Grammy Winner Gregg Karukas featuring Shelby Flint
HOME for the HOLIDAYS (Holiday Jazz and more)
John Leftwich- bass and Kendall Kay- drums
TUESDAY DEC 8, 7PM at Bogie’s Bar
The Westlake Village Inn
32001 AGOURA ROAD WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91361
No Cover, all ages, Info: 818.889.2394
“I started out copying a girl named Shelby Flint… ” Joni Mitchell / Mirabella Magazine
“Home for the Holidays”……should become a Christmas Jazz classic..and establish Shelby Flint as a singer and songwriter of the highest order”. (Wayne Lee JAZZIZ).
“…. a lush glorious holiday treat…the ultimate in unplugged.” (Jonathan Widran LA Jazz Scene)
Gregg Karukas and Shelby Flint bring all the warmth of the season to the Conejo Valley area with “Home for the Holidays”, an “unplugged” Holiday Jazz concert featuring music from their CD that immediately gained massive air play on both Mainstream, and Contemporary Jazz formats upon its initial release. It features Gregg’s innovative trio arrangements of holiday classics, and four originals written or co-written by legendary singer-songwriter Shelby Flint (“Angel on my Shoulder”).
“I’m so happy to let you know I’ve coaxed my long-time friend and collaborator, singer/songwriter Shelby Flint, out of semi-retirement to perform some Holiday Jazz shows with my group this December. In addition to music from Home for the Holidays, I’ll play hits from my solo CD’s – Rio Drive, Girl in the Red Dress, and others, unplugged, and you can hear Shelby sing some of her wonderful songs such as: Angel On My Shoulder and I Keep it to Myself.”
“Our history goes way back to the fall of 1982 when I relocated to Los Angeles after playing around the DC area for many years. My first call to play in Los Angeles came after no less than a few days in town. Yellowjackets keyboardist Russell Ferrante recommended me to Shelby Flint who called me to play with her band that included some of the best musicians in LA: Denny Seiwell from Paul McCartney and Wings, Bill Bodine from Joan Armatrading, Jerry Steinholtz from Lee Ritenour, Diana Ross, and Jerry Peterson from Kim Carnes and Billy Vera. My 12th day in town, I was playing 3 sets of Shelby’s sophisticated jazz/pop originals at Donte’s, the famous jazz club in North Hollywood.
We continued to work together for years at At My Place, Le Café, Catalina and Monterey Jazz Festivals and various fine arts theaters where, besides performing all of Shelby’s originals with her band, and my own shows, we have had an annual tradition performing music from our critically acclaimed CD, Home for the Holidays and other originals, “unplugged”, from our solo CD’s.”
Gregg Karukas: Grammy winning keyboardist/composer and Gregg Karukas is enjoying the rare accomplishment of 2 consecutive #1 hit songs from his stellar 2014 CD release “Soul Secrets”. His latest single, “Rio Drive” hit #1 on The Billboard and Smooth Jazz Top 20 charts which monitor the national airplay on radio and internet stations. It follows “Elegant Nights” which hit the top of the charts in January of this year. Gregg recently brought his melodic grooves to the Catalina Jazztrax Festival for his 4th headline show this past October.
One of urban contemporary jazz’s most versatile and acclaimed artists for over 25 years, Gregg won the Grammy for producing, composing, arranging, playing all keyboards and engineering Echoes of Love (a collaboration with Omar Akram), which won Best New Age Album at the 55th Grammy Awards in February 2013. He has had a diverse career in music with a long list of credits in all media; Gregg arranged and played all keyboards on the theme songs to Disney’s Ducktales and Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers and is a veteran of lots of TV/Film music sessions, (Cheers, Stand and Deliver, Life Goes On, Mr. Wrong).
As a solo artist, Gregg’s 11 all-original CDs have garnered consistently solid reviews for his signature piano touch, pristine production, and melodies that are both soulful and sophisticated. Always in demand as a musical director and keyboardist, Gregg has received multiple Best Keyboardist nominations at the Oasis and National Smooth Jazz Awards. His best-known songs, “Elegant Nights (#1), “Rio Drive”(#1), “Girl in the Red Dress” (#4) “Nightshift” (#1), and Jessy J.’s #1 hit “Tropical Rain” showcase Gregg’s funky, melodic compositional style familiar to his fans.
“People say my music sounds romantic and uplifting – and I look so happy on stage,” he says. “It’s totally true. For me, the best music comes out of an inner feeling of either intense happiness or sadness. I always try to stay faithful to that original inspiration, because that is where the true ‘sound of emotion’ comes from.” Gregg’s contagious smile and positive attitude shows in his concerts, as he has emerged over the years as one of the genre’s most dynamic and inspiring live performers since he first took the stage in 1987 with the original Rippingtons and toured through the years with superstars Boney James, Sergio Mendes, and Larry Carlton.
Shelby Flint: “I started out copying a girl named Shelby Flint…“Joni Mitchell / Mirabella Magazine
The simple song she wrote and sang as a teenager still resonates as the prototype for the entire female singer/songwriter genre. ShelbyFlint’s “Angel on My Shoulder” became a Top 30 hit on the radio in 1960 and launched a record company (Video: Story of Valiant Records Valiant Records ). Another radio hit was “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”).
After raising a family and having worked in the company of artists such as Chick Corea, Tom Scott, and Al Jarreau, Ms. Flint’s own compositions and arrangements began to reflect the influences of jazz, latin, and R & B. In 1981, her work in the L.A. studios on albums, soundtracks such as Charlie Brown TV specialsand films such as “The Rescuers” “Someone’s Waiting for You” which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, “Breezy” and commercials earned her a NARAS “Most Valuable Player” nomination.
On “Home for the Holidays”, singer / songwriter Shelby Flint’s soulful, airy voice captures all the warmth of the season and brings new life to well known standards. Shelby and Gregg’s hit,”I Keep it to Myself”, from Gregg’s release, “Sound of Emotion”, was featured on the 94.7 Wave-Aid 6 compilation release which has sold over 100,000 copies nationwide.
Christmastime performance video link
Media inquiries: 818-679-4242
Preview YouTube video Shelby Flint Profile- Then and Now Pt. 1 HD
Shelby Flint Profile- Then and Now Pt. 1 HD
Preview YouTube video Gregg Karukas Profile / Music Video Smooth Jazz Keyboard
Gregg Karukas Profile / Music Video Smooth Jazz Keyboard
Preview YouTube video Christmastime – Shelby Flint and Gregg Karukas Live in Concert 12-20-2009