Universal Vibe kicks off with it's first single, the easy funk and shuffle groove driven, in the pocket quot;Paradise Was Coolquot;, a whimsical showcase for Rodney Taylor's smoky alto sax and Bauchman's jangling guitar that also features some sizzling horn textures. The freewheeling quot;Switch That Groovequot; does just what it says, starting with a funky old school vibe (with an emotional doubled horn hook) and then evolving into a fiery rock/jazz fusion jam featuring Bauchman's searing electric guitar. The group introduces a rich blues element into the mix on quot;Snap To This,quot; which features hypnotic Hammond B-3 riffs, synthesized electronic effects and Taylor's squealing sax lines, all complemented by reflective jazzy trumpet parts. With it's wild Middle Eastern strings under a playful Brazilian beat, the coolly hypnotic, supremely loungey quot;Paulo and Azizquot; was inspired by a character in the film quot;The Fifth Elementquot;, a favorite of Bauchman and his daughter. Bauchman's daughter-and her penchant for interrupting her dad when he's hard at work in the studio--also inspired the ambient, soundscape rich quot;Interrupted By Life...Ashley's Song,quot; which features Bauchman's snappy acoustic guitar and guest sax master, Cleto Escobeto's playful jazzy sax melody. quot;Can't End This Lovequot; brings a wondrously exotic flair to the set, with a keyboard and elegant piano melody drifting over throbbing electronica percussion, a samba groove and an elegant piano solo; Bauchman's sharp jazz playing on this tune is reminiscent of Wes Montgomery. quot;Straighten Up Right Nowquot; is all whimsical romantic funky sax over exotic textures that include a tropical flavored ambience and vibraphone textures. Named after a phrase used by LAPD cops in pursuit of suspects through a neighborhood, quot;Southbound Through The Housesquot; is a high-energy frenetic swirl of funk, traditional jazz, ambience over electronica beats, experimental synth sounds and an organic B-3 organ vibe. quot;Old Man Coolquot; goes to quot;old man old school,' with Bauchman's subdued electric guitar riding over an easy crunching R&B groove, with spacey synth ambiences in the distance. After the densely percussive, supremely exotic freewheeling samba quot;The Voyage Of...quot; the band wraps the set with quot;Whisper in My Earquot;, a hybrid of lighthearted classic soul and traditional jazz, with cool interplay between guitar and vibrant horn textures. All songs written by E.S. Bauchman except quot;Paradise Was Coolquot; written by E.S. Bauchman and Rodney Taylor © 2012. All songs published by Skipper-Do Music (BMI). Skip Bauchman: guitar, bass, live drums and drum programming, keys and keyboard programming Edell Shepherd: Primary Keyboards, keyboard bass and all keyboard solos Rodney Taylor: Lead Sax (Rodney Taylor uses/endorses Sex Z Mouth Pieces) Henry Battle: Sax Cleto Escobeto: Lead Sax Executive Producer: Skip Bauchman for Jazz Hat Records Producer: Recorded at Skip's Place and the personal studios of Rodney Taylor and Edell Shepherd Engineers & mixing: Additional live recording and mixing was completed at Firehouse Studios, Pasadena Ca. Engineers: Ed Wolley and Jerame Studio Manager: Jason Upright Mastered by: Bernie Becker Mastering Photography: Photos and cover graphics by James Rankins at Light Space and Time Studios Logo art: Ashley Nicole Bauchman.
