A citizen of Music City (Nashville), Arkansas-native James Hollihan is quite the musical Renaissance man. On The Funky Misfit he takes all of the credits: composer, arranger, and performer on all instruments. The results are a very smart collection of urbane contemporary jazz a la the Rippingtons, the Crusaders, and Spyro Gyra, except way better behaved. While a good deal of contemporary jazz is at best banal, Mr. Hollihan infuses his music with a good-natured personality, a compositional aptitude for writing nuclear hooks, and a well-educated ear for a great tune. The disc opens with the title cut, a neo-funk piece that demonstrates Mr. Hollihan’s complete arsenal of talent. Hollihan deftly uses tight rhythms and clean guitar and keyboard lines for the perimeter of the vehicle to show off his Wes Montgomery/George Benson/Pat Martino-influenced playing. Mr. Hollihan’s global use of electronics is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder. That is the type of facility he brings to the table. More of the same is encountered on ”Groove Deville,” with the addition of organ and piano to the showcase. The groove is very much in evidence, with Latin and Caribbean strands winding in and out of the song’s structure. Hollihan’s sleek guitar is ever present, grounding his style. The Funky Misfit contains these and other delights: “Across the Desert Sky” with its steel drum vibe, the easy stroll of “The Hush of Love,” and beautiful ballad “The Waltz of the Leaves” make this recording something special. Within a popular music environment that dumbs down all of the music around it, it is very nice to encounter a recording like The Funky Misfit that can rub up against the popular aesthetic with out picking up any of its stink. This recording is highly recommended. —C. Michael Bailey, all•about•jazz jameshollihan The Funky Misfit After working behind the scenes as producer, engineer, musician and songwriter, James Hollihan steps to the front and romps through a jazzy, cool, sophisticated, and swanky sound on “The Funky Misfit”, his debut release on Nuevotron. Play Groove DeVille Play The Hush of Love Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: The Funky Misfit Groove DeVille Across the Desrt Sky The Hush of Love The Waltz of the Leaves Cypress Shores It Came From Brazil Solitude Cafe Blue Angel Noir funkymisfit$9.99 James Hollihan - The Nutcracker Suite - Sounds of the Holidays A joyous pandemonium of holiday cheer, the Symphony of Guitars twangs and chimes it's way through the full orchestral score of "The Nutcracker Suite". The sound is a sonic surprise of new textures and nuance as this yuletide favorite takes flight across wires and frets! It's Tchaikovsky meets Les Paul. Play Overture Play Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Overture 2. March 3. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fiaries 4. Russian Dance 5. Arabian Dance 6. Chinese Dance 7. Dance of the Toy Soldiers 8. Waltz of the Flowers 9. Joy to the World 11. Carol of the Bells 12. Silent Night 13. What Child is This 14. Hallelujah Chorus nususoofho$9.99 The Fabulous Mr. X —Still Learning— Homework . . . I didn’t grow up in a musical family in the academic sense. Dad was a self-taught guitar player, like his dad was. . . like I am. Mom was determined not to see her first-born, “playing in beer joints”, but the experience of seeing music played by real people, right in front of me, made it seem natural, like breathing or blinking. I thought everybody did it. Much to my mother’s dismay, my natural talent kicked in and I was allowed to accompany my father in the “joints”. I learned a lot of useful things. I learned to play the standards. I learned to drive a car. I learned it was better to make your own money. Old school . . . Having learned all I could in the local “joints”, it seemed the time was right to move on. I married my high-school sweetheart, we moved to Nashville, and I began traveling with “The Imperials”, a gospel quartet that had backed Elvis in Vegas. It was a crash course in "American Music" history. It made sense to live in a town that called itself, “Music City”, besides, the Imperials were paying me two hundred dollars a week, which was more money than I had ever seen, much less, dreamed I would make. Higher learning . . . It was time for some serious lessons. I began touring with an artist who's been a life-long collaborator. His name is Russ Taff. We’ve been all over the world, written songs, made several records, won awards . . . he told me one time that if he’d just had a gun he would‘ve shot me in the leg, but that’s understandable . . . I would’ve done the same to him. Russ gave me the opportunity to learn a lot of things. I learned to drive all night. I learned that people come to “see” a show. I learned that you could write orchestral arrangements if you just try. I learned that records are never finished . . . they just get released. Epiphany . . . A major turning point in my musical education came while I was working with Russ on his Christmas record, "A Christmas Song". Russ' favorite Christmas records were by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. He said, "You like that jazzy stuff, let's make it like Bing and Frank", or something like that. I had no idea what impact it would have on me. Working on this recording was a connection to a powerful passion from the past . . . Jazz. Continuing education . . . Those sessions for "A Christmas Song" were the start of new things. It was the first chance I'd ever had to arrange for strings. Russ later confessed that he spent the whole trip to the session working up the right way to tell me, "it just wasn't working", but it worked out fine! I've kept learning since then. I've learned not to let what I can't do, get in the way of what I can. Every day is a "fabulous" day . . . and . . . I've still got a lot to learn . . . what a priviledge! Visit James Hollihan's Web Site