to benefit Valley families

'Green Jazz' series to benefit Valley families

Jazz artist Althea Rene will kick off a Green Jazz Series in September that is designed to raise awareness about the environment while benefitting low-income families in the Valley.

Arizona State University Online and the Herberger Theater Center will host Rene as part of its Green Jazz Series at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 4.

The first of six concerts that will run through April 2009, the Green Jazz Series combines the blue sounds of jazz with “green” concepts for sustainable living.

Proceeds from the concert series will support the Green Survival Initiative, a Phoenix-based sustainability project. Through the use of cost-effective green technologies such as compact fluorescent lights, low-flow shower heads and water heater blankets, GSI seeks to mitigate increasing energy costs for approximately 7,000 low-and-income fixed households in the Phoenix-Metropolitan area.

“Just as ASU is expanding access to its academic programs with ASU Online, we are using the Green Jazz Series to expand the benefits of green concepts to low-income households through the Green Survival Initiative, using the music of jazz as the vehicle to spread the idea and to generate support for the Green Survival Initiative,” said Mernoy E. Harrison, Jr., ASU Online and Extended Campus vice president and executive vice provost.

“The GSI recognizes that there is a cost to convert to a green lifestyle and those who need it most might not be able to make that conversion,” said George Brooks, publisher of Southwest Green Magazine and one of the concert series’ sponsors. “We believe that once these conversions are made, each household could save anywhere from $300 to $500 annually.”

An educational component will also be incorporated into the concerts, including information booths and giveaways.

A full-time performing artist, Rene is regarded as one of the nation’s premier solo improvisational flautists and has recorded and performed with jazz greats Al Jarreau, Nancy Wilson, Norman Brown, Boney James and George Duke. Rene will perform an assortment of urban contemporary tunes with a rhythm and blues twist and showcase songs from No Restriction, her latest CD.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $40 for VIP seats. Call the Herberger Theater box office at (602) 254-7399 or visit www.herbergertheater.org.