Joel Evans & Friends - Cozy Cool (2017)

Tracklist

01. I Never Say No (feat. Maggie Herron)
02. There You Go (feat. Jackie Ryan)
03. Open Road (feat. Carla Helmbrecht)
04. The Dreamin' Kind (feat. Roberta Donnay)
05. Just the Right Amount of Wrong (feat. Tami Damiano)
06. Don't Tell Me (feat. Jackie Ryan)
07. I Got Nothin' (To Worry About) [feat. Roberta Donnay]
08. What Have You Done? (feat. Carla Helmbrecht)
09. Leaning into Love (feat. Jennifer Lee)
10. Happy Lovin' You (feat. Roberta Donnay)
11. Christmas Time for Two (feat. Carla Helmbrecht)
12. I Never Say No (Vocal Muted)
13. There You Go (Vocal Muted)
14. Open Road (Vocal Muted)
15. The Dreamin' Kind (Vocal Muted)
16. Just the Right Amount of Wrong (Vocal Muted)
17. Don't Tell Me (Vocal Muted)
18. I Got Nothin' (To Worry About) (Vocal Muted)
19. What Have You Done? (Vocal Muted)
20. Leaning into Love (Vocal Muted)
21. Happy Lovin' You (Vocal Muted)
22. Christmas Time for Two (Vocal Muted)

Composer/Songwriter Joel Evans has songs & cues in more than 85 movies and 400 TV episodes; major Hollywood films, hip indie flicks, network and daytime dramas; ranging from Wedding Crashers to Passengers; and from Friends to Stranger Things. The 2014 Daytime Emmy winning special Young & Restless Tribute to Jeanne Cooper features as its main theme, “That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You”, co-written with Byron Walls (Starman, New Christy Minstrels). Ciroq Vodka TV and radio ads highlight his Big Band number, "Fly Away." Grammy-winning vocalist Carmen Bradford sings his song, "No Easy Way To Say Goodbye” on tour with the Count Basie Orchestra. Joel's songs have been recorded by diverse artists, including Spencer Day, Dave Samuels, Shaun Murphy, Roberta Donnay, The Yellowjackets and Peter Tork. (the former Monkee has a great blues band!)

After earning his BA on flute at Cal State University East Bay he performed with a series of groups, and quickly realized the fortunes of a jazz flautist were capricious at best. “We did one gig where our earnings didn't even pay off our bar tab,” he notes wryly. Later, a stint on piano backing Bobby Freeman (“Do You Wanna Dance”) took Evans to Tahoe and Reno, where watching the rock godfather reiterate the same patter night after night further inspired him to improvise. Life imitates art: in the film Rumor Has It, Kevin Costner and Jennifer Aniston share a conversation while the Joel Evans Combo paints the aural backdrop in the same San Francisco hotel bar where he once worked a steady piano gig. Evans’ Hollywood-sophisticated melodies are often used on screen to evoke sumptuous surroundings like hotel lobbies and upscale restaurants, so it’s no coincidence that he spent years performing in just these types of venues. Swing, big band and jazz: he occupies a decided stylistic niche. “I can’t do everything. I don’t write stuff that sounds like the 'Top 10'. I decided early on to hell with it, I’m going to do what I love.”

Unlike many instrumental composers, Evans usually co-writes complete songs. “Until it Happens to You” from Mini’s First Time provided an improbable soundtrack to a fight scene with stars Jeff Goldblum and Alec Baldwin “trying to kill one another, with my Sinatra style swing thing in the background,” laughs Evans. He notes that one of his most unexpected inclusions was in the gritty rock and roll noir film, Sugartown, where his sweet song, “Moody” played behind, as he delicately phrases it, “The depiction of an act of love. But it fit the scene.” A self-professed team player, Evans enlists first call musicians who can deliver the requisite tones; veterans like Dame Cleo Laine's favorite pianist, Larry Dunlap and David Rokeach from the Ray Charles band; seasoned authorities who helped define the genres his compositions reference. Talented Co-writers like Nashville-based Lisa Aschmann and pop/theatrical writer Adryan Russ contribute their magic to the sterling credibility of the songs.

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