Some of My Most Embarrassing Moments:
This is MichaelAngelo and not the ninja turtle. I told ya I’d be getting back to you. remember you down loaded one of my smooth jazz singles entitled “Brick City Nights” from masmoothjazz.com. Well I hope you enjoyed it like many others have commented. I first want to thank you for taking the time to listen to it and I mean this from my heart. This is my first solo endeavor from my smooth Jazz CD “Cool Blue” and I must say I very proud of it because a lot of work went into its production and getting good feed back from others who have purchased it. If there is one thing I enjoy the most other than God, family, country and german chocolate cake is making music. Oh !!! by the way I do make mean german chocolate cake, word up. On my freshman installment CD “Cool Blue” I play most of the instruments including sythesized guitar, drums and and drum programming. Now, now I must say I did get some priceless input and help from some good friends of mine and family who are very accomplished vocalist and musicians in their own right. “TC” Terrell Carr makes an appearance who is the off and on replacement lead singer for the popular 90’s R&B group Hi-Five on the tune “The Way I Do” dude just walked in effortlessly and laid down lead and background vocals in no time. Including the Lyricist aka Justin Shefton my boy just to name a few.
Music has always been a love of mine since an very early age but has created some of the most embarrassing moments, Yet I survived. I remember, receiving my first guitar and just enjoying the aroma the guitar case (weird I know) and the sounds coming from it but FYI I began playing drums . This is how all got started …..It was like yesterday as I remember I was about 7 years old and a friend and of my mother Ms. Bernice invited us to a small country church. Well, during praise service I became mesmerized by the nice, red sparkly drum set in the corner of room while some dude was playing them and could not take my eyes off. As though they were calling my name (just kidding). However, the drummer made a big mistake at one point …….he got up and left the drums unattended . Well, My legs dared me to get up and try’em out. And guess what? that’s what I did. Everything seemed to have gone silent for a few seconds. While sitting there wondering what to I should do next Ms. Bernice who was surprised and embarrassed ran over grabbed me by the arm and remove me. Just when I was about to rip it up. Wow! the nerve. I’ll never forget the nervous look on her face… now to think of it I can’t remember going back with her Ha!!. Well any how, my baby sister and I soon returned to Cleveland, Ohio because my mother was concerned about the riots all over the country and civil unrest in Palm Beach County Florida at that time. That was a real real long time ago. However, when we returned to Florida with my grandmother years later guess what church she joined after a long search… yep! you guessed it Ms. Bernice’s old country church, now was that a fluke or what?. Go figure. So I became the drummer then later the guitarist (after the guitar spoke to me in the same way-just kidding!!!). when the preacher sat his guitar down for a moment to pray for some people. In like manner , I walked up and started playing. Later, that night for some reason he was more than happy to let me play for the evening service. Afterwards, I became the official lead musician which was real cool. From There, I went on to to college playing drums for a campus group traveling across the eastern sea board. My freshman year I did my first studio gig and two more followed. That’s when the bug hit me. I later played for the university’s jazz band and wow! what an eye opener. Even though I was self taught and ear trained the music professor took me on. Maybe he saw something I didn’t quite see in myself. Well I don’t have to tell ya that that was an easy “A” you’d think i would’ve pursued music as my career with me loving it all but no !!! I just had to be practical and followed a different direction. I majored in natural science learning how to make some neat thing and blow stuff up. All the while music was taking me to some great places here in the US and including Lincoln Center which was a blast and touring Europe and even playing off broadway meeting people like Mark Jackson and his wife Desiree Coleman star of “Mama I want To sing” , Patrick Ewing from the New York Knicks, Vickie Winans, Keith Pringle, Timothy Wright, Pras Michel from “the Fugees”, Heather Headley (studio), Gerald Austin from the group “The Manhattans” Eban Brown from the Styllistics and some others. Including playing in New York’s Top Studios like “The Hit Factory” . Later, some places I declined to go because I had a family raising the kids and needed to work after finishing a science degree at Lee University, However, there are no regrets.
Now that the children are of age and I’m experiencing some free time so I am doing doing what I like to do best …. Music. I once heard comedian/actor Eddie Murphy say something profound while on an interview and that is “document your work” as an artist. Those words rung out to me . Then I began recalled that I have recorded and performed with so many people I decided to launch my very own project. So if I writing to you that means you enjoy listening to contemporary Jazz like I do. In addition, I love creating creating music. since embarking on this musical journey you would not believe the out pouring of support. People from different walks of life are enjoying my music and have it as a part of their musical libraries, ain’t that cool ??? Not too shabby for a musician who started out in a small country church huh !!!. Well, who would have thunk it.
This, however, is truly humbling and encouraging. So, therefore, currently I have begun working on a second CD at the urging of some good people and my greatest critics, family, are so far liking it. So pick up a copy of my CD I know you will enjoy it Here:http://www.masmoothjazz.com/buy-music.