Mark Shilansky: Different Songs. My little singer/songwriter debut... I talk about it all over the site...

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Mark Shilansky: Other Voices. This is my latest (2003) jazz opus. It's an exploration of the voice in jazz; every track features somebody singin', whether it be some kind of song with lyrics, or wordless vocals (courtesy of Lisa Thorson and Luciana Souza), or even a whole choir sort of thing, avoiding the "shoo-bee doo-bee" jazz choir effect whenever possible. The album also features great instrumental playing by Bertram Lehmann, Miller David Jamrog, Fernando Huergo, Thomson Kneeland, Rick DiMuzio, Andrew Rathbun, and Alec Berlin, among others.
Mark Shilansky: First Look. This is a trio record I recorded in 1994/95, and released on MMC records in 1997. It features me on piano, 3 of my tunes, 5 of my wacky arrangements of standards, and the amazing rhythm section of Jeff Hirshfield on drums and Steve LaSpina on bass.
Neil Shilansky - Something I Know.
Hooray! This is my brother Neily's debut CD!! Look at the amazingly cute picture of his daughter Lauren! This record features lots of Neil's great compositions (jazz, latin, even.... [dum dum dum... play ominous music figure...] "SMOOTH" Jazz, which Andy Rathbun and I call "love jazz"), his virtuosic and swinging vibes playing, his interactive drumming, and lovely humanity and vital creative spirit which bring so much joy to anyone around him. Also hear Jim Pisano and Mark LaForce - reeds, Steve Kirby - guitar, Tim Webb and Chuck Gabriel - basses, Davey Jamrog handling drums when Neily's on the vibes, a special appearance by Lauren Wool, and yours truly playing keys and drinking a beer in EVERY band shot in the cd package.
Michelle Mailhot - "This Happy Madness" There's a whole essay I wrote that you can find in the liner notes to this new CD by a great jazz singer. Originally from NH/Massachusetts, Michelle and I met at the UMass Amherst Jazz in July summer program, and we've played together whenever we could over the years, even through her studying and working all over the country (currently with the great acappella group Toxic Audio ). I produced (with master engineer Huck Bennert) and played piano on this solo debut CD, featuring plenty of duo and larger group performances, with such musicians as Fernando Huergo, Keala Kaumeheiwa, Bertram Lehmann, Dave Brophy, Eric Byers, and Doug Olsen, with the vocal talents of Yumiko Matsuoka, David Thorne Scott, and the vocal (and arranging and vocal percussion chops) of Paul Stiller.

Chris Humphrey - "Nothin' But Blue Skies" Chris directed the UNH vocal jazz ensemble that I sang and played in as an undergrad, and I learned a lot under his baton and playing gigs with him over the years. We had a 5 voice vocal jazz group called "Vocalease" in the early 90's (you can still get those CDs from him), and this is his solo debut, featuring ME and the master rhythm section of Matt Wilson on drums and Martin Wind on bass. Chris wrote a few nice tunes (with great lyrics by his vocalist wife Jennifer) and interprets and scats up a storm. We even did the CD in NYC and everything.

Lauren Wool - "here with me." Check this oneout... I'm really proud of this CD, and my friend Lauren for finally caving in to everyone's demands and giving us a document of her prodigious talents, her gorgeous cello playing and beautiful voice. This record took 4 years to make, and it was worth every minute. Some nice original tunes of mine and Lauren's, a gem of a tune by Luciana Souza, and some of our favorite standards and classic pop tunes fillout the program, expertly played by such gifted musicians as guitarist Kevin Barry, drummers Jason Lingle, Bertram Lehmann, and Jordan Perlson, bassists Tim Webb, Skip Smith, Fernie Huergo, and Evan Gregor, my right (and left) hand man Eric Byers, THELONIOUS MONK VOCAL COMPETITION (3rd place) WINNER Robin McElhatten, the LaForce family, Dave Seiler, my brother Neily, and MANY MORE... Another master work primarily funneled through the creative ears of Huck Bennert.

Miller David Jamrog: Visions . I've been playing in various bands with this wonderful drummer and friend for about 10 years. This is an adventurous jazz record with some free explorations, some long-form compositions, and some great blowing tunes, with Dave (as his friends call him) on drums, Thomson Kneeland on acoustic bass, myself on piano and composer of 4 tunes, and the incomparable George Garzone on saxophones.
Robin McKelle: Never Let Me Go. I will never let go of this awesome and incredibly versatile singer's given name, which is "McElhatten, " but that name didn't roll off the tongue fast enough for our stardom-bound friend. Robin sings. I play, write a couple charts, and donate the depressing ballad "I have found," which I wrote with Mark Dagostino. Massimo Biolcati, who designed this website, plays bass, and the handsome, grooving drummer is Joe De Rose. Robin is ridiculously talented, with a wonderful sense of humor. Watch her career closely, and try to see her perform while you can still afford to.
Cactus Highway: Cactus Highway. Cactus Highway are my pals Rob Duquette (Drums, Guitar, Vocals) and Andrea Wollstadt (Sax, flute, vocals) who write incredible folky/poppy tunes, and who had me as their keyboard playing/ horn-arranging guest on their gorgeous debut record.
Dana Edelman: American Overload. Dana writes catchy, literate folky pop tunes. His voice reminds one of James Taylor, but his funky acoustic guitar playing and integration of rock and rap set him apart. This record is an all-star affair, featuring me on keys and backing vocals, Kevin Barry on guitar, Dave Mattacks and Larry Finn on drumset, Eguie Castillo on percussion, and Mike Rivard on bass, and was exquisitely recorded by the genius who mixed most of my pop record, Huck Bennert.
Kaye Kelly: Coming Undone. Kaye and I produced, Huck recorded and mixed, Tim Webb played bass, Eric Byers played lots of guitars, Dave Jamrog played drums and percussion, and Robin Mac even hung out for an afternoon and sang. Kaye has a lovely, lovely voice, writes pretty melodies and lyrics, and is also a defector from the land of jazz. We made this record in EIGHT DAYS, summer of 2000, at Sounds Interesting in Middleboro, Ma, with an awesome piano, an even better fender rhodes (I had it surgically attached to my body), and pretty trees, doggies, and horsies. I turned 30 in the middle of it. I am sure I aged many more years that summer...
Lisa Thorson "Resonance". I don't play on this record (you'll have to settle for one of my favorite all time pianists to listen to: Tim Ray), but I wrote a couple nice charts for it, and Lisa is a super jazz singer and person.
Kaoruko "Joy Spring". Great jazz singer, especially with the scatting, with Greg Hopkins, Bob Tommagni, Thomas Hebb, Mauro Languardo (on 7-string guitar!!! we did some nice bossas with just drums, guitar, and me...), and me. This record is notable, if only because I get to solo here even more than on my own records. Boy, do I hog a lot of solo space. I'm just showin' off, tune after tune. Recorded at Pete's, mixed at Jon's.
Celia Slattery "Movin' On". I play for singer/songwriter Celia's one woman show, "Moving Target," about her activity in the 60's civil rights movement. I produced, arranged, played and sang on this CD, which features her original tunes and songs from the 60's and 70's, revisited in that special Shilansky way. Featuring Massimo Biolcati, Jason Hunter, Steve Kirby, Abby Aronson , Robin McElhatten, and Mike Connors, among others. The fine engineer and human being Jon Chase tracked much of this and mixed the whole thing.
Kathleen Kolman "The Dreamer". Here's a record I did with a fine NH jazz vocalist. Ask her about our audience with George Gershwin's illegitimate son! This record features Les Harris, Jr on drums, John Lockwood on bass, Catherine Birrer on percussion, and Charlie Jennison on reeds. We recorded this at my favorite jazz recording space, with my favorite jazz engineer, with my favorite piano in the Boston area: at Peter Kontrimas' place, out in Westwood, Ma. We did a whole bunch of the other recordings on this list at Peter's too.
Adrian Sicam: "Hey Stranger." This complete and utter DUDE is one of the finest singers of our generation (he is 2 weeks older than me). This is his singer/songwriter R&B jazz masterpiece, and I'm not on much of it, as I met him after he'd tracked most of it (we play together in MOMENT'S NOTICE, the bestfunction band in New England), and he's a burnin' keyboardist to boot,formerly of the spoken word/funk band Neon Grandma. I appear on abonus track, playing "My one and only love." Ade and I are working on a record that will redefine vocal jazz... available soon...

