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The Lao Tizer Band

Songs From The Swinghouse

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Trailer
To Touch The Sky
Metropolis
16th Heaven
16th Heaven featuring Eric Marienthal at the 2018 Atlanta Jazz Festival
A Prayer for Unity
1 The Source
2 16th Heaven
3 Forever Searching
4 Pride (In The Name of Love)
5 A Prayer For Unity
6 Metropolis
7 Ramble On
8 To Touch The Sky
9 Sad Lisa
10 Codes
11 Forever Searching duet
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vWith more than five years since their last release, The Lao Tizer Band has taken the time to grow in every aspect. An updated larger band is exploring some new methods on their upcoming CD/DVD combo, Songs From The Swinghouse: recorded live in just three days at Conway Studios in Hollywood, the band explores three cover tunes with vocalist, a first for the group, alongside original instrumental tracks, bringing them to new heights of excellence and exuberance.

Featuring a thoughtful and at times surprising choice of tracks, while adding to an already stellar lineup of players with the addition of a seasoned vocalist, this is an album that has set a new path for the band and its dedicated fans. Songs From The Swinghouse features eight blistering original instrumentals and three iconic classic rock songs with reimagined arrangements. "We've never done anything with a vocalist and we've never done any cover songs, so this is the first time that I decided to delve into that realm, to basically expand the scope of our music," says Tizer. Critically acclaimed music-film director, Andy LaViolette (Snarky Puppy, Bokante, David Crosby, etc), documented the entire session in a simultaneous, 8-camera HD video shoot for the included DVD.

From the 2007 album Diversify, which showcased the multi-faceted richly textured musicality of an already celebrated career, to 2009's Passages in which the keyboardist and composer focused on a minimalist expression of his musical journey in a virtually solo piano recording with the barest of accompaniment, and then back to a pulsating full band on the 2012 release Downbeat, this ensemble of world-renowned musicians has taken Tizer's vision to a new level on the latest album. The jazz and world-fusion group now adds rock to its repertoire with a sizzling new collection of eleven songs. 

Hailing from Boulder, CO, with a career that now spans nine albums over nearly a quarter of a century -- he was a teenage prodigy -- Tizer is the son of hippies with a Russian-Jewish background, and the mix of that ethnic family heritage, parental new age influence and growing up with the sights and sounds of '80s and '90s pop culture (alongside the music of the '60s and '70s he heard from his parents) have brought him to a place in his artistic life where he was ready to embrace a wider range of influences and stretch himself and his players to pull off such an ambitious project. 

  • The Lao Tizer Band headlines at Civic Park's 'Jazz'SAlive' festival / San Antonio Report
    Posted At: September 25, 2024
    San Antonio Report's Nicholas Frank WRITES….Saturday’s headliner at Civic Park's 40th Annual Jazz'SAlive is The Lao Tizer Band.Colorado-bred, LA-based keyboardist Lao Tizer embodies what it means to be a 21st-century musician inhabiting the jazz sphere - that being one who embraces musical diversity and has no fear of crossing boundaries. But Tizer also happens to come by this naturally. As the self-describ...

  • Lao Tizer chats about 'AMLIFY' with 88.9KUCI
    Posted At: September 24, 2024
    Colorado-bred, LA-based keyboardist Lao Tizer embodies what it means to be a 21st-century musician inhabiting the jazz sphere - that being one who embraces musical diversity and has no fear of crossing boundaries. But Tizer also happens to come by this naturally. As the self-described “child of East Coast Jewish hippies,” he was exposed to and was influenced by his parents' extensive musical tastes from a y...

  • Elliott Yamin and Lao Tizer discuss new 'Amplify' album and perform the hit single 'Down' / KTLA 5
    Posted At: August 26, 2024
    Colorado-bred, LA-based keyboardist Lao Tizer embodies what it means to be a 21st-century musician inhabiting the jazz sphere - that being one who embraces musical diversity and has no fear of crossing boundaries. The Lao Tizer Band has flown by that directional compass while infusing the bespoke influences and experiences that inform Tizer’s musical worldview.Subsequently, the band attracted many top playe...

  • Lao Tizer Band, featuring Eric Marienthal set for debut performance at ASU's Fowler Center / Guard-Online.com
    Posted At: July 26, 2023
    With more than five years since their last release, The Lao Tizer Band has taken the time to grow in every aspect. An updated larger band is exploring some new methods on their upcoming CD/DVD combo, Songs From The Swinghouse: recorded live in just three days at Conway Studios in Hollywood, the band explores three cover tunes with vocalist, a first for the group, alongside original instrumental tracks, brin...

  • Lao Tizer will lead his band in concert to benefit the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival's - Student Instrument Contest / Grateful Web
    Posted At: November 12, 2020

    Keyboardist and composer Lao Tizer will lead his band that features GRAMMY Award winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal and the mesmerizing world music violinist Karen Briggs in a concert to benefit the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival's Student Instrument Contest.  Winners of the 2020 contest will be honored during the broadcast. The free event will be streamed live on the festival'...

  • SpecialEFX AllStars - Dakota set, featured Regina Carter and Lao Tizer / TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
    Posted At: January 13, 2019

    Ever since he co-founded the combo Special EFX back in the early 1980s, guitarist, composer and arranger Chieli Minucci has been one of the most successful musicians working in contemporary" jazz. Minucci, who led the group Thursday night at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis, added saxophonist Eric Marienthal and violinist Regina Carter to the group Both are veteran bandleaders in their own ri...

  • Chieli Minucci and Karen Briggs join Lao Tizer in Norfolk / The Virginian-Pilot
    Posted At: November 17, 2018

    Growing up on a Colorado commune, Tizer was exposed to a broad range of music and experiences. His "hippie" parents, as he describes them, were of Russian-Jewish heritage, and though neither one played a musical instrument, Tizer started improvising on the piano when he was young. Part of his musical education came from his dad's large LP collection. His parents listened to classical and world mu...

  • Set for Wildflower Music Festival, Lao Tizer speaks with WVIAPublic Media
    Posted At: August 10, 2018

    Keyboardist"> Lao Tizer speaking with Mindy Cronk of WVIA Public Media about his music before a Wildflower Music Festival performance at the Dorflinger Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary on August 11. Tizer's ">Songs From The Swinghouse: recorded live in just three days at Conway Studios in Hollywood, presents a thoughtful and at times surprising choice of tracks,  "We've never done anything with a v...

  • Lao Tizer Band transforms U2's 'Pride (In the Name of Love)' / JAZZIZ
    Posted At: August 10, 2018

    Veteran fusion keyboardist Lao Tizer was thinking big for his latest album, Songs from the Swinghouse. Just how big? For one, the album features Tizer's largest band to date, as many as 15 members on some songs, including saxophonist Eric Marienthal and violinist Karen Briggs. Marking yet another big milestone, Songs from the Swinghouse also features a vocalist - the first in the band's history.  ...

  • Lao Tizer talks with WUSB in advance of Huntington Summer Arts Festival show
    Posted At: July 20, 2018

    The Lao Tizer Band's Songs From The Swinghouse has set a new path for the band and its dedicated fans. Featuring eight original and three cover, Songs From The Swinghouse has taken Tizer's vision to a new level. Critically acclaimed music-film director, Andy LaViolette (Snarky Puppy, Bokante, David Crosby, etc), documented the entire session from Conway Studios in Hollywo...

  • In New Haven for John Lyman Center, Lao Tizer speaks with 89.5WPKN
    Posted At: July 12, 2018

    With more than five years since their last release, The Lao Tizer Band has taken the time to grow in every aspect. An updated larger band is exploring some new methods on their newest release; Songs From The Swinghouse. Recorded live in just three days at Conway Studios in Hollywood, the band explores three cover tunes with vocalist, a first for the group, alongside original instrumental t...

  • Lao Tizer frames 'Songs From The Swinghouse' as a bold venture into social media / JAZZIZ
    Posted At: July 5, 2018

    Keyboardist Lao Tizer is no stranger to reinvention. Throughout his nearly two-decade professional career, the Colorado-born, Los Angeles-based musician has charted a course through various styles and genres, beginning with his 2000 adult contemporary debut, Golden Soul, and arriving at his latest project, the fusion-oriented CD+DVD combo, Songs from the Swinghouse. Released March 16, the new album i...

