As luck or fate would have it,
my neighbor and good buddy is acclaimed jazz trumpet player Rick Braun.
He watched from the sidelines occasionally sitting in with the
new band now called "Comfort Zone." When I approached Rick with
the idea I was ready to record he took the bull by the horns, got Bud
Harner involved and launched my career as a solo artist. The
material on my first album "So Cal Drivin" album is a mixture of my old
and new tunes along with some of my Comfort Zone material. My 2nd album
"Outside In" was released early January 2011 on
Innervision Records. It has been a satisfying journey putting on
the artist hat for a change, and I hope you find this music as
enjoyable to listen to as it was to make. Outside In
and
So Cal Drivin
Craig Sharmat's newest release and his first on Innervision Records (Out early January 2011) Is titled "Outside In". The album features eleven new tunes. The first single off the album titled "Ease Up" has acheived Top 10 status in Billboard. The album is a mixture of funky and smooth grooves along with classic retro feeling pieces and etheral orchestral composition. The album uses mostly live players with a steller list of proven Jazz All Stars including...
Rick Braun
Rayford Griffin
Gregg Karukas
Phillipe Saisse
Luis Conte
Greg Matheison
Mark Hollingsworth
Nate Najar
Dan Lutz
and many more
| Outside
In $14.00 plus $2.50 shipping
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Craig Sharmat leaves his love of composing and session work to release this initial offering. The album features a number of special guests including Rick Braun who helped oversee the final project. There are some tracks with his performing groove jazz band Comfort Zone and a host of special guests including Greg Matheison, Mike White, Philippe Saisse, Dino Soldo, Billy Hulting, Steve Billman, Andy Suzuki etc, etc. (a full list can be found below). Sharmat includes infectious grooves on tunes like So Cal Drivin (currently climbing the charts), Spud Nutts (a homage to his composing mentor Lyle Murphy) Fish Fry and The Badger. Craig also includes the tune Brisa showing his love for Brazilian music and also includes two lush orchestral arrangements Dad and Midnight Jass featuring a specialty, orchestral arranging. The included Song for Colleen is a beautiful ballad with a catchy melody. Craig rounds out the collection with the uplifting Perfect Life and Smooth Sailing where he departs from his clean electric guitar playing on the latter tune in favor of a more rock guitar playing approach.
Sharmat has toured with Randy Crawford and Ronnie Laws. He has worked on Rick Braun's Truly Yours album and Peter White's Christmas album featuring Rick Braun and Mindi Abair. He has played/composed/ on thousands of TV, move and jingle cues.
| So Cal
Drivin $14.00 plus $2.50 shipping
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"One magnificent introduction to an artist who shows here that working behind the scenes in such a prolific fashion and providing such quality productions and compositions might be fun and rewarding in their own right, but some lights just need to shine on their own when it's time. Craig Sharmat shows here why, for him, it's that time." -- Ronald Jackson The Smooth Ride
"Sharmat's affinity for gentle ballades finds its echo in the songs Perfect Life and Dad. Dad features Craig on acoustic guitar supported by a wonderful orchestral arrangement. With this heartfelt melody he articulates the great love to his father and closes the album with his own emotional approach." -Hans Bernd Hulsmann-Smooth Jazz Daily
P E T E R * B O E H I
Craig Sharmat - So Cal Drivin (2009)
"Funky, upbeat, groovy, cool and hip smooth jazz album by guitarist
Craig Sharmat which is not just suitable for cruising in LA - guests
include Rick Braun, Greg Mathieson, Philippe Saisse, Andy Suzuki and
others. A gem!"
So Cal Drivin credits
please email
craig@scoredog.tv
for a full list of credits