Gretchen Elise: "Are you ready." This chanteuse/teacher/artist came to my attention at the jams at the Acton jazz café. Gretchen writes literate, world music and jazz informed hip-hop, and it was fun to be along for the ride as she took Eric Byers (gtr), Thomas Hebb (bass), Jason Lingle (drums, who came in from LA to lay down the funk), Bill Vint (sax), Doug Olsen (trumpet), and a bevy of percussionists along on her magic carpet. Great tunes, great production and mixing by the MAN, Dr. Jon Chase. Yes, boys and girls, I am associated with a hip hop CD... call me MC SHAM
Christina Watson: - "All about Love": This versatile vocalist has the distinction of being in my FIRST class I ever taught at Berklee. She moved to Nashville upongraduation (and hooked up romantically and musically with one of my Ear training students, trombonist Oscar Utterstrom), and called upon the Shilansky machine when she wanted to make her first CD. Shilansky Inc. came through, in the persons of Eric Byers (gtr), the young wunder kinds (Jordan Perlson - drums, Evan Gregor -bass), Bill Vint (an unsung sax hero of our time), and Christine Fawon (tpt), and Oscar. With Jon Chase at the helm, we tracked this record in 2 days, and mixed it over the next few months, culminating in a triumphant CD release party at the Nashville Jazz Workshop in Music City... check out our nice duo interaction, and my reworkingof Duke's "In a Sentimental Mood."
Chuck Gabriel Septet: "Blueprints..." Chuck and I met at a hellish music campthat we both taught at one summer. He is a great bassist and composer (he went to Berklee when I was at UNH, and I used to DIE of envy...that is before I taught there... I kid... I kid because I love), and a lover of great music, including Mingus, Ellington, Elvis Costello, Squeeze, and this Bob Dylan fellow I keep hearing so much about. This debut recording features Boston All-Star Charlie Kohlhase (alto), my fellow NEC grad Don Holm (drums), a really cool dude from China, Lawrence Ku (guitar), and NO TRUMPET (Sean Berry - tenor, Scott Grant- trombone).

Pat Burtis: "Clarify." I sang a few background vocals on this great singer/songwriter' s CD... had lots of fun making it, too, with Huck Bennert at the helm, singing "crowd vocals" and drinking beer at Wellspring. Great writer and guitarist, check him out.
David Thorne Scott: "Shade." I may seem to use a lot of hyperbole on this site to describe the people with whom I make music, but I mean it all, and about none more than this world class singer/composer. David is one of maybe the top 5 scat singers in the world (along with Jeremy Ragsdale, see below), and writes intricate arrangements of not-so-obvious standards and clever lyrics to his and others' complex melodies. with Daryl Lowery - sax, John Funkhouser - bass, Jon "hazmat" Hazilla.
Syncopation: "A new Dance." Tsunenori "Lee" Abe, Jeremy Ragsdale, Christine Fawson, and Christy Bluhm are Syncopation, a vocal quartet I've had the good fortune to work with of late. We've been to Japan twice, and elsewhere in the country (alright, just Mass, Cleveland and NYC) to play Lee's proficient arrangements of standards, originals, and the odd pop tune (Check Christine's sublime essaying of Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time"). All of them are fine improvisers (Christine is also a rising star on trumpet), especially member of the top-5 club, Jeremy Ragsdale, and they blend, swing, and are a fun hang on and off-stage... if you listen really hard, you can hear the recorded debut of my slammin' sometime trio, Jordan Perlson - drums and Evan Gregor - bass, who are the badasses who allow me to play with them occasionally.
Syncopation: "Of Blue." Syncopation's new record, made in Japan with the singahs, me, and a whole bevy of crack session players in Tokyo... available 11/04. Features tunes by Earth, Wind, and Fire, Paul Simon, and Mr. Abe.
Sara Leib: "It's Not the moon." The universe gave me the gift of Sara Leib in my various ensembles at Berklee, which she quickly outgrew for the improvisatory (third) stream which is my alma mater, New England Conservatory. She writes, scats, and warmly interprets standards, often in 7/4; with Ed Perez on bass and one of the best drummers and funniest men on the planet, Michael Herklots.
Tony Gallo: "Something to Say." I already said it best on my jacket blurb for this CD by this hardworking singer and harmonicist---"When I began working gigs with Tony, I was immediately taken by his dedication to the music, his scholarly knowledge of obscure jazz and blues tunes, his inherent sense of groove, and his enthusiasm towards art and life. When we began this project, Tony told me he wanted it to be an artistic endeavor, an authentic document of the jazz and r&b close to his heart, but also an accessible record that people could hear with their heads, hearts and feet. I think we succeeded on all counts." with Robin McElhatten, Bill Duffy on piano [I play organ on a few cuts... I am no Larry Goldings...], and Bill Vint on many horns and flute.
Nancy Jamrog: "And the Journey Continues."2001 brought many tragedies in our lives, none more significant than the untimely loss of Miller Joseph Jamrog, master educator and percussionist and dad of my dear friend Dave Jamrog. Dave's Mom, Nancy, is a writer of spiritual songs, and used her grief as catharsis to write a moving song cycle of death and rebirth. I produced and played piano and sang with the gang (Davey, Eric, Tim, Lo, Ade, Andrea Wollstadt, Dave's wife: flutist Vanessa), and some special guests, and I think we did these songs and Mr. Jamrog proud, and dealt with our own grieving as well. As we were doing the record, the Towers fell, and there were some eerie parallels that we emphasize in the heartbreaking "Love, where are you now, " and the biblical rock opera "Believe," Contact Dave at www.davejamrog.com to get a copy.

Steven Kirby: "North light." This was a mammoth undertaking by a local guitar hero. I first played with Steven as an emergency sub for one of my greatest teachers, Bevan Manson. Steven and I played more and more over the years, he was a major part of Celia Slattery's "Movin' on" record, and I wound up playing piano (and organ, once again.... can't keep away from it) on a session or two. So ambitious was Steven's music that he wound up doing innumerable sessions for it, with shifting casts of characters... the pianists also include Laszlo Gardony and Bruce Barth, hornmen include Bill Vint, Tony D'aveni, and Chris Potter (!), and so on... I wrote a tune dedicated to Steve, which sounds like John Scofield ripping off Kurt Rosenwinkel, which I called "The Kirbinator," but Steve is a humble man, so changed the title to "5 for all." I shall never forgive him.
Patrice Williamson: "Free to Dream." Ah, Patrice Williamson... Memphis's own jazz vocalist and flutist... we met in ensemble at New England Conservatory, and played together on and off over the years. This was a fun record to produce, straight ahead jazz mixed with some acoustic funk and blues, with Patrice digging into some of my coolest arrangements ever, including a James Brown inspired "Puttin' on the Ritz," a 5/4 tango "Love Me or Leave Me," and a slow bossa-ish take on Stevie Wonder's "Another Star." Patrice contributed some of her own tunes, too ("Free to dream," "You don't know what you're missin'"), and check out the band! (Jason Hunter - sax, Eric Byers - guitar, Keala Kaumeheiwa - bass, Ron Savage - drums, Kera Washington - percussion). I also wrote a chart or 2 for Patrice's first record, "My Shining Hour."
Cactus Highway: "Nothing Pure." I didn't even know I played on this second outing by the Maine duo. I came by their place and laid down some keys on some 4-track demos they were submitting to TAXI music referral service, and a couple years later, after Huck Bennert got his hands on 'em, voila, a new CD! This record represents a leap forward for Rob and Andrea, my buds, in their songwriting maturity, Andrea's sensitive yet kick-ass voice, and in Rob's inventive production; he maintains the sound of the duo, while filling out the arrangements with additional guitars, keyboards, and percussion.
Mitch Seidman : "How 'bout It." God Bless Berklee College of Music. There's Nothing Conservatory About It, and though I HATE that motto, they did give my fellow Ear Trainer, guitarist Mitch a grant to make this record, a program of his original tunes and tunes written by other guitarists who influenced him (Jim Hall, Atilla Zoller). A nice, left of center, straight-ahead jazz date, with Paul del Nero - bass, and my first experience with the telepathic, eloquent accompanist Luther Gray on drums, recorded by local hero Mark Wessel, who did my trio record, and is the go to guy for many local and national artists.
zaklees -The best band you never heard of... It's tough to describe the singular genius of guitarist and recording engineer Dan Knox. He's influenced by Zappa, Soul Coughing, heavy metal, Mike Stern, John Scofield, and the beatniks (and beatles), but there's so much more; messages of love and morality, political activism... so subtley textured and couched in eclectic rock-n-roll that the point was often missed... i.e. Knox's anti-Republican diatribe "Busloads of Mexicans," was often regarded as an actual xenophobic rant, rather than a rail against racists, and the humor in all his lyrics, from potty to profound, often overlooked. My favorites? "Puff and Stuff," a blue-eyed soul ode to a sex doll, and "Bright White Spot," an indictment of women's magazines. Buy this CD, and become a cult fan, as everyone does, and lobby to hear this unique band again. My brother Neily plays jazzy, funky drums with an irreverent punk aestheic, Tim Webb lays down the bottom end with much interaction and Yes-fueled jazzification, and Me? "Hey, question lady.. this is not my regular job... I play keyboards..." -- Pool Guy, Simpsons, "Bart of Darkness."
Rick DiMuzio - "First Offerings" This is the long overdue debut as a leader of one of the finest sax players around, gracing the bands of Matt Gordy, ME!!!, and that tiny over-rated jazz club Wally's, where he gave the young dueling beboppers a run for their money every weekend for years. He teaches at Berzerklee with me, but was a jazz chair of a dept. in Missouri, and went to Eastman and all that (he did his NEC doctorate in JOE LOVANO... literally... his dissertation was an analysis of EVERY Joey Love solo)... He's a fluent and articulate composer, which he shows on this mostly original program featuring, alternately, me and Greg Burk on piano, Peter Slavov and Thomson Kneeland on bass, John Hollenbeck and Jamey Haddad on drums and perc, Nate Radley on guitar, and Phil Grenadier on tpt.

Molly Flannery - "Riding the Bull" This is the 2nd outing for Acton Jazz Café favorite, pianist, composer (mom, teacher, renaissance woman) Molly Flannery. Her generous, warm nature comes forth in even the briefest encounter with her, her jam-session hosting, and her music, where she is equally at home with chord changes or in freer settings. She is aided here by longtime trio-mates John Funkhouser - bass, and Gary Fieldman - drums, with special appearances (singing Molly's original jazz tunes w/lyrics) by April Hall and Anna Callahan (who also played trumpet and flugel). I ostensibly produced this record, which involved coming to a few sessions and offering and arrangement suggestion or 2, and some jokes, but, hey, that's all Jimmy Miller did for the Stones.
Ken Selcer - "Breaking the Glass";
Finally some of this project is seeing the light of day! Ken Selcer is a guitarist/singer/songwriter who I met through my pals Cactus Highway; he's super-prolific with lots of tunes, bands, and projects to his name. This record is volume one of a whole bunch of music we recorded with Larry Finn - drums, Lou Ehrlich - bass, Eguie Castrillo - percussion, Billy Novick - reeds, Lauren Wool, Felicia Brady, Jill Stein, others - voices, and me on piano and some keys and voice (I sing the cool Carl Wilson part I made up on Ken's tune "Fly away" Check it out
Anne Peckham - "Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer";
Here's a book published by the ever-growing Berklee Press which features vocal exercises and technique tips for the aspiring vocalist, featuring me on Piano, Bruno Raberg on bass, Take Toriyama on drums, and Rick Peckham on guitar. It's a great tool for working on your vocal chops, and it's pretty hilarious to hear us play a variety of idioms... it is very surprising how quickly this disparate, international band of jazzy people cop a Rolling Stones vibe on a couple tracks... visit berkleemusic.com to order
Coming Soon:
- the debut Chris Humphrey CD, featuring Martin Wind and Matt Wilson
- the new CD by singer/songwriter/guitarist Kate Schutt, featuring Dave Jamrog on drums, and M.S. on piano.
- a CD by ESP (a collective vocal group featuring Patrice Williamson, Emily Browder, and Sandi Hammond)
- a CD by Toxic Audio soprano and old friend Michelle Mailhot
- a CD by cabaret/jazz vocalist Annie Sharkey
- a Christmas record of songs of faith by Nancy Jamrog
- the new Mark Shilansky CD, "Join the Club," featuring Donny McCaslin, Andrew Rathbun, Taylor Haskins, Jay Ashby, Kim Nazarian, Eric Byers, John Dirac, Josh Hilberman, Fernando Huergo, Evan Gregor, Jordan Perlson, Bertram Lehmann, and Ernesto Diaz (WHEW!!!).
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Contact Mark by e-mail at mshilansky@berklee.edu
or by phone at (617) 747-8598

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