Razz

    Formed in 1983 by Brian Sawyers and Todd Voelker, Razz was conceived as a vehicle for professional musicians local to the Orange County California area to record their best work using Brian's compositional styles as a base.

    Brian and Todd met while playing dinner theater in Newport Beach, California.  The shows were in four sets, one for each dinner course, and the piano was to be played softly during the breaks while the audience ate.  Using this time to try out some new material, Brian convinced Todd to join in and the birth of their first album, Playground, was under way.  The pay was minimal but the tips were great!  In fact the tips paid for the recording and release of their first album, Playground.

    Since neither Brian or Todd wanted a group name along the lines of The Brian Sawyers Project or The Todd and Brian Show... etc., they opted for a different group concept and called it Razz.  The two decided it would be more musically rewarding to set up a series of recordings and involve a different group of musicians on each record rather than form a "band".  This would accomplish two tasks.  First, it would give a variety of musicians, who otherwise may not have had the chance to meet, an opportunity to interact with each other in a recording environment.  Second, it would add a unique evolution to the compositions resulting from this "open ended" arrangement thus making each recording a group effort.  Brian's comment is "These tunes wouldn't have that "spark" that comes from the human element if I'd done it all in my MIDI studio; solo efforts have the potential to get overworked.  If it weren't for the input from each player, it would just be another data stream rolling around the contemporary jazