HighNote Recording Artist: Thom Rotella

Sat, Mar 01

Thom Rotella- guitar Roy McCurdy - drums Carey Frank- organ Brandon Fields - saxophone Lenny Castro - percussion Thom Rotella is nothing if not comprehensive, but then protean talent is an essential requirement for any successful studio musician. It's a prerequisite. For years, Rotella was among the handful of household-name musical artists who populated dozens of Hollywood first-call lists for recording sessions, concerts, club dates, TV shows, television commercials, film scores and more. Just a few of the artists who've engaged Thom Rotella's exceptional talent include Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Nicks, Carly Simon, Debbie Harry, Burt Bacharach, Four Tops, the Beach Boys, Phil Spector, Lionel Richie, Bette Midler, Donna Summer, Seth MacFarlane, Don Was, Luciano Pavarotti, David Foster, Herb Alpert, Tom Scott and Cher as well as such GRAMMY winning jazz artists as Diane Schuurr, Stanley Turrentine, Gregg Karukas and Bill Cunliffe. And such Fortune 500 companies as Ford, Goodyear, Cadillac, Chevrolet and Taco Bell have availed themselves of Rotella's creative expertise by commissioning his original compositions for their ad campaigns and television commercials. And more often than not, that's Thom Rotella you're hearing on The Family Guy and American Dad among many others. We've also appreciated Thom's original music and performances on TV's Ellen DeGeneres Show, Extra, Sex and the City and China Beach. Additionally, he's lent his talents and imagination to any number of film soundtracks including Ted, Ted 2, Splash, Same Time Next Year, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Rumblefish, Mississippi Masala and many more. He also performed and composed an original score for the 2015 romantic comedy film Altos. In addition, Thom Rotella enjoys a multi-faceted career as a member of that exclusive club of studio musicians who've achieved an enviable notoriety and ubiquitous presence on today's popular music charts and broadcast radio. He's not only one of the most notable and enduring fixtures on L.A.'s studio scene but also an artist who routinely scores on both the smooth jazz and straight-ahead jazz charts. In 2019, Thom received a call from his old friend, producer and jazz guitarist, Chris Standring who, somewhere in the conversation, promised him a hit single. That single, "Eddie's Ready" an homage to the great jazz artist Eddie Harris, went to Number One on Billboard's Smooth Jazz charts. And Rotella's subsequent releases have all charted in the top twenty, including "Street Talk," Number One on Smooth Jazz radio and #3 on the Billboard charts and "Soul Kitchen" Number One on Watercolors. The guitarist's previous project titled Say Hey! is a compilation of all his hit singles plus some new bonus tracks. In addition Rotella is gigging with his 4tet, that features sax titan Ernie Watts. His latest straight-ahead jazz CD "Side Hustle" on HighNote Records, a followup to his album Storyline, is a nod to the jazz organ trio records the 60's. It features jazz legend Roy McCurdy on drums and Columbus, Ohio organist Bobby Floyd. And guest spots by Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Eric Alexander on tenor and Lenny Castro on percussion. Kendall Kay (drums) and Gregg Karukas(organ) step in for the final track. The release date is 8/23/24 and is his 14th CD.