Joel Del Rosario
San Francisco, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
One wonders if the Katrina disaster had anything to do with the inspiration behind this album; after all, the title can be interpreted as such, right? Joel Del Rosario certainly has the right smooth-jazz grooves to comfort the distressed. His clean, polished guitar playing is in itself a force of nature. He is a fluid musician, his fingers having mastery over not only the guitar but the bass as well. Just check out his pulsating work on the propulsive "Back in the Day."
There are reflective pieces on here like "One Way Street" and "355 Ocean," both of which conjure images of a rainy night on the town. Based in San Francisco, Del Rosario certainly has that Bay Area flavor. This is not Los Angeles smooth jazz with its sunny textures. Del Rosario's compositions are more dynamic, alive, and eclectic. On "Her Favorite" and "Padre Burgos," Del Rosario introduces a spicy Latin beat to his music, generating enough electricity to light up the neighborhood.
Guest vocalist George Hunter lends a hand to "LJP (Love, Joy, Peace)," but for the most part this is Del Rosario's show. And from beginning to end he has us in the palm of his hand. - Kyrby Raine - ink19
Imagine something that's tranquil and soothing, yet also contains some very cool vibes with a layer or two of spice tossed in the mix. This is what you get with the new CD from Joel Del Rosario aptly titled Calm In The Storm. Del Rosario ambitiously composed, arranged and produced all of the songs on this CD and plays guitars, bass and keyboards as well. That's a lot of hats to wear and they're all worn extremely well.
This CD features ten tracks all of which offer a delicious mix of Del Rosario’s classical training as well as his influences from such artists as Earth Wind & Fire, George Benson and Stan Getz. If we were talking apples here, there isn’t a bad one in the bunch.
On “One Way Street,” Del Rosario’s beautiful classical guitar licks contrasts and yet blends superbly with the funkier “Express.” And the fun and funky “Back In The Day,” showing Del Rosario’s influence with Earth Wind & Fire, is simply delightful as well.
“LJP (Love, Joy, Peace)” and “LJP Interlude” features the smooth vocals of George Hunter and along with Del Rosario’s sensual guitar create an air of harmony and tenderness. The title track, “Calm In The Storm” is an excellent example of Del Rosario’s mastery of the guitar and effectively shows us his spiritual side, which inspires him to make this beautiful music.
These songs together with the rest of the tracks on this CD all blend together seamlessly to produce some exceptional smooth jazz music. And with Del Rosario’s spiritual beliefs, Calm In The Storm is sure to sooth the soul, lift the spirit and inspire all who listen.
- Susan L. Lozinak - jazzreview.com (Oct 7, 2006)
From the album title and the soothing textures of his compositions and playing, the goal of Joel Del Rosario (http://www.joeldelrosario.com) is to lift up the listener, bring light into the chaos of a troubled world. Trying to accomplish that without words is no easy task; when notes take the place of lyrics, they have to be able to communicate those messages to the brain. Thankfully, Del Rosario succeeds; this is a relatively upbeat, emotionally engaging album.
Del Rosario is no cookie-cutter smooth jazz artist. He plays with a variety of tempos and styles, from the acoustic warmth and playful keyboards of "One Way Street" to the Latin mix on "Padre Burgos" to the classic soul vibes of "True Love Waits." Del Rosario is responsible for all the guitar, bass, and keyboards on the LP yet the album doesn't have the minimalist feel of a one-man band. On "Back in the Day," Rosario's snappy bass lines and spine-tingling guitar riffs blend together with seemlessly.
Vocalist George Hunter makes a surprise appearance on "LJP (Love, Joy, Peace)" and its later interlude; the pair work together well as Hunter delivers a heartfelt performance that fits within Del Rosario's evocative instrumentation.
There are a number of tunes here that would be perfect for soundtracks, such as "Express," which vividly captures the heart of a busy city.
Adam Harrington - Whisperin & Hollerin (UK) (Oct 5, 2006) - Adam Harrington - Whisperin & Hollerin (UK) (Oct 5, 2006)
Joel Del Rosario has composed, arranged and produced all songs on his new album. Calm In The Storm is an awesome example for his talent to write attractive songs and call them into being.
Joe's music grows at small places in moody hours.
HBH - HBH (Sep 28, 2006) - HBH
Hot licks and cool vibes come together in an all original collection by Joel Del Rosario entitled Calm in the Storm.
