Born: October 31, 1982 Primary Instrument: Vocal
”With a cool and sophisticated vocal style, Jonny Blu leads the way among a new generation of Swing/Adult Contemporary Pop artists, writing, composing and producing his own music. His music, combining stylish, stirring and romantic pop, smooth blues and jazz flavor with bursts of swingin' big band will please any generation of listeners.”
Jonny Blu is a uniquely talented singer/songwriter who was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, but made his debut into the music world in of all places China. After making a success in China, and appearing in the Disney blockbuster film Princess Diaries 2, Jonny has returned to the United States to promote his career further, going back to his musical roots in Swing and Pop. Uniquely among his contemporaries, most of Blu's songs are actually written by him. With a smooth pop feel, blended with hints of cool jazz and blues, Jonny's music, lyrics and vocal style really will put you in just that kind of a mood.
While his path in the music industry is rare, it suits Jonny perfectly. Following his success in China he is currently living in Los Angeles and focusing on promoting his recently released 3rd studio album Taboo! and his previous independent releases, the swingin' EP release In A Groove (2008) and his original debut Swing/Pop CD In Just That Kind of a Mood (2007). In A Groove is a digital only release with four Jonny Blu originals and a swingin' remake of the Burt Bacharach classic Always Something There to Remind Me. In Just That Kind of a Mood contains six original songs as well as standards by artists ranging from the classic Cole Porter to LL Cool J, all with Blu's own contemporary spin. Songs like the title track In That Kind of a Mood, Smilin' Eyes and Ooh-Wee are examples of Jonny Blu's natural gift for songwriting and love for music.
Blu's newest album Taboo! is a co-production with music publishing powerhouse Peer Music (www.peermusic.com). With two years of work behind the project, this is Blu's third studio album release in the United States. Working alongside arranger Bob Malone, Jonny dug deep into the Peer music library of Latin Classics and kicked out some amazing versions of classic Latin Pop Standards including Babaloo, Besame Mucho, and Taboo. The 23 track album includes swinging instrumentals of all songs and two songs Besame Mucho and Sabor A Mi sung in Spanish. Blu is currently doing preview shows for his upcoming tour in 2010. He will be performing at Herb Alpert's Vibrato in Los Angeles on December 15, 2009 to kick off promotion for Taboo!
A Bit More...
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jonny was dually influenced by music and foreign languages. Coming from a very creative family -his father created the classic game The Game of Life and his mother a former singer/actress- Jonny's musical path was initiated at a very young age. He also showed a gift for writing and language early on (studying Spanish and Hebrew beginning at age eight), which eventually led him to study Chinese at the prestigious Peking University in Beijing during his college years at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). After studying and traveling in China for two years, Jonny returned to the States where he would soon go against the grain and combine these two skills. As the only non- Chinese artist, he entered a Chinese singing competition in Los Angeles on a whim. This random decision eventually led him back to China where his musical talent and fluency in Mandarin quickly saw him rise in the music world in China and ultimately become the first ever non-Chinese pop star. This career also led to a cameo role (as himself) in Disney's blockbuster film Princess Diaries 2, singing (in Mandarin) Miracles Happen, for which Jonny also received a RIAA Certified Gold record for his song on the Soundtrack.
Taboo!
Peer Music/Dao Feng Music
2009
Tracks:
Taboo (Tabú)" – 3:12
Be True To Me (Sabor A Mí)" – 3:02
Frenesí" – 2:25
Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps (Quizas Quizas Quizas)" – 2:42
Say No More (Mais Que Nada)" – 4:20
Adiós" – 3:54
Bésame Mucho" – 3:14
Time Was (Duerme)" – 2:24
Babaloo (Babalú)" – 2:31
Amor" – 3:48
Sabor A Mí" (en Español) – 3:02
Bésame Mucho (en Español)" – 3:14
Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps (Duet with Juanita Rosa)" – 2:43
*Also contains full instrumentals for the first ten songs
(23 Tracks Total)
Personnel:
Jonny Blu: Vocals
Bob Malone – piano, music arrangements
John Chiodini – guitar, 12 string guitar
Chris Conner – bass
Lee Thornburg – trumpet
Nick Lanel – trombone
Doug Webb – saxophone, woodwind, clarinet, flute
Jimmy Paxson – drums, percussion
John Acosta – cello
Candy Girard – violin
Sai-Ly – violin
Alex Shlifer – violin
Tom Tally – violin
Todd Herfindal – additional percussion
Brady Benton – additional percussion
Production:
Todd Herfindal – producer, engineer, mixing
Louis White – producer, engineer, mixing
Bob Malone – arranger, producer
Brady L. Benton – producer
Jonny Blu – producer
Stephen Marsh – mixing, mastering
Yvonne Gomez – executive producer for Peer- Southern Productions, Inc./Peer Music
Kathy Spanberger – executive producer for Peer- Southern Productions, Inc/Peer Music
Paul Gonzales – artwork, album package design
Rebecca Sapp – front cover photography
Gisela Prishker – inside and back cover photography
In Just That Kind Of A Mood
Dao Feng Music/Sound Cubed Music
2007
Tracks:
"Smilin' Eyes (Ain't Always Nice) – 2:53
"Girl From Ipanema" – 2:52
"How Can I" – 3:35
"I Need Love" – 3:58
"In Just That Kind Of A Mood" – 3:56
"Ooh-Wee" – 3:45
"King Of THe Road" – 3:03
"Always, Forever You And Me" – 2:40
"Are You Lonesome Tonight" – 2:15
"I Get No Kick From Champagne" – 3:07
"Your Birthday Song" – 2:04
(11 Tracks Total)
Personnel:
Jonny Blu: Vocals, music arrangements, production
Bob Malone – piano, music arrangements
Myke Aaron – piano, production, engineering
Ricky Zahariades – guitar
Mark Miller – guitar
Chris Golden – upright bass
Chris Tedesco – trumpet
Martin Blasick – trombone
Doug Webb – saxophone, woodwind, clarinet, flute
Jimmy Paxson – drums, percussion
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