Jeff Bujak
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Jeff Bujak

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"Peaces of Man and Machine"

Jeff Bujak's Myspace release of "Peaces of Man and Machine" is a sonic fury of passion. On the myspace versions of "Bonfire 1 and 2" and "Cake 1 and 2," the listener gets a fair chunk of contemporary rhythms, upbeat melodies and thoughtful progressions, but this chunk only satisfies for so long before you are left wanting more (with a little extra frosting perhaps). There is confidence that the birthday boy will share some of the rose (the best part) when he cuts the rest of this sugary goodness up. Jeff Bujak is a natural musician/composer in every sense of the word. Part genius, part spiritualist - he takes the listener by the ears and sets off on a sonic peregrination of soul, rock, jazz, classical and contemporary flavors. Check him out today! - Ty Marshal- Rarely Done Productions 2006


"Peaces of Man and Machine"

Jeff Bujak, Somebody’s Closet’s keyboardist extraordinaire, has announced that he is hard at work finalizing his latest solo release, Peaces of Man and Machine. It is due for a November release. From what Kynd has heard, it promises to be an amazing collection of songs. You can stream some “demo” tracks on Jeff’s MySpace page. - Dave Terpany- KyndMusic 2005


"Man and Machine: A Journey To Extremes"

To listen to Jeff Bujak's Peaces of Man and Machine is to set out on a refreshingly unconventional musical journey.

Through 12 interconnected tracks in a masterful mix of keyboards, bass, percussion and vocals, Bujak takes the listener on an experience defined by technical, musical and emotional extremes—an experience surely unparalleled by anything else in your CD collection.

Bujak's exploration of extremes begins right in the name: Man and Machine. Throughout the album, Bujak displays impressive skill as he relies on electronic keyboards, computerized pre-sequenced percussion loops and vocal synthesizers to send a surprisingly humanistic and emotional message of song. In his own words, he uses technology to "explore life and define the soul."

The keyboard melodies themselves pull from opposing ends of the musical spectrum—mixing Bujak's classical training with complex chords and riffs rooted in jazz tradition. Melodies take surprising twists through each track, occasionally flirting with the chaotic, but always driving through with familiar themes to reach resolution.

The emotion of Man and Machine lies in its varying tones that cross a spectrum starting with haunting sounds of the album's first notes. Eerie tracks with underlying vocals penetrating through with lingering harmonies are juxtaposed against buoyant, upbeat melodies highlighted with rapid and intricate rhythms and keyboard runs.

The flow of wide-ranging tones of each piece reflects "digital slices of life, each piece being inspired by an existing period of time," Bujak describes.

The variance of each track, each connected with well-executed transitions, forces this music to the forefront. Follow Bujak's lead and engage in the music, rather than playing this album in the background. Allow yourself to honestly explore the extremes offered in Man and Machine. You haven't heard anything like it before, so take heart and enjoy. - Katy Devlin- Glass Magazine 2006


"Peaces of Man and Machine"

Pianist and composer Jeff Bujak has carefully constructed a 12-song collection that prves real music and technology indeed can peacefully co-exist.
Syracuse native Bujak, who regularly tours with acoustic band Somebody's Closet as well as his solo show, uses his classical training on piano to drive his songs with great emotion. He also uses percussion loops that he's carefully written and sequenced with great care.
Pieces such as "Cake," "Puzzle" and "Veil" show a big, grand sound that hints of emo rock one moment and new age flights the next. Call it progressive piano. - Mark Bialczak- Stars Magazine 2006


"The Ghost Lies in Both: Jeff Bujak at Peace"

Jeff Bujak should already be well-known in the jam world as keyboardist extraordinaire for the progressive jam outfit called Somebody’s Closet. His work on their latest album, Breeze of Transition, was described by a KyndMusic reviewer as “outrageously inventive.” So when word of Jeff’s solo album, Peaces of Man and Machine, came down, the first question we had was, how goes the Closet?
“The current situation with Somebody’s Closet is great,” Jeff assured us. “We’ve slowed down the touring a little, but were playing and feeling great about it and it’s giving us time to write and record our own solo albums. Mine is just the first of 3 solo albums coming out of the Closet in the near future.
Justin Eck is currently in the studio recording his second solo album and Christine is gearing up to record hers very soon. We feel that this will expand our individual talents and end up coming back to the band with a new energy and new songs.”
And Peaces of Man and Machine is a truly a solo effort. Written on piano, performed entirely by Jeff and implementing loop technology, it has resulted in a multi-layered deep musical experience.
“After listening to the piano composition,” he explained, “I write the rhythm sections and other arpeggios. The composing process for this album, though, was much different than how I’ve written in the past, whether for bands or solo projects, using loopers and samplers. While writing and recording the album, I made sure not to play or record anything I can not perform live on stage. I want my live show to be just as full and intense as on the album."
"To loop a sample, I need to play the musical phrase a couple times to grab the good section to loop, so I needed to leave a few measures open to do this before the solo. I didn’t use any samplers on the recording of this album to increase the quality of sound, so I performed each repeated phrase separately. But, still keeping in mind that I will be looping the section live. It was a little confusing at times, but it all certainly came together in the end.”
We’d have to agree. The album, an instrumental (with occasional vocals) epic clocking in at over 78 minutes, combines Jeff’s transitional and luminous playing in Somebody’s Closet with a much jazzier side. Shifting gears a bit from the progressive elements of SC, he moves into John Lewis (Modern Jazz Quartet) territory with performances in the fugue state.
What that means is that each track on the album, and all the tracks together as the theme, begin with a theme stated by one of the instruments (usually the piano) playing alone. A second instrument then enters and plays the same theme, while the first instrument continues on with a contrapuntal accompaniment. The remaining instruments enter one by one, each beginning by stating the same theme. The remainder of the fugue develops the material further using all of the instruments and, usually, multiple statements of the theme. Like he said it’s confusing at first but it does all come together. And to add another layer to it, there is also a conceptual story behind the thematic music.
“There is a reoccurring theme to the album,” Jeff confirmed. “I created the concept last year and worked very hard to compose and create songs to fit the storyline. The story behind the album can be interpreted in different ways, and I planned it that way. The real story will always be stored in my head, but others can make sense of their own meaning by incorporating their own lives.”
Thankfully Jeff makes it easy to incorporate. Taking complex musical melodies and rhythms, he makes it all seem very simple with an honest and seemingly fathomless talent for composition and improvisation. This is an album that will remain a fixture of my music collection for years to come. And just to make sure that it will always keep me digging for more Jeff gave us the following answers to our repeated theme questions:
KyndMusic: What is man?
Jeff Bujak: Man is the first of the 2 characters in Peaces; the protagonist. Man has struggles and looks to resolve them with peace.
KM: Then what is machine?
JB: Machine is the other character; the antagonist. Machine has the solutions to Mans struggles, but they all come at a price.
KM: So in which does the ghost lie?
JB: By the end, the ghost lies in both. - Dave Terpeny- KyndMusic 2006


"We Got Bujak'd!"

WE GOT BUJAK'D! - Mike McKinley, State of Mind Magazine, Burlington, VT (5-1-07) www.stateofmindmagazine.com
On Peaces of Man and Machine, Jeff Bujak builds layers of electronic textures and percussion, and then comes flying in on top with his forte: piano playing. When it works, it really works - displaying moments of Hornsby-esqu sincerity and stretching out with pockets of lyrical thoughtfulness. Sometimes it's haunting and edgy; other times it embodies beauty. This album proves that he is a sharp-minded musician with focus and determination. Keep you ears open for him. - State of Mind Magazine


"Jeff Bujak"

JEFF BUJAK - Nicole D'Angelo, State of Mind Magazine, Burlington, VT (5-1-07) www.stateofmindmagazine.com
Jeff Bujak's music can take you to the highest of highs and lowest of lows. In each song on Peaces of Man and Machine, the intensity of his keys can propel you to cloud 9, and then hurl you back into the unknown depths of the ocean. Closing your eyes and listening, you begin to feel like his music is a fantastic ambient portrayal of real life - how at any moment, it can all change. Yet, there's still a fairy tale ending. - State of Mind Magazine


"Jeff Bujak"

JEFF BUJAK - Josh Taylor, State of Mind Magazine, Burlington, VT (5-1-07) www.stateofmindmagazine.com
Jeff Bujak's music cannot be categorized. It's an ethereal blend of many diverse colors and tonalities. His music conjures up images of grand piano sidemen of the past, yet looks into the future, harnessing technology to work for the music. Peaces of Man and Machine is a triumph on all accounts - well-planned, well-written and well-executed. - State of Mind Magazine


