The Piers Lawrence Quartet
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The Piers Lawrence Quartet

| INDIE | AFM

| INDIE | AFM
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""Exceptional Musicality""

"Stolen Moments" features the exceptional musciality of guitarist Piers Lawrece, bassist Jim Hankins, Sir Earl Grice on drums and Chuk Fowler on piano. Lawrence's soulful, melodic guitar playing and prolific songwriting makes this CD a masterful offering for anyone into straight-ahead jazz.

While many of Lawrence's fans know him from his association with such hit Broadway musicals as Guys and Dolls, Hubie, Dancin' and Your Arms Too Short To Box With God, his presence in the jazz galazy includes his ownership of JazzNet Media and his production of the Internet radio show called "Manhattan Jazz."

The CD features such great standards as Sonny Rollins' "Pent-up House," Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments," the rarely heard Charlie parker composition "Donna Lee" and the Fain/Francis gem "Secret Love." While those standards may enamor the die-hard jazz enthusiast to the quartet's musicality, Lawrence's own "Everytime" and "Dimanche" are prominent showcases for their steller interplay and Lawrence's ability to bring something new to the table for novice jazz lovers - be it a blues or a loving ballad.

These songs are real winners and are destined to become jazz standards or ensconced in some amazing player's repertoire because of their beautiful melodies and chord progressions. Along with the excellent soloing, this quartet captures the character of a late night jazz scene with all its energy and depth of emotion.

So steal a few moments to enjoy this excellent recording. You'll be glad you did."

By Paula Edelstein
LA All About Jazz - All About Jazz Magazine


""Soulful Guitar""

There's something very satisfying about sitting down and listening to four talented jazz pros combining to provide a smooth and cohesive sound. It's a task that is far more difficult than it sounds, but the Piers Lawrence Quartet has nailed it on the group's new album, Stolen Moments, releasing March 1st on the Jazznet Media label.

Armed with a soulful guitar and sporting his signature cap, Piers Lawrence is a regular fixture on the New York jazz scene, and has a rich history that includes everything from Broadway to touring with Wilson Pickett. His current ties to the Harlem musical community have helped pave the way for matching up with the other members of the quartet, all of whom have their own impressive resumes.

Pianist Chuk Fowler is a veteran who lists Nat King Cole among his influences, and he's played with Billy Higgins and Hank Mobley. Bassist Jim Hankins is another seasoned pro who has worked with Lou Rawls, Wes Montgomery, and Sonny Stitt. And finally, drummer Sir Earl Grice has not only performed with Sonny Rollins, George Benson, and Stevie Wonder, but also lists acting credits among his accomplishments.

The album is a nice mix of eight tracks, three written by Lawrence and the others coming from a variety of composers, including Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, and Sonny Rollins, whose "Pent-Up House" opens the album. It's a good choice because it shows how Lawrence's skillful guitar lead can ably substitute for Rollins' sax, a pattern that's followed throughout the album.

The group gives us more of a bop sound on Parker's "Donna Lee," with drummer Grice shining though, and something a touch more modern with Jaco's "Reza," but the album is mostly traditional jazz rather than cutting-edge stuff. One of my favorites was an old song given a new treatment, "Secret Love," with Lawrence and pianist Fowler playing nicely off each other.

Lawrence's own compositions are solid and polished. I especially enjoyed the Latin bounce of "Samba Christina," along with the soft ballad "Everytime," which gives Hankin some time to show his mastery of the upright bass.

I'm a traditionalist and I enjoyed this album a lot, but some jazz aficionados might feel that it doesn't take enough risks. I hope they'll give it a chance, because I think they'd find that it's well worth the listen. - Blog Critics Magazine


Discography

CD,'STOLEN MOMENTS' #17 on Jazz Radio Charts
available at www.PiersLawrence.com
CDBaby/CD/PLQ
www.myspace/PiersLawrenceQuartet
Amazon.com

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Bio

Piers Lawrence a soulful, melodic guitarist, and prolific songwriter was born in Manhattan, raised in San Francisco, and Geneva, Switzerland,

At 19 he joined the world-renowned, Harlem-based, Jazz-Mobile Orchestra Big Band and studied with jazz greats Barry Galbraith and Ted Dunbar, played Broadway shows including 'Guys and Dolls', 'Dancin', 'Hubie', and toured and recorded with Wilson Picket, The Main Ingredient, Ester Phillips, Phyilis Hyman, The Caribbean Allstars and Merl Saunders.

Piers brings his love of jazz music both to the live stage and to internet radio, where he produces and hosts "Manhattan Jazz" on www.TribecaRadio.net. His record label, JazzNet Media produces independent projects such as "Stolen Moments" which features three original tunes, Samba Christina, Everytime and Dimanche.

THE PIERS LAWRENCE QUARTET BIOS:

Chuk Fowler: His early influences include Nat "King" Cole, Hampton Hawes, and Miles Davis and after studying with Sir Roland Hanna and Sonny Stitt's father, Edward Boatner, he has gone on to play with Kenny Durham, Hank Mobley, Billy Higgins and Harry "Sweets" Edison.

Jim Hankins, comes from Detroit, MI, where he grew up in a jazz musician-rich neighborhood that was home to icons such as Barry Harris, Charles McPherson, Donald Byrd and Kenny Burrell. Jim has worked with jazz greats such as Sonny Stitt, Lou Rawls, Wes Montgomery, Donald Byrd and Betty Carter.

Sir Earl Grice played drums for his parents gospel choir in Newark, New Jersey. His early influences include Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, "Papa" Jo Jones and his all time favorite musician is John Coltrane with Elvin Jones. Earl also has impressive credits as an actor, he's appeared in over forty films and television productions starting with a Bronx Tale in 1992.