Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Vocalist/pianist/composer Peter Saltzman, who is based in Chicago describes himself as apeter saltzman.bmp (66654 bytes) “classically tone, vocally Smooth Jazz Lounge Pop Nora Jones - with an edge.” I’m not sure if that is accurate or not, but I do know that if he lived in my home town and played in the clubs here he would be popular. His songs seem to fit the cabaret style very well and his act would be fun to check out. This is not a Smooth Jazz record, but a work of music that raised my interest level especially the first part. There are 2 sections to the CD; Part I: The Big Group and Part II: The Trio. The disc kicks off with a up tempo slick piece “Agreeing Like That” which is hip and smooth in a Ben Sidran sort of way. “Light From Our Dreams” was inspired from Antonio Carlos Jobim. A very easy going track in a Latin/ Rio De Janiero Blue/pop flavor. I dug it a lot. “Quickens Your Heart (Slows Down Your Brain)” is a sort of bluesy song. The lyrics about a mid life crises was inspired by an article from the NY Times. “(Don’t Wake Me Up From My) American Dream” is more up and snappy with the vocals influenced from the Doors style. Mix in some Stray Cats skuzzy guitar and you have a song. “Blowin’ In The Wind” (the first song I ever learned to play on the guitar in the 8th grade) is perfromed in a style that I have never heard before. The tune starts of slow and dark, but then Saltzman wails in the middle. The vocals are very intense. You can tell that this song must have some special meaning to Saltzman by the feeling he gives. The final song from the first part is Sting’s “Every Breath You Take.” If you ever wondered how Elvis Presley would sound like today in an R&B up tempo style this would be it. I’m so use to Sting’s various version’s that it takes a couple of listens to get comfortable with it. The second part of the record, the last five songs are more straight ahead jazz. One original the rest standards. They didn’t do a lot for me, but I must say Saltzman did some great scatting on “Love Is Here To Stay.” His piano playing is superb through out the whole disc and for the whole Saltzman is one creative cat. - Contemporary Jazz
“Peter Saltzman and his Revolution Ensemble presented the premiere of ‘Kaballah Blues/Quantum Funk,’ an ambitious, richly layered, wonderfully accessible 55-minute work for elaborate jazz combo and vocalists. Taking off on a cosmic theme, Saltzman has unified the ancient and spiritual (in the form of Jewish prayer and mysticism), with the modern and scientific (in the form of quantum physics and the search for universal forces). Using a subtle blend of traditional Jewish melodies, jazz standards and early 20th century sounds from Gershwin to Debussy (with lyrics sung deftly by Gingi Lehera, backed hauntingly by percussionist Jeff Stitely) the composer also suggested the connection between the love of God, and the love between a man and a woman.” - Hedy Weiss
With a voice like stretching taffy, exquisitely dissonant harmonies and contemporary classical influences from the post-60's avant garde movements, this jazz ensemble is not only striking in its juxtaposition of jazz and modern classical, almost atonal worlds, but in the fact that it doesn't shy away from the obtuse, the weird, the unfashionable and the clashy- and then breaks into plain ol' classy bebop. They're shooting holes through the shields of jazz so be there to see what spills out. - Derek Sivers
“Peter Saltzman and The Revolution Ensemble have come up with the ultimate musical journey and experience on, Kabbalah Blues / Quantum Funk. The album finds the ensemble tapping into the groove of contemporary American urban music, the freedom and energy of Rock, the improvisational qualities of American Jazz, complex song structure and marvelous tonal color of Classical music and the emotional qualities of Blues. The lyrics are expertly crafted representing American life and experiences in vibrant portions. This is an album which ultimately delivers mass doses of listening entertainment, which has so much going on that one will find something new to marvel at with each listen. A must have for the musician who starts thinking that it has all been done. This album proves, once and for all, there is much more that can be done if one knows what one is doing and is able to accomplish the technical portion. If one finds it too difficult to achieve a goal, sit back and listen to The Revolution Ensemble, it doesn’t get any better than this.” - Main Reviewer
Discography
"Things Better Left Said"
"Kabbalah Blues/Quantum Funk" (Peter Saltzman and The Revolution Ensemble).
Songs from Two States
Unreleased: The three tracks on SonicBids are from an upcoming, unreleased album.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The music of Peter Saltzman is all about incongruities—it’s about sounds and words that by all logic shouldn’t work together, but, through Saltzman’s creativity and skill, do work together in a completely organic and absorbing way. Peter Saltzman is a singer-songwriter-pianist in the tradition of Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Mel Tormé and Stevie Wonder. In addition to performing his own songs, which have the lyrical quality of Cole Porter and the literary bent of Bob Dylan, Saltzman does startling renditions of a wide array of familiar standards—from Gershwin and Berlin to Dylan and Wonder. His songwriting, vocal and piano styles draw on an equally wide range of American pop, jazz, folk and rock traditions, from Gershwin to Paul Simon, from Billie Holiday to Nat King Cole, and from Art Tatum to McCoy Tyner. Yet for all of its sophistication, Saltzman’s music, with it’s rich melodies and funky sound, is accessible to a wide range of audiences. In addition, he has a natural rapport with audiences that give his performances a sense of informality, while retaining the highest degree of professionalism. While many in the music industry have become obsessed with the next hip sound, look, or attitude, Saltzman concerns himself with drawing a deeper connection to the roots of the whole spectrum of American Music—and recasting it in a fresh light. It is, in the words of Hedi Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times, “ambitious, richly layered, wonderfully accessible”.
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