Joey Sommerville

About Joey Sommerville

A true renaissance man, Joey wears many musical hats. He was the featured instrumental soloist on the Cirgue de Soliel's Grammy-nominated and Juno Award wining album "Alegria." In 2001, he scored a Gavin Top 20 Contemporary Jazz hit as a writer/producer with Bob Baldwin for the single "Business Call". In 2006, he was a featured soloist on Hidden Beach Recording's "Unwrapped Volume 4" and produced bassist/vocalist Rhonda Smith's "RS2" which features Prince, Sheila E., and gospel great, Fred Hammond. The album was voted one of the top 10 best albums of the year (2006) by Musc Magazine (Japan). His last release, "Like You Mean It" garnered international airplay and led to numerous accolades and awards, including The American Society of Young Musician's All That Jazz Award for 2009.

The newest release from the upcoming CD titled, "The Get Down Club", "Get Right," featuring singer-songwriter Chiedza Ponder, is the first single from the album. The album is a logical extension of Joey's live performances. "I started a series in Atlanta in 2007 bringing in special guest to perform with my band. We started at an upscale supper club and ended up last year (2010) doing the shows at a 2,000 seat outdoor amphitheater. We've really had a "Who's Who of contemporary musicians come through." Joey's "Guest List" has included musical luminaires Sheila E., Peabo Bryson, Ann Nesby, Eric Marienthal, Wayman Tisdale, Jeff Lorber, Ronnie Laws and a host of others.

"Music is a collaborative art forma and I want to take my of it to the next level. "The Get Down Club: is the ultimate expression of my artistic vision. I often refer to musicians and singer as having a "Get Down Card", meaning that they have the ability to touch people on a very siceral level with their gift. The concept is a platform that gives me the opportunity to work with some of my legendary "super heroes" as well as some of the freshest young musical minds that I know of. It's about drawing on a wide range of musical styles for inspiration and working with forward thinking artists to come up with a fresh vision of what role the trumpet can play in the contemporary musical landscape."

"Get Right" is a perfect first volley from the album. The song is a fun-filled "Valentine" message, combining Chiedza's lyrical wit with Joey's "talking trumpet" in a unique mash-up that simultaneously reflects the influences of both Bob Marley and Louis Armstrong! Fresh??? Oh Yes!!!!