Afterplay

Brian Kelly | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 15, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Skylight Music
• ASIN: B001BFQ43U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,042 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SmoothJazz.com Review, February 17, 2009

By 

Sandy Shore (Monterey, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afterplay (Audio CD)

San Francisco Bay Area composer/keyboardist Brian Kelly follows his brilliant debut release POOLS OF LIGHT with yet another outstanding, compelling collection of originals, this time leaning a bit more Smooth Jazz, but with plenty of new age elements in the mix too. If you loved the highly recommended and highly regarded POOLS OF LIGHT, which I reviewed in 2006, then AFTERPLAY is unquestionably destined for your player. The musical integrity and lyrical sensitivity that Mr. Kelly brings to the table for his projects is clearly evident on this release. He's created more of a combo sound here, adding flutes, sax, horns and guitar to his musical toolbox, and uses them strategically for depth and richness of texture featuring Eric Crystal on sax (Boz Scaggs) and David Rokeach on drums (Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles). At a time when commercial Smooth Jazz too often heads in the direction of cliché, Brian Kelly's AFTERPLAY is a refreshing example of how we can keep this music genre exciting and vibrant! ~SCOTT O'BRIEN

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All pieces are the original compositions of Brian Kelly, and they reveal his love of music, December 12, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afterplay (Audio CD)

Award-winning contemporary instrumental pianist Brian Kelly presents Afterplay, a jazz album featuring his piano and percussion stylings enhanced with additional musician's contributions on the alto sax, drums, trumpet, trombone, flute, and guitar. All pieces are the original compositions of Brian Kelly, and they reveal his love of music that sings with pure, eloquent energy and joie de vivre. An audio delight for jazz enthusiasts everywhere. The tracks are River Rush (5:15), Smiling South (4:22), New Vision (4:44), Snowflakes Rising (3:31), Flavor Seven (4:46), Afterplay (4:44), Heaven On Earth (4:39), Celtic Fire (3:41), Stone Shine (5:05), Reach For The Stars (4:53) and Sunchaser (3:32). 49 min. 15 sec.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pianist Brian Kelly A Rapidly Rising Star In Contemporary Instrumental Music, December 8, 2008

By 

Cali - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afterplay (Audio CD)

BRIAN KELLY
AFTERPLAY

This is pianist and composer Brian Kelly's second CD. He is known for penning strong melodies, and that talent is definitely visible here. Most of the album has an upbeat smooth jazz ensemble sound, but a few of the tunes ("Snowflakes Rising," "Heaven on Earth," "Reach for the Stars") are more mellow (more in that pop-new age category).

His career began as a youngster singing in musical theatre productions. He also has served as a modern dance accompanist. He majored in jazz studies and music composition in college (BA degree). He has studied under old-school mainstream jazz pianists such as Art Lande and Andy LaVerne, the jazz/new age group Oregon, and theater and film composer Michael Silversher (who has penned many tunes for Disney). Kelly also won the Keyboard Magazine Soundpage Award for an original composition before recording his first CD, POOLS OF LIGHT, which spent two months at the #1 position on the New Age Reporter chart (that album was softer and less jazzy than the new one).

Check out the catchy melodies and tightknit arrangements on AFTERPLAY. The recording kicks off with "River Rush," which as the name implies. is a jazzy and joyous bumping and bouncing river raft trip down the rapids. The next tune, "Smiling South," not only features various percussion instruments, but also Kelly playing the piano in a percussive style. He gets a bit funky on "Flavor Seven" with its forceful piano chords that eventually meld with a Chick Corea/Herbie Hancock electric piano sound.

As you can tell from the descriptions, the new album has a nice variety of sounds and styles. There is good interplay between the various instruments. This is one very tasty recording for those who like contemporary instrumental music that is strong on melodic content.