Carl Orr

Deep Down Carl Orr

Carl Orr; guitar Pete Whittaker;organ Nic France;drums with Julian Bury;double bass Christain Brewer;alto sax Butch Thomas;tenor sax Steve Rose;piano Ernie McKone; programming Carl is one of Europe's finest guitarists with a vast range of experience, including touring and recording with some of the finest artists in contemporary music, including Billy Cobham, Nathan Haines, and Dale Barlow. Carl has also appeared on many studio sessions, including tv themes and dance tracks. A slow but dogged composer and a seasoned bandleader, Carl is steadily building up a sizeable body of recorded work and now has 6 cds to his credit, the latest being Deep Down. Carl is one of Europe's finest guitarists with a vast range of experience, including touring and recording with some of the finest artists in contemporary music, including Billy Cobham, Nathan Haines, and Dale Barlow. Carl has also appeared on many studio sessions, including tv themes and dance tracks. A slow but dogged composer and a seasoned bandleader, Carl is steadily building up a sizeable body of recorded work and now has 6 cds to his credit, the latest being Deep Down. DEEP DOWN. While my previous cds have involved a blend of jazz, funk and rock, Deep Down explores aspects of music and guitar playing that I haven't covered in earlier recordings; organ-based jazz, bossa nova and solo pieces. Like most guitarists, I love the sound of guitar and organ together. Although I enjoy traditional bluesy, earthy organ jazz, it's not my natural habitat so I just followed my instincts and put my own stamp on this classic format, writing several compositions that were based around the warm, orchestral sound of the organ; a simple 5/4 tune, a slow, atmospheric exploration, a fast 'jungle' workout and a couple of bossa novas. I tried to find a balance between making the compositions interesting and keeping them simple enough for the musicians to play without struggling. Equipment-wise I stuck to a very simple guitar and amp setup,with none of my usual effects, concentrating on playing with energy, directness and spontaneity, and producing a decent tone. The main body of the CD is five tracks featuring Pete Whittaker on organ and Nic France on drums. They are both outstanding musicians and big-hearted, generous guys as you can hear from their great playing throughout. We are joined at various points by saxophonists Christian Brewer and Butch Thomas and bassist Julian Bury, who all turned in great performances. The disc also features five acoustic guitar-based compositions; two are bossa novas featuring overdubbed guitars (plus some great piano playing from Steve Rose) and three are short, totally composed solo pieces, showcasing an aspect of my music that has never before been recorded. Also included is my only recording to date of an electronic, programmed composition. Deep Down is a big departure from my previous albums and, notwithstanding dramatic variations in musical style I feel it hangs together as a whole, making for, I hope, an interesting musical journey.