"Jeff Bujak"

JEFF BUJAK - Dan Denicola, The Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA (2-22-07) www.dailyhampshiregazette.com
When he's not playing with the Northampton-based jazz/funk/folk/rock outfit Somebody's Closet, classically trained keyboardist Jeff Bujak is a solo act, performing what he calls "progressive piano over polyrhythmic electronica."
Bujak's recent concept album is a 78-minute epic whose title, "Peaces of Man and Machine," conveys what he's up to: the harmonious reconciliation between human and technological methods of producing music. Beginning with a theme stated on the piano - it may be jazz, classical, pop or rock - Bujak adds layer upon layer of digitally produced sounds that both respond to and drive the original theme in fugue-like ways, the goal being "to create flawlessly composed musical pieces and tell musical stories that explore life and define the soul." Bujak says he's careful, however, "not to play or record anything I cannot perform live on stage. I want my live shows to be just as full and intense as on the album." - Hampshire Gazzette


Discography

"Alive like the Spine" - LP releasing on 05/12/09 (Jeff Bujak, Harmonized Records)

"LIVE BUJ - Live Mutlitrack Series" as of 02/23/09, there are 56 live albums released at www.livebuj.com.

"Building: An Arsenal" - LP released on 2/2/08 (Jeff Bujak, Lizardflag Recordings)

"Think Like A Hammer" - EP released on 01/27/08 (Shokazoba)

"Better Days" - LP released on 9/6/07 (Phil DaRosa, Tight Records)

"Jeff Bujak's Peaces of Man and Machine" - LP released on 11/11/06 (Jeff Bujak, Lizardflag Recordings)

"Breeze of Transition" - LP released on 3/15/05 (Somebody's Closet)

"Road To Flight" - LP released on 6/25/02 (Somebody's Closet)

"Unkind" - LP released in 2001 (Transcendental Blue)

"Eclectic Fuzz" - LP released in 1999 (Eclectic Fuzz)

Photos

Bio

THE PROJECT
Jeff Bujak generates heavily organized piano progressions, twists and winds them amid constantly evolving poly-rhythmic electronic beats and constructs a sound that is not only unique, but extremely fresh to the underground music scene. Bujak is a solo performer that uses computers, keyboards, effects, samplers and vocals to create a ‘progressive-piano groove.’ He creates a sound that unites keyboard influences of Peter Gabriel, Album Leaf and Bruce Hornsby with the hard driving rhythms of Prodigy and DJ Shadow.

“It's an ethereal blend of many diverse colors and tonalities. Bujak’s music conjures up images of grand piano sidemen of the past, yet looks into the future, harnessing technology to work for the music.” - Josh Taylor, State of Mind Magazine

“Taking complex musical melodies and rhythms, he makes it all seem very simple with an honest and seemingly fathomless talent for composition and improvisation.” - Dave Terpeny, Kynd Music

By mixing fully-original, pre-sequenced percussion loops and intricately layering track upon track of live keyboard and piano-bass progressions, Jeff Bujak produces a distinctive and novel new look at live music production. With the many types of jazz, ambient and classical piano textures throughout each song, his music falls into too many categories to be left in just one. Call it progressive-piano. Listen to it like no other music.

“Jeff Bujak is a natural musician/composer in every sense of the word. Part genius, part spiritualist - he takes the listener by the ears and sets off on a sonic peregrination of soul, rock, jazz, classical and contemporary flavors.” - Ty Marshal, Rarely Done Productions

THE MUSICIAN
Jeff Bujak discovered piano at age 7 growing up in Syracuse, NY. After 6 years of theory and piano lessons, he began writing his own music. At 13, he self taught himself guitar and joined bands of every genre to gain experience in performing many live forms of music including hard-core heavy metal, jazz fusion, jam rock and folk. By the age of 18, he wrote and recorded over 200 original compositions with styles ranging from hard rock to classical. At 23, he joined the national touring acoustic-progressive band Somebody's Closet (more info at www.somebodyscloset.com) and started traveling the country. With his left hand taking over the low-end piano bass progressions and his right hand doing piano and organ solos, he learned quickly how to make his solo compositions come alive on stage as a one man show.

www.myspace.com/jeffbujak
www.reverbnation.com/jeffbujak
www.livebuj.com (live audio recordings)