Cumming, who has recorded with popular acts such as Al Jarreau and The Pointer Sisters, is launching his solo career by paying tribute to the classic songs and legendary jazz artists of the Silent Generation. Joining him on stage will be keyboardist Kelli Cox, drummer Adam Mormolstein, and bassist John Vogt. Admission is free; complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be provided.
"I grew up listening to the music my father loved, including recordings by jazz artists such as Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Glen Miller," said Cumming, who also performs as a member of the Grammy-nominated Beatles tribute band The WannaBeatles. "As my music career has developed, I've found myself gravitating toward swing. It has a life-affirming tempo that expresses optimism, enthusiasm and energy. I hope my new album will inspire motion, inviting dancers to sway together, bounce, and enjoy the moment, just like in my daddy's day."
Cumming's 10-song project, which will be released on Feb. 17, will celebrate the spirit of swing with a lively mix of traditional jazz classics and originals. Highlights will include covers of standards written and/or performed by legendary artists such as Nat King Cole, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Dorothy Fields, and Irving Berlin. The album was recorded at Java Jive Studio in Nashville.
Among the covers will be "Sunny Side of the Street," a standard recorded by Tommy Dorsey and The Sentimentalists in 1944. Other covers will include "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "It Had to Be You," and "Blue Skies."
The album's title track, "Come Out Swinging," swings to life with the sounds and lyrical images of the '30s, '40s and '50s. Jazz and Americana music fans can hear the preview single at https://soundcloud.com/bryan-cumming/come-out-swinging.
"I wrote the song in 2008 to celebrate the timeless swing music I sang and played with my dad," said Cumming. "'Come Out Swinging' is a nostalgic look at yesterday. It is presented as an imaginary epiphany, where the singer hears the phone ring and mysteriously hears the sounds of old swing tunes. He gets inspired and preaches the message 'it's time to play' to his listeners."
According to music critic Chuck Davis, '"Come Out Swinging' is a fluent expression of a musical maturing... delivering swing-inspired original tunes for his father's generation and re-distributing 'that thing called swing' to the next generation."
A Georgia native, Bryan Cumming grew up in a musical family playing Dixieland and classic jazz and singing harmony on Beatles songs. After serving a year in the U.S. Army playing saxophone, he toured and recorded with Martin Mull. He moved to Los Angeles in 1976, playing sax on sessions with artists such as Al Jarreau, The Pointer Sisters, Maria Muldaur, Al Hirt, and The Ohio Players. He later joined Billy Vera and The Beaters, performing at the Tokyo Music Festival and on the number one single "At This Moment". He performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as a member of the Los Angeles Jazz Choir. He toured Japan and South America with David Soul, and toured four years as the lead guitarist for ShaNaNa.
Since moving to Nashville in 1988, he has performed and/or recorded with artists such as K.T. Oslin, Cleve Francis, and the Grammy-nominated Beatles tribute band The WannaBeatles. In 2009, The WannaBeatles received a Grammy nomination for the CD "Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond." Cumming also produces and records artists at Studio 23, a production company he founded in Nashville.
For more information about Bryan Cumming and his new album, "Come Out Swinging", visit http://www.BryanCumming.com. World Music is located at 7069 Highway 70 S. in Bellevue (at Old Hickory Boulevard).
