Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
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Discography
The Jon Maurer Band is one of Baltimore's most promising new bands. They are in the process of recording their first. Their next show will be recorded live and along with their studio time by Baltimore favorite Larry Cedrone. For the time being we only have this practice video available. We'll have more audio and better quality videos, in the next week or so. Check them out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u-3AQlBsjQ
Photos
Bio
Since the age of five, Jon Maurer has been sitting at a piano. Playing professionally since the age of 15, Jon has now been creating original music for over 17 years. The city of Baltimore has been the backdrop for Maurer's musical career as he's been the front man for Shattered Sun, Barrelhouse, Kustom Blend and now, the Jon Maurer Trio and the Jon Maurer Band. In all, Jon has produced five full-length studio albums and one live album, and perpetually has another album's worth of fresh material ready to record.
The sound of Maurer's music is distinctive and unique enough to be impossible to label, but his classical and jazz training influence a blues and funk-based rock that reaches with intensity without overwhelming. Not to be eclipsed by Jon's eye-popping keyboard skills, his passionate vocals hearken classic rockers Roger Daltry and Robert Plant while paying homage to the consumable Beatles' harmonic sound.
The current evolution of Jon's music features a minimalist, roots-based approach by limiting the sound to four basic instruments-piano, sax, upright bass and drums. Notably missing from this quartet is the versatility of a guitar, but its absence allows even more space for the nuance of the featured instruments and rich vocal melodies and harmonies.
While Jon stands out, he's certainly not alone. Each band member brings a lifetime of musical experience and education. Nick Selvi, a long-time Baltimore music veteran, has been featured in virtually every incarnation of Maurer's bands as well as the Kelly Bell Band. But for the first time, his saxophone is not a complement, but a supplement. Nick is a perpetual student of music of all forms who plays and teaches just about every major instrument and also lends his skill on the keyboard as well.
The additional space left by the absence of a guitar leaves the extra room for silence as well as the superlative sound of Jon and Nick, and the most visually appealing member of the entourage, Jeff Loyd's upright bass. The stand-up sound simply can't be replaced with any effect, and few have the skill or the patience to dedicate themselves to the discipline. Jeff's sound adds a unique warmth and grounding that establishes the foundation of the band's sound with Jon's brother, Tim Maurer. Not one for flash or feature, Tim is a musician first and a drummer second, also lending his vocals that have been blending with Jon's for over three decades.
The band's influences range widely from classical (Beethoven and Mozart) to jazz (Miles Davis and John Coltrane) to classic rock (Led Zeppelin and The Who) to pop innovators (The Beatles, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley) to jam bands (The Allman Brothers and The Greatful Dead) to roots throwbacks and bluegrass (The Wood Brothers, The Avett Brothers, Alison Krauss, and Mumford & Sons) to true country (Johnny Cash and John Denver) to grunge (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters) and about ten 80 gig iPods full in between!
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