Marc Hoffman releases new jazz CD, Curioso

Marc Hoffman

Virillion Music recording artist Marc Hoffman has announced the release of “Curioso,” an all-original jazz CD that features Hoffman on keyboard and vocals, Tim Gordon (Mr. Groove) on sax, Grammy nominee John Sharp on guitar, Terry Peoples and Nathan Scott on bass, and Gray Fallin (The Brubakers), Mike Lanier and Ryan Scott on drums and percussion.

Curioso follows the release of a single track from the CD several weeks ago entitled “Hefti,” Hoffman’s tribute to his former composition professor, the late Neal Hefti.

“ ‘Hefti’ makes you smile with its delicate riffs and uplifting swing,” said DJ Jelly Roll Justice of WWOZ-FM in New Orleans.

“ ‘Hefti’ is one of those great tunes that is instantly recognizable within two to four notes [of the opening lick] — no easy achievement, and very satisfying,” said Preston Ryback, composer and owner of Shore Club Studios in Vancouver, BC.

The Curioso project began as a compilation of various jazz tunes Hoffman had written over two years, representing as many styles of jazz as there are tracks on the CD. He initially entitled the quickly mastered collection “Jazz” and intended to use it to pitch tunes to TV and film projects.

“After circulating what I thought was the finished product for a few months, I was delighted by the response,” Hoffman said. “So, two years after the initial project was completed, I decided to remix and re-master all tracks for wide release and at the same time rename the CD Curioso after my favorite piece in the collection.”

Producer and engineer Jerod Jacobs of Charlotte co-mixed and co-mastered the CD with Hoffman.

Curioso combines tunes that are inspired by other musicians’ work with tracks that were inspired by events in the artist’s life. Besides, “Hefti,” which channels the light, lyrical work of Neal Hefti, there’s “Pontified,” Hoffman’s take on the late ‘70s music of Jean-Luc Ponty; “Introspective,” smooth jazz reminiscent of David Benoit; and the Vince Guaraldi influence apparent on Curioso.

For “Q,” Hoffman wanted to capture what he observed as the “calm strength” of a former piano student of his who was battling a brain tumor during the three years he worked with her. A friend who died suddenly inspired “Bender.”

“I imagined a desolate night in NYC as a reflection of my sadness over his passing.” Hoffman said.

Other tracks are more lighthearted, such as “Thumbs,” which evolved from a spontaneous rhythm Hoffman started playing on his desk one day, “literally with my thumbs.” “

When Hoffman circulated the initial release of the collection, Gary Dalkin, editor of Film Music on the Web, wrote in a review: “Hoffman brings a light, fluid grace to his eloquent improvisations, the tone largely optimistic though shot through with an enquiring spirit which adds an intriguing melodic quirk to the disc.”

Tracks from the CD can be heard on Marc Hoffman’s website www.marchoffman.com. Samples are available on Amazon.com. The entire CD can be purchased at www.amazon.com,

CDbaby.com (search “marc hoffman”) and iTunes.

For more information on Marc Hoffman, visit www.marchoffman.com.

For more information on Virillion Music, go to www.marchoffman.com/virillion.htm.

About Marc Hoffman:

Composer/pianist/vocalist Marc Hoffman received his degree in composition from the North Carolina School of the Arts and studied film composition at the University of Southern California. He also attended The Dartington International Summer School of Music in Devon, England. His composition teachers have included David Ott, Leo Arnaud, Neal Hefti, and Sherwood Shaffer. A member of BMI and the American Composer's Forum, he is also founder and artistic director of the Salisbury School of Music. He lives in Salisbury with is wife, Anne, and their daughter August. For more information on Marc Hoffman and his work, visit www.marchoffman.com. He can also be found on Facebook under Marc Hoffman Music, on MySpace, and on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com).