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Greg Vail

I have been playing sax for a good long time now. Everyday my sax is heard on radio or television. Over the course of the last 20 years, I have recorded on literally hundreds of Smooth Jazz and Christian CDs. Recent jazz credits include Peter White's smash hit Single, Perfect Moment (#1 Billboard and #1 on Radio) and Grammy nominated, keyboardist Rob Mullin's 5 most recent CDs. Television credits include all woodwinds in the award-winning, NBC series Profilers, numerous commercials, cable television, Jazz specials and a national commercial for Time Life Records aired to promote the million-selling Sax By Candlelight and Sax By Moonlight CDs I recorded fpr Time Life. I also recorded hundreds of songs for Muzak, which are heard everyday and everywhere. Touring with some of the hottest names in Jazz, I have performed with Rick Braun, Peter White, Keiko Matsui, Guitar & Saxes (with Richard Elliot), Rob Mullins, Slim Man, Craig Chaquico, Dave Koz, Marc Antoine, Diane Schuur, John Tesh, Steve Oliver, Eric Marienthal, and Brian Bromberg to name a few. In the Christian Music scene, I have recorded with the likes of Petra, Jon Gibson, Crystal Lewis, John Elefante, Leon Patillo, Morris Chapman and on numerous Maranatha, Vineyard and Saddleback Church projects. In the Pop world with Smokey Robinson, Al Stewart, The Coasters, The Drifters, The Platters, Slash, Billy Idol, Brian Wilson and Andrew Dice Clay. My grandfather was a professional saxophonist. I started playing sax at age six, studied privately with great teachers, played in school bands, junior high through high school. Went to Orange Coast College at 15 and started formal training in music which continued through graduation from Long Beach State, a B.A. in Music in 1984 and continues to this day. I worked with lots of different bands and gigs, but the first big break was joining Smooth Jazz super group Kilauea when it first formed in 1991. Over the next 4 years I recorded on 4 CDs with Kilauea which prepared the way for a solo CD as the main artist. eMotion, released in 1995 on BrainChild Records. I left Kilauea to form my own band in '95, and landed a great deal to record Sax By Candlelight, a 40-song collection of love songs on Time Life Records released in 1996, which was repackaged and released as Sax By Moonlight in 1997 as a 4 CD box set and repackaged a dozen other ways selling millions of CDs. Busy touring with guitar sensation Peter White and keyboardist Rob Mullins, I didn't get another solo CD out until December 2000, when I started my own record label, Greg Vail Music. My first owned and paid CD as Greg Vail Music was Christmas, The Hymns. Recorded and manufactured in a mere 3 weeks, Christmas, The Hymns was a huge hit. Recording began January 2001 for a compilation of favorite Gospel melodies; The Gospel Truth was released May 2001 on Greg Vail Music. I finally got/bought my debut eMotion CD rights and remastered and repackaged this CD in 2002.

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Album Review

Norman Brown: Let's Get Away

Read "Let's Get Away" reviewed by La-Faithia White


Norman Brown is an American smooth jazz guitarist and singer. Brown's style is contemporary, with a soul-jazz rhythmic storytelling vibe. His interest in guitar began at age eight, after discovering his brother's acoustic six-string. Brown's own take on the perfect getaway involves “a joyful and peaceful mental state, surrounded by companionship in an atmosphere of inspiration and beauty that is illustrated by the colors of nature." Each song delivers the genius of Brown's playing while giving attention to the fusion ...

124
Album Review

Saxman Greg Vail: The Gospel Truth

Read "The Gospel Truth" reviewed by Dave Hughes


Saxman Greg Vail’s newest offering The Gospel Truth is, as its title suggests, rich with the influence of church music, while occasionally sporting funky soulfulness in varying degrees. The opener finds Vail’s saxophones in R&B mode, framed by a gospel choir. Vail’s rich tenor recalls Gato Barbieri on the Coster/Santana tune “Europa,” expressing all of the tune’s inherent soulful grandeur.

The remainder of the program is performed only by Vail on saxophones and Rob Mullins on keyboards and programming. Seven ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Let's Get Away

Shanachie Entertainment
2022

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The Gospel Truth

Independent Records
2001

buy

Sax By Candlelight

DIW Records
1994

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