Music
Press
"...Glad to hear something fresh these days - SnapDragon brings it on."
Sharon Kay
General Manager
88.1FM WFSK
Nashville, TN - WFSK Radio
Earth Foster (WFSK): Friday night jazz party right here, 88.1 WFSK. That’s Gregg Karukas right there, “Relentless”.
SnapDragon coming up pretty soon, live interview, going to be interviewing SnapDragon. They’re going to be talking about their 2-0-0-8 debut CD – I love it – called “Stealing a Moment.” Don’t miss it! And also, I’m going to be giving away that SnapDragon CD pretty soon, so you guys get your pen and paper, I’ll give you the number. Do not call right now – I’m not ready! 329-8810 – write it down, get it ready, because I’m going to be giving that CD away pretty soon, so don’t touch that dial. Also, like I said, SnapDragon’s going to be calling in a few minutes. I’d love to talk to them, and I know you guys would love to hear from this group. I’ve been playing “Slime Time” for the longest, and the whole CD is off the chain – I love it! “Stealing a Moment,” SnapDragon coming up live pretty soon – don’t touch that dial.
Here she is – I think this is real sweet, by request – here she is, Phyllis Hyman, “Sacred Kind of Love.”
[song plays]
WFSK: SnapDragon, is that you? Nashville, that’s right, I’ve got SnapDragon on the line. Snap, hello!
Sam Mims: Hey, how are you, Eartha?
WFSK: Oh, I’m doing great! I’m doing wonderful. We in Nashville love your SnapDragon CD, “Stealing a Moment”. Who came up with your name? That’s the first thing I want to know. How did you arrive to “SnapDragon”?
Mims: You know, I just always liked the word, the sound of the word, and I know that sounds silly. A snapdragon is a flower, and a lot of jazz sometimes is kind of flowery and pretty, but I also like the context of the word “snapping” and “dragon” because we get pretty aggressive sometimes in our music. So I like the double play of that word, and I just like the way it sounds.
WFSK: Cool. Let me ask you, I read here that this is your first CD. That’s really hard to believe, but you guys have played with many different jazz artists, haven’t you?
Mims: Yes, the band individually has a lot of experience, but we’re relatively new as a group. The drummer, Steve Glaeser, has played with Monte Alexander and toured a long time with Clark Terry. I worked with Richard Elliot for several years…
WFSK: One of my favorites…
Mims: …and Richard Smith, so we’ve all been around a little while making music, but we’re very fortunate now to be together doing it.
WFSK: I’ve enjoyed it, I’m telling you. Tell me something, when is your next CD coming out? You know, I’m just so fast and greedy, and I like this whole thing, and I like to ask artists, “What is your next project, and when can we hear it?” We’re spoiled already – when we like somebody, we want a new project every two months! [Laughs]
Mims: That’s wonderful to hear, Eartha. We’re actually at work on it. We haven’t started the recording yet, but we’ve integrated a number of new songs into our live show and we’re getting them ready to go into the studio, and that will probably be pretty soon that we start doing that. But we are - in fact, just this afternoon – were working on some Christmas tunes. We’re going to release two Christmas tunes, and so we’ll certainly be sending that CD to WFSK.
WFSK: Thank you so much.
Mims: That should be out hopefully in just a few weeks.
WFSK: Oh yeah? ‘Cause Christmas is almost tomorrow!
Mims: Christmas is coming fast, and we’re right up against the deadline, so we’re really hustling to get that out.
WFSK: Okay. All right now, you know what I liked about this CD, too? Everything on here is original.
Mims: Yes.
WFSK: That’s really amazing, and we appreciate that. We like new stuff, we want to hear great new, brand new originals, and we appreciate that. Which one is your favorite on this CD – tell me?
Mims: Gosh, it kind of depends on what sort of mood I’m in. I like them all – I don’t know if I really have a favorite. What’s your favorite?
WFSK: I like “Slime Time” and I also like “Black Onyx” – I love that one – and there’s another one I like, and I know it’s “Pajama…” but what is it… Give me the… Correct me, come on here, help me out…
Mims: “Pajima Baile” in Spanish, which means “Pajama Dance”…
WFSK: That’s right… [Laughs]
Mims: …which gives me some fun imagery - you could take that a number of different ways, and I like all of them.