  • Lao Tizer Band ticks all the boxes on Songs From The Swinghouse / JazzdaGama
    Posted At: June 1, 2018

    It's not sure whether pianist Lao Tizer thinks of his ensemble as a jazz big band, but jazz may well have taken the group to its heart already – and even if some have not there is every chance that they will very soon. Whip smart, unpredictable and open to the craziest ideas out there, the prodigiously-gifted musician from Boulder, Colorado and his big band tick all the boxes: their last a...

  • DOWNBEAT Premiere from the Lao Tizer Band - Songs From The Swinghouse
    Posted At: May 27, 2018

    The Lao Tizer Band (Cheikh N'Doye (left), Ric Fierabracci, Munyungo Jackson, Tita Hutchison, Chieli Minucci, Lao Tizer, Gene Coye, Steve Nieves, Karen Briggs, Jeff Marshall, Eric Marienthal) recently issued Songs From The Swinghouse on Yse Records. A video for the lead-off track from the CD/DVD project, "The Source," is below. On the song, the pianist leads his 10-piece ensemble through a funky origi...

  • Lao Tizer set for Atlanta Jazz Fest / 91.9WCLK: Jazz Tones
    Posted At: May 26, 2018

    Child prodigy and native of Boulder Colorado, Keyboardist Lao Tizer now has a career that spans a quarter of century. With nine albums, the session from his latest album release; Songs from the Swinghouse (Yse Records) was documented by award-winning Film Director Andy LaViolette. Commenting on Songs From The Swinghouse, Tizer says; "We've never done anything with a vocalist and we've n...

  • Lao Tizer chats with 89.3WRTC
    Posted At: May 22, 2018

    The Lao Tizer Band, now larger and exploring new methods on Songs From The Swinghouse. Featuring eight blistering original instrumentals and three iconic classic rock songs with reimagined arrangements, Lao says "We've never done anything with a vocalist and we've never done any cover songs, so this is the first time that I decided to delve into that realm, to basically expand the scope of our mu...

  • Lao Tizer Band feat. Eric Marienthal will close Bakersfield Jazz Festival / Bakersfield.com
    Posted At: April 25, 2018

    For Bakersfield Jazz Festival director Jim Scully, last year's event - the first without festival founder Doug Davis - provided a glimpse into what works, what needs work, and what has to work in regards to this venerable musical institution. "I'm not sure there's enough column inches to get into it all," Scully said. "Primarily, I've learned about the myriad moving parts that it takes to make th...

  • Lao Tizer fronts an 11 member band that is filled with swinging funk / Jazz Weekly
    Posted At: April 2, 2018

    Keyboardist Lao Tizer fronts an 11 member band that is filled with swinging funk, not dissimilar to vintage Tower of Power and AWB. Along with Eric Mrienthal-Steve Nieves/sax, Chieli Minucci-Jeff Marshall/g, Ric Fierabracci-Cheikh N'Doye/b, Karen Briggs/vi, Tita Hutchison/foc, Munyungo Jackson/perc and a slew of guests, Tizer mixes his own compositions with some clever takes on covers. Hip soul with punc...

  • Atlanta Jazz Festival lineup announced / JazzTimes
    Posted At: March 28, 2018

    The lineup for the 2018 Atlanta Jazz Festival was announced and it includes a whole day of performances by groups led by women. The two-day festival celebrates its 41st anniversary with a series of sets on May 26-27 in Piedmont Park. The festival, presented by the City of Atlanta's Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, is free thanks to support from the city, foundations and corporations. For the first...

  • Lao Tizer Band - Songs From The Swinghouse, is an enthralling listen / 5FingerReview
    Posted At: March 23, 2018

    The Lao Tizer Band is a group that has focused on making its own sound. They have taken the time to grow as a band, both in size and in their own unique sound and style. This is evident in the music on their CD/DVD combo, Songs From The Swinghouse: recorded live in just three days at Conway Studios in Hollywood. At the helm is Lao Tizer (piano, keys, organ, bandleader), he leads the band as they explore ...

  • Lao Tizer Quartet set for Telluride Jazz Festival
    Posted At: March 15, 2018

    With more than five years since their last release, The Lao Tizer Band has taken the time to grow in every aspect. An updated larger band is exploring some new methods on their new - Songs From The Swinghouse: recorded live in just three days at Conway Studios in Hollywood. The album explores three cover tunes with vocalist, a first for the group, alongside original instrumental tracks, bringing them to ...
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