Barry D.
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Barry D.

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"Born to Play, Barry D."

Playing the piano without any formal lessons at the tender age of eight, Barry D proves that God given talent needs no training. On his sophomore follow-up to the Dove Award winning "Handprint" D. delivers a project that is smooth and should serve notice that he can serve up the goods the second time around. Full of lush jazz and funk driven rhythms this is a pop in your car stereo and take a long drive CD. Putting his own spin on the standard "God of Wonders" D. states in a recent press release "When you grasp hold of that truth, you can't do anything other than just stand in awe of Him and cry." Well this project won't make you cry while it's a little slow on some tunes I'm sure we can listen to it in awe and enjoy it real easy.-Candance Walker - BellaOnline


"Born to Play by Barry D."

Born to Play
Got jazz? Barry D does. And gospel and R&B too. With his latest jazz instrumental album, Born to Play, Barry D gives you a little bit of everything. A piano prodigy by age eight, Barry has learned a lot along the way. Tracks like "Going Through" and "Take Me Higher" offer traditional jazz vibes, while songs like "The Wind" feel more like smooth R&B. Barry has even mixed in a little Spanish influence with "Si Usted Tiene Sed". Although a couple of the original songs missed the mark for me, the majority are good and the covers are impeccable. The 'piece de resistance' is Barry’s cover of "I Want to Know What Love Is". It is simply beautiful, and it really takes you back. It’s also one of the only tracks with choral accompaniment. Album Highlights: "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "The Train’s Comin’" - pilar davis - Cbnmusic.com


"Barry D.-Hanprint"

This is a little off the beaten path of what we normally cover, but we just received this one in the mail and it's worth writing about. Barry D. is a gifted pianist who has been noted backing musician and songwriter for a few years in Gospel circles. In 2005, he put together his solo debut, Handprint, which was nominated for a Dove Award for the Best Instrumental. The disc includes a number of original tunes as well as covers of Gospel Standards. It occasionally moves in the smooth jazz territory,but is at best when it is the simplest. His cover of " I Need Thee every Hour" is gorgeous as is the closing number, " You Are My World." A nice find....even if a little late.

- Soultracks.com


Discography

Get It Right(producer)-2002, C-RYS(producer)-2005, Handprint-2004,2006, Born to Play(2007).

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Bio

Barry D. is at the forefront of a new generation of jazz performers. With one of the most distinctive musical styles in the industry, he pushes the boundaries of conventional jazz, expands the repertoire of gospel jazz and creates shimmering, modern jazz standards.

Throughout his career, singer/songwriter/pianist/producer Barry D. has been celebrated for a surprisingly wide variety of impressive accomplishments, beginning with his stunning piano work as an eight year-old child prodigy.

“I was sitting in church one morning,” Barry recalls, “and God put it on my heart to go play the piano for the service and gave me the ability to play songs that I had never played before. It was an overwhelming experience."

From that moment, Barry worked hard to enhance his gift and before his 14th birthday, Barry D. had already written, financed and produced his first demo album.

Discipline and inspiration combined to blow open the doors for Barry D. to attend Florida’s prestigious New World School for the Arts, and his discipline propelled him to the top of his class. After making a name for himself in Miami, Barry D. moved half a continent away to the world-renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston. It was there that he learned to merge the theoretical with the practical. It was also a wake-up call for the prodigiously talented young man, because for the first time he found himself surrounded by a class full of musicians whose innate abilities equaled his own including Grammy Winner Roy Hargrove, Lalah Hathaway, Delfeyo Marsalis, Geoff Keezer, Paula Cole and many others.

“Prior to attending college I had good teachers, but not great teachers,” Barry D. confesses. “The truth is, my technique was not up to the standards of some of my classmates. I began to practice like there was no tomorrow, and after the first year, the school approached me about a scholarship, which was pretty much unheard of for existing students.”

The combined diligence and inspiration that had propelled Barry D. through his younger days molded him into the quintessential sideman in Boston’s burgeoning jazz and R&B scene. After graduating, he tackled some of New York’s hottest music halls, who soon became intimately acquainted with the rising star’s mesmerizing music that tickled the imagination with elements of light jazz, R&B, pop, rock and gospel. He shared the stage with such superstars as Phil Collins, Sounds Of Blackness, Sister Sledge, Mint Condition, Jaci Velasquez, Natalie Grant and Helen Baylor; recorded with industry giants like R. Kelly, David Foster, Mario Winans, Linda Eder, Gordon Chambers, and Donna Summer; and wrote songs for such popular recording artists as gospel legend Marvin Sapp. Major labels pursued him for his scintillating ability on the piano. Off-Broadway theater companies wanted him for his cinematic musical sensibilities. And after an appearance in a national TV commercial, Barry was courted by one of New York’s hottest talent agencies, hoping to represent him. In addition, his work has been nominated for The Los Angeles Music Awards, The Independent Music Awards and the GMA Dove Awards. Barry is also a past winner in the prestigious Billboard songwriting contest and a finalist in the distinguished John Lennon songwriting contest.

Never one to stand still, Barry D.’s constant desire to grow and evolve musically has earned him admiration and recognition—and kept the critics guessing. So it should come as no surprise that his latest offering, Born To Play, defies categorization. With its hip sophistication, soulful swing, exquisite musical phrasing and depth of emotion, Born To Play sounds more like a conversation than a performance.