WFSK: I do, too. And I enjoy the whole CD. And you say that the next project is coming out pretty soon - Christmas! That is gong to be so cool, and at WFSK we appreciate all that you guys are doing. We love your new stuff…
Mims: And we appreciate your support!
WFSK: And you know what? I saw on your web page, I pulled that up, and guess what, Nashville? We – WFSK – is right there on that web page. We appreciate that.
Mims: That’s right.
WFSK: Sharon [Kay, WFSK Music Director] has done some awesome stuff around here.
Mims: Yeah, Sharon has been very good to us, and we like to support the stations that are supporting us.
WFSK: And we say thank you, thank you so much.
Mims: Oh, my pleasure. And that website, by the way, is snapdragonjazz.com.
WFSK: Yes, thank you. Give it to them again, say it one more time.
Mims: snapdragonjazz.com, all together, no hyphens or spaces.
WFSK: Oh man, thank you so much. And your name again, you are – ‘cause I want to get it right – don’t tell me, I know – you are Sam Mims?
Mims: That’s correct.
WFSK: Hey, Eartha, that’s pretty good. You’re the music director, and you’ve been tearing up those keyboards, too!
Mims: Well, I’ve been trying… I did the songwriting and the producing on the record, and it’s been a wonderfully fun project.
WFSK: Sam, WFSK says thank you, and we can’t wait for that new holiday project coming up, okay? You get that right out there to us! Guess what I’m going to be doing, Sam? I’m going to be giving away a CD coming up shortly, so it will make somebody here happy.
Mims: Great!
WFSK: In the meantime, I want to play – hold on, Sam, don’t you go nowhere!
Mims: I’ll be here…
WFSK: Nashville, this is SnapDragon, I love this tune, this is their “Stealing a Moment” CD, and this cut right here is called “Black Onyx.” Ya’ll enjoy it…
[song plays]
WFSK: Fisk University, 88.1 WFSK, Fisk University, it’s Eartha. That was SnapDragon. SnapDragon, thank you, thank you, Nashville loves you, I can’t wait for that Christmas CD, that holiday CD, get it to us!
- WFSK Radio, Nashville, TN
Discography
"Stealing a Moment" (HumBug Records, 2008); the title track broke into the Top 100 in national radio airplay in June 2008 (Mediabase Smooth AC chart).
"HumBug Christmas" (HumBug Records, 2008); SnapDragon has three songs on this holiday compilation CD.
Photos
Bio
SnapDragon's 2008 debut CD, on HumBug Records, features ten original contemporary jazz songs that evoke comparisons from Joe Sample to Weather Report. Two tracks feature the guitar wizardry of guest artist Richard Smith. The title track of the CD has broken the Top 100 in U.S. radio airplay (Mediabase Smooth Adult Contemporary chart). One of the album's songs, "Black Onyx," was a featured Daily Download by the All About Jazz website, and became one of the site's most downloaded tracks. EchoSmoothJazz.com chose "Stealing a Moment" as it's featured CD for April 2008.
Sam Mims is SnapDragon's music director and keyboardist, Carl Stutevoss plays bass, and Steve Glaeser is on drums. (Former band member Danny Fisk was the sax player on "Stealing a Moment.")
Mims comes from a background of R&B, rock, and contemporary jazz. He worked for years as Richard Elliot's keyboardist, touring and recording several records that went to the #1 spot in radio airplay (Radio & Records) and in record sales (Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart). He has appeared on BET on Jazz with Ramsey Lewis, and on Nashville Now, and has shared the stage with Spyro Gyra, Bobby Caldwell, the Rippingtons, David Benoit, Larry Carlton, and many others. Steve Glaeser comes from a more traditional jazz background; he has played drums with jazz giants Clark Terry, Monte Alexander, and others. Add to the mix Carl Stutevoss's unique bass lines - often melodic and chordal - and you've got a recipe for jazz that falls in an interesting area somewhere between traditional and smooth jazz. SnapDragon tunes have "hummable" melodies and strong hooks, like a good pop tune, with a unique jazz flavor. In the words of Sharon Kay (General Manager, WFSK Radio in Nashville), "Glad to hear something fresh these days. SnapDragon brings it on!"
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