Smooth jazz and hope collide into a beautiful set of melodies. “I hope Calm in the Storm will encourage people of all ages to believe in miracles and move forward in the midst of their storms,” said Del Rosario.
Although Joel Del Rosario was classically trained on the viola, his influences were George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire and Stan Getz. Del Rosario studied guitar under Elroy Jones (mentor of Stanley Jordan). He has played for over 20 years on the west coast as both a studio musician and performer.
eJazzNews Readeron - eJazzNews Press Release (Aug 30, 2006) - eJazzNews Readeron - eJazzNews Press Release (Aug 30, 2006)
Jaren lang heeft multi-instrumentalist Joel Del Rosario begeleidingsrollen gespeeld, maar nu heeft Joel eindelijk de tijd gevonden om een soloplaat op te nemen. Door zijn uitstekende contacten in de jazzwereld, dachten we te kunnen rekenen op een indrukwekkende lijst van begeleiders, maar neen, op zijn bijna instrumentaal album speelt hij gitaar, keyboards en bas alleen. Enkel in de songs "LJP (Love, Joy, Peace)" en "LJP Interlude" hoor je zanger George Hunter. De plaat begint met de akoestische warmte en speellustige keyboards in "One Way Street", over het Latin-achtige "Padre Burgos" tot klassieke soul vibes in het afsluitende "True Love Waits". Na zijn debuut "All Him" (2003) is "Calm In The Storm", meer dan een waardige opvolger, met name wanneer zijn roots en invloeden, zoals George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire en Stan Getz naar voren komen is het genieten. Over het vakmanschap van deze muzikant hoeven we het verder niet te hebben, want Joel Del Rosario is waarschijnlijk een van de beste gitaristen die er zijn. Technisch vlekkeloos en altijd smaakvol, is hij een gewild sessie-muzikant, en met het zonnetje dat er langzamerhand weer door komt, en met een wijntje in de hand en "Calm In The Storm", op de achtergrond wordt het goed toeven naast de open haard, want op deze cd zijn er zat aan hoogtepunten en schitterende nummers waar de vonken van afspringen. "Back in the Day" is meteen een hoogtepunt, maar ook de rest van dit instrumentale album laat een geïnspireerd gitarist horen die met zijn tweede release aan een nieuw hoofdstuk in zijn carrière is begonnen. Waar wacht je nog op?
Freddy Greetz - Rootstime (Dec 19, 2006) - Freddy Greetz - Rootstime (Dec 19, 2006)
Discography
Last Album Produced- "All Him" (Smooth Jazz)
Current Album- "Calm In The Storm" (Smooth Jazz)
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Bio
“These songs together with the rest of the tracks on this CD all blend together seamlessly to produce some exceptional smooth jazz music.”
– Susan Lozinak, Jazz Review
“Calm In The Storm is an awesome example for his talent to write attractive songs and call them into being…Joe's music grows at small places in moody hours.”
– HBH, Smooth-jazz.de
Classically trained on the viola as a child, Joel Del Rosario grew up listening to the soulful sounds of George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire, and Stan Getz on the family stereo. When Joel’s mother died of cancer, he turned to the guitar for solace. Confused by the loss of his mother, Joel ran away from home at 17. Living out of a suitcase, Joel worked several jobs and put himself through college. The mid-90s would bring an internship at A&R and by the late 90s he was playing guitar in an R&B band that he also helped produce. During this period, he also wrote music for a small record label and studied under the tutelage of Elroy Jones (Stanley Jordan). “Some of the best songs that I’ve written are inspired by situations and people,” said Del Rosario. “Life can be a great sculptor of music and melody.” This interpretation of life and melody intertwined was reflected in a review by Adam Harrington of Whisperin and Hollerin (UK). “From the album title and the soothing textures of his compositions and playing, the goal of Joel Del Rosario is to lift up the listener, bring light into the chaos of a troubled world,” said Harrington.
Joel is currently is active in his community in raising funds for cancer awareness and volunteers with kids doing counseling and plays music for a local church. Smooth jazz and hope collide into a beautiful set of melodies in his latest release, Calm in the
Storm. As the Jazz Review proclaimed, “...Calm in the Storm is sure to sooth the soul, lift the spirit and inspire all who listen.”
“I hope Calm in the Storm will encourage people of all ages to believe in miracles and move forward in the midst of their storms,” said Del Rosario.
Cheryl Hughey
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