One very special young talent that caught the ear of guitarist
Chieli Minucci is the young fusion pianist
Lao Tizer. The pianist played acoustic grand piano on
Minucci's 1998 hit with
Special EFX entitled
Masterpiece on a song called "Awakening," but prior to his recording date with
Minucci,
Lao Tizer had sold in excess of 50,000 self-produced CDs as a "street performer" and was being compared stylistically to the
Dave Matthews Band or perhaps
Bruce Hornsby.
Tizer's debut CD for Frat House Records is titled Golden Soul and was produced by his mentor
Chieli Minucci. The songs reveal the pop and jazz sensibilities of
the Lao Tizer Band, which consists of Christopher Maloney on bass, Shane Gaalaas on drums, and
Jeff Kollman on guitar. They play in a variety of formats that feature excellent percussionists, strings, brass, and woodwinds players on ten songs, all written by
Tizer. The songs speak from
Tizer's "Golden Soul" and along with his exceptional playing on both the acoustic piano and organ, the band is resplendent in their instrumental "coolness" precision and grace, which suggests that the transitions from pop to jazz have been positively accomplished. "Her Poetry" is beautiful and "Enchantment" shows the emotional side of
Tizer.
Lao Tizer's reputation as an excellent pianist, composer, and arranger is justifiable and his debut Golden Soul is clearly a prodigious effort that deserves wider recognition. ~ Paula Edelstein