In the bitter cold last Tuesday Bryan Lubeck took a deep satisfied breath as he walked out of a late night Chicago recording session with "A"-list violinist Katherine Hughes. Yeah…that Katherine Hughes who has played and recorded with stars like Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Michael Buble, Lyle Lovette and many more. He knew his decision to use real strings on the new album is one of the best he ever made. As he tells it, "Nothing brings passion and emotion to a song like real strings." He adds, "Katherine took one of my best songs and brought it to an entirely new level, I can't wait to release it."
Lubeck returns to the town that gave him his big break a baker's dozen years ago to multiple standing ovations for Tower of Power sax player Richard Elliott and Jefferson Starship's guitarist, 13 time Grammy nominee Craig Chaquico, at the Smooth Jazz at Sunset Concert series on Silver Beach in St. Joseph. Ever since then he has steadily capitalized on those early lucky breaks, and now he's "coming home" for a Very Special Valentine's Show at the St. Joseph High School John & Dede Howard Auditorium on Friday, February 12, 2016.
For that local concert, Bryan is sticking with his commitment for live strings by bringing his newest songs, which are set for release this spring, to the stage with one of the top high school orchestras in the nation — the St. Joseph High School Orchestra under the direction of Burke Lokey.
Bryan says, "We did a show together two years ago and it was an amazing experience, so this year we will be doing some of my new songs together."
The February 12th show will not only entertain, but will help raise money for the Willging-Reed Summer Music Scholarship. That award is offered to those individuals at SJHS who wish to attend one of the many high quality Summer Music Camps. The applicant must either play a stringed instrument or be enrolling in an orchestral setting as a wind or percussion player. Bryan says, "The summer music camps and shows I did as a student gave me the essential tools I used as a professional musician today — so this fundraiser is very important to me."
Believe it or not, it has been nearly two years since Bryan has performed in St. Joseph — two incredible years. Bryan's songs still continue to garner top tier radio, cable, satellite and online music stations the live shows featured gigs on both coasts. Last week his popular song Sydney's Way garnered 2,500 downloads in the first two days of its released on the popular TV streaming device Roku. Already this year he has recorded and performed with Grammy winners and nominees including 2015 Grammy nominee Mindi Abair — and the year has just begun.
Bryan tells us he is "Honestly in awe of it all. It's hard work, but that is no guarantee in the business of music — frankly any business. So, in the end I know I'm very fortunate." The upcoming show at SJ High will feature some of his radio hits with exhilarating Spanish guitar, but will also feature his new recordings that show-off his ability to write a "tapestry painting" of lyrics and catchy pop hooks. Band members include sax player Nick Bisesi, who has played with the likes of Ray Charles and is one of Ramsey Lewis's Urban Knights…and Paul Merar on Bass who has two Platinum records in his own right.
The forthcoming album out this spring is called "Sparks," but even his last CD is still going strong. "Tuscan Sky" spent 15+ weeks in the Top 40 of the various Smooth Jazz charts, and has received rave reviews from even the toughest critics. When the title song was released, it immediately shot to the 5th most-added-to-radio on the Billboard charts and continued that ranking for two weeks in a row.
Audience members will be invited to stay after the Valentine's show and enjoy soft drinks and snacks with the artists. The show will make for a perfect celebration for you and your valentine.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students in advance, increasing to $20 for adults and $15 for students at the door. Tickets are available online by clicking the link below, or can be purchased in person at the main office at the high school from 8am until 3pm each Monday through Friday.
Here's the link to a Very Special Valentine's Show with National Recording Artist Bryan Lubeck and the St. Joseph High School Orchestra:
