It brings
me great pleasure to be able to bring this product to you!
First of all let me explain to you the concept and motivation
behind the NDR SESSIONS Projekt. For those of you who don't
know me I would like to tell you that I have been very fortunate
in my 53 years to travel as a musician and play with many
wonderful musician. It's been a fantastic ride and as a sentimentalist
I enjoy retracing my favorite paths and keeping in touch with
old friends. By way of a sequenceof events that began 10 years
ago when I was living in Frankfurt, I was invited to come
to Hamburg by Knut Benzner a music journalist and broadcaster
at NDR Radio because he was doing a special program about
Chicago musicians and he had read in my bio and Press from
first release of my album LATE RENT that I was born in Chicago
- 1953. We spoke on the telephone and made plans for me to
take a train up to Hamburg to meet him and do the interview.
Although I was born in Chicago, my family moved to Berkeley
California in year 1957 when I was only 4 years old. After
thinking about it I didn't want Mr. Benzner to be disappointed
that I had actually begun my musical career in the San Francisco
Bay Area, so I talked it over with my wise roomate-Ali. Ali
told e I should tell Knut Benzner that even tough I left Chicago
at a young age, I had many stories about Chicago and I didn't
want him to be disappointed that in fact I had moved quite
young and began my music career in California. A few days
later I received another phone call from him and he said:
"Good enough!"
And so we made plans for me to come a few days later by train
and he graciously offered to have me stay at his home as a
guest for a few days to see Hamburg. I was delighted by the
invitation and a few days later I arrived via the ICE high
speed train to Hamburg Dammtor station and there was Knut
Benzner standing by the tracks waiting for me. Over the next
few days I had a wonderful experience meeting his family,
friends and colleagues inside the NDR has an orchestra, a
jazz big band of international-all-star musicians, a choir
and the BEST cafeteria ("cantina") I have ever eaten
in!
Also everyone in NDR is completely professional in their duties
of recording, engineering, editing, journalism in every department.
Everyone I met there was so serious about their work and musical
performance. I was extremely impressed to say the least .
In Deutsch they say: NordDeutscher Rundfunk - the BEST in
the North!
I hope this album will bring you many hours of enjoyment and
easy listening to relax to in these times of high stress.
Put on the NDR SESSIONS Projekt and groove with us down this
sentimental musical road!
Contact:
POB 754 Times Square Station
New York, NY USA
jonhammond@jonhammondband.com |
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