Description
Coen Bais creates a rich combination of smooth jazz and colorful artistry - sultry sound tapestries full of emotion, passion and magic. This album is a perfect accompaniment to late nights, weekends or unwinding. "A Touch of Magic" features Coen on grand piano and other assorted keyboards, a full ensemble including percussion, drums, sax, bass and the special appearance of guitarist Jan Akkerman. The Dutch have always been known for their artistry and from beginning to end "A Touch of Magic" is a rare masterpiece that will caress your soul.
Tracks
1) Love & Passion
2) A Touch Of Magic
3) Blue Age
4) The Chant
5) The Harder I Try, Faster You Run
6) Syrrahh
7) Axe
8) 05.30 A.M
9) Zen And The Art Of Driving
10) The Essence Of All
11) Jorik
Artist Profile
A premier in the field of smooth jazz, Coen Bais has made his mark blending several styles of music including traditional jazz, contemporary instrumental and pop to develop a sound all his own.
Coen Bais was born in 1957 in Germany, and currently makes his residence in Holland not only as a performer, but as a producer as well. Bais began his musical career playing the piano and keyboards in pop/rock bands in Europe in the late '60s until he decided to concentrate on the production side of the music industry. During his non-performing days, Bais co-owned a recording studio where he produced records for other artists, worked as the A&R manager for WEA and became the music publisher for Intersong and CBS.
In 1988, Bais decided to concentrate entirely on his own music again. Oreade Music, an independent label, released his first album "Sweet Dreams," a collection of piano/synthesizer compositions, in 1989. The album received good reviews and was sold throughout Europe and Japan.
Bais began exploring new jazz elements and different instruments to expand his style. In 1991 he released his second album, "Across The Mountains Of The Moon," which introduced saxophone and percussion into his music. During the next few years, Bais worked hard to continue developing his musical style, which resulted in a record contract with CNR Music/Arcade in 1994. This made it possible for Bais to record with a bigger budget and enlist the services of many talented "guest musicians."
In his opinion, a lot of jazz-oriented music is created with too much attention to technical virtuosity and not enough on emotion and atmosphere. On the other hand, most contemporary instrumental music is often at the other end of the spectrum--all mood and little concern with showcasing the technical range of different instruments. Bais' music takes the best from both genres to create a unique sound that contains both "emotional" melodies and arrangements that utilize the full range of instruments such as the piano, sax and drums.
Credits
�Sony Music Entertainment (Holland) B.V.
Performers
Jan Akkerman: Guitar
Coen Bais: Bass, Emulator, Fender Rhodes, Organ, Piano, Sampling, Synthesizer, Vocals Tom Barlage: Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Ana Beck: Vocals
Rolf Breemer: Cymbals, Percussion
Eddy Conard: Cymbals, Percussion, Stick
Richard Doodkorte: Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm)
Martin Verdonk: Percussion
Evert Woud: Acoustic Bass, Bass (Electric)
Production Credits
Coen Bais: Arranger, Main Performer, Mixing, Producer
Rolf Breemer: Engineer, Mixing, Producer
Nanou Kurstjens: Photography
Reus Plaschek: Portraits
Evert Woud: Assistant Engineer