He's been called "a great jazz player with an amazing pop sensibility", and with nearly thirty years' experience performing virtually every style of Western music, this Oregon native is defining his own creative niche.
Few artists make the le [+]He's been called "a great jazz player with an amazing pop sensibility", and with nearly thirty years' experience performing virtually every style of Western music, this Oregon native is defining his own creative niche.
Few artists make the leap between the jazz and pop idioms convincingly - Steve Snelling is one such artist. His songwriting is sophisticated, yet accessible. His themes range from sometimes dreamy, sometimes gritty melodies to surprisingly catchy pop hooks. His jazz tunes swing and his ballads are rich and penetrating. No matter the style, Steve's music has the power to move the listener deeply - a power felt on his current CD, Perfect Strangers.
Teaming up with two modern pop and jazz virtuosos - drummer Mark Raynes and bassist Eric Thorin - the trio draw from their shared experience in numerous musical settings to weave an evocative texture of rich ballads and refreshing pop compositions.
The eight songs on Perfect Strangers - four with the trio, four solo piano & voice - share a common theme of "other-ness". From the haunting and heartbreaking "Daniel", to the lighter, whimsical "Postcards from Diane", all of the songs have their genesis in real events; but Steve's literate and intelligent lyrics transform them from mere reminiscences into moving personal journals. This is a beautiful work of tender melancholia, yet, ironically, gently inspiring.
Almost everybody feels some kind of distance from the world - has at sometime stood on the edge of a canyon, or looked up under the night sky and cried, "I'm down here!" Steve's music speaks to our longing to bridge that distance and gives us an opportunity to share the common hunger of our hearts and souls.
From his portrait of a violent disabled teen ("Daniel"), to the simple heartbreak in the universal hunger for love ("Perfect Strangers"), or the rebuke to the harsh lessons we unwittingly teach our children ("Precious Vessels"), these songs often involve difficult stories told in lush musical settings; thorny subjects wrapped in tender melodies and rich harmonies.
"I don't mind telling a rough story over a really uplifting musical bed," he explains, "writing something that makes your brain go, 'ouch', but your soul responds to the music like, 'oh..
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