Hopeful Romantic

With Hopeful Romantic David Hughes makes a powerful statement as a composer and as a musician. Listeners with many different tastes will enjoy this album. The writing spans funky, retro inspired jazz-funk to semi-symphonic modern jazz and features Hughes' signature sound and melodic touch on the bass. With rich arrangements the album exhibits an organic, natural quality far from the synthetic, loop-based mashups that are commonplace in contemporary jazz today. The album features: Jamey Tate - drums Michael Bluestein - piano Nate Tschetter - rhodes Koichi Yabori - guitar Kiyomi Otaka - hammond organ, rhodes John Depatie - guitar Andrew Synowiec - nylon string guitar Jenny Olson - flute and piccolo Makoto Izumitani - drums David Hughes - bass guitar, acoustic bass, guitars, piano, keyboards, vocal, percussion, melodica About the tracks: 1. Yaburi-toro Japan and Tokyo in particular has a special place in Hughes' heart. One one of his trips there he made friends with virtuoso guitarist Koichi Yabori. This led to collaborations and a tour in Japan and Hughes' guest appearance on Yabori's album Bloomfield, which also featured Gary Novak and Robben Ford. In Hughes' mind this tune called exactly for Yabori's fluid guitar playing and distinct sound. Aburi-toro is a sushi dish Hughes discovered in Roppongi; it consists of toro, fatty tuna, that has been briefly broiled with a blowtorch and lightly seasoned. It is truly delicious but seems impossible to come by stateside. The song title reflects two of the best things Tokyo has to offer. 2. Blauer Berg True to his habit of titling compositions after the musicians Hughes had in mind when he wrote them, this tune features pianist Michael Bluestein of supergroup Foreigner. Blending elements from Weather Report and Keith Jarrett the result is an almost epic composition that offers some beautiful fretless playing by Hughes and explosive improvisation by Bluestein. The addition of flute and piccolo augments the symphonic character of the arrangement and vibraphone creates a lush spacious feel. When recording a project for the Budman-Levy Jazz Orchestra Hughes encountered the use of melodica, and decided to use it for the melody on this tune instead of the originally planned harmonica. Towards the end, listen for the 'Upright Bass Congas' played by Hughes by tapping the body of his acoustic bass. 3. Dave's Song Written together with longtime friend, collaborator and guitarist John Depatie, this tune took shape at one of the duo's late night writing sessions. The idea was to write a tune with strong groove and a melody with a memorable hook. Makoto Izumitani laid down the drums at his studio and Hughes added hand claps for a retro vibe. Nate Tschetter recorded some tasty rhodes in Nashville and sent the track through the tubes of the internets. 4. DInner With Friends Imagine a candlelit table, a nice bottle of wine and a few of your best friends. That is the image Hughes had in mind when he wrote this piece. Playing the melody on his six-string F Bass made by Canadian luthier George Furlanetto, Hughes mix treatment gives it an almost nylon string guitar quality. Although the instrument was originally designed for support in the lower register, rolling off some of the lowest frequencies and adding a touch of stereo delay, together with the expanded range gives it a resonant and expressive voice. 5. Juan's Song This piece is yet another collaboration with John Depatie and uses the same concept as Dave's song. Hughes actually suggested the tile 'John's song' but since he is a model of modesty, John offered an alternative title... 6. Easyphunk Too The song title alludes to the piece 'Easyphunk' on Hughes previous album, Cruising along. Andrew Synowiec recorded the nylon string guitar at his Burbank studio. For some 70's vibes, Hughes played his Squier Precision bass with flatwound strings and a pick. A little amp distortion and some Bootsy style wah completed the sound. The B-section has a bar of disco groove thrown in, tongue-in cheek. 7. Room With a View The idea for the harmonic strumming g