The “Seven Cities Blue” EP is available at all major DSPs via >>
https://quicksilvernight.hearnow.com/seven-cities-blue
Quicksilver Night’s “Seven Cities Blue” EP is comprised of four songs that bridge rock, blues, funk and jazz with unshakeable groove. As with Quicksilver Night’s 2020 “No Contest” EP, the songs of the “Seven Cities Blue” EP were inspired by my career as a military musician, a career that touched upon a hugely eclectic range of musical styles in ensembles of different sizes and instrumentation. All four songs of the “Seven Cities Blue” EP incorporate the stellar musical talents of saxophonist Jeff Saunders and drummer Jae Sinnett.
1) I composed and arranged “What You Think” for a big band decades ago, incorporating three trumpet parts, three saxophone parts, and four trombones along with a standard rhythm section. Stuffing that big band genie back into the small ensemble bottle required me to play several layers of guitar, playing four and five-note chord stabs like a set of single-line playing brass instruments would do. The result is reminiscent of Brian May in terms of orchestration. While recording this version we decided to strip the solo section down to Jeff Saunders’ soloing on alto saxophone over his own baritone sax line, contrastingly sparse in comparison to the rest of the song and thoroughly enjoyable! Jae Sinnett’s superlative drumming features prominently throughout this song and deserves special recognition here.
2) “Seven Cities Blue” – the title track – is heavily jazz inflected in some ways but a straightforward blues number when taken as a whole. Although a bit unusual, the atypical ten-bar form and turnarounds sounded natural to me so I just went with it. “Seven Cities Blue” heavily features Jay Rakes on guitar and Duane Squire Smith on trumpet.
3) “Edifice Wrecks” – yes, a pun and arguably a bad one – began life as a jam tune, something to pull up on a “combo gig” with an open form and recurring solo sections. It’s just outside the box enough for me to decide to record it as a worthy addition to the “Seven Cities Blue” EP. “Edifice Wrecks” features some phenomenal guitar playing by the immensely talented Jason Cale. Incidentally, Jason also served as both lead producer and audio guru for the entire EP; the man is a wizard!
4) In the upper left corner of the music for “If I Had a Nickel” you’ll find “Texas Boogie” listed as its style. It’s a driving sixteen-bar blues/rock form that invites easy comparison to ZZ Top’s classic “Tush” and it is a LOT of fun to play. “If I Had a Nickel” features some killer slide guitar from Jason Cale but be sure to enjoy Jae Sinnett, Jeff, Saunders, and Jason Cale trading solo licks as the song progresses. I hope to have saved it from being entirely clichéd by the inclusion of some fairly intricate harmonies and some atypical movement throughout but I hope you just sit back and enjoy the ride regardless.
Release date 7/11/2024, the “Seven Cities Blue” EP is:
1. “What You Think” feat Jeff Saunders & Jae Sinnett
2. “Seven Cities Blue” feat Jeff Saunders, Duane Squire Smith, & Jay Rakes
3. “Edifice Wrecks” feat Jeff Saunders & Jason Cale
4. “If I Had a Nickel” feat Jeff Saunders, Jae Sinnett, & Jason Cale
Jason Cale: Guitars on “Edifice Wrecks” and “If I Had a Nickel”
(Visit >> https://www.jasoncalemusic.com/)
Jay Rakes: Guitar on “Seven Cities Blue”
Duane Squire Smith: Trumpet on “Seven Cities Blue”
Jeff Saunders: Alto & Bari Saxes throughout
Jae Sinnett: Drums throughout
(Visit >> https://jaesinnett.com/jae-sinnett-home/)
Warren Russell: Guitars and everything else, real or virtual, throughout
Recorded at Sandcastle Records in Nashville TN and Crabhouse Studio in Virginia Beach VA
Jae Sinnett’s drums recorded at Master Sound Studio in Virginia Beach, VA
Mixing and mastering by Jason Cale at Crabhouse Studio in Virginia Beach VA
with additional polishing by Cefe Flynn at Chroma Mastering Studio, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Produced by Jason Cale & Warren Russell
All songs by Warren C Russell, ASCAP, ©&℗ Quicksilver Night Productions. All rights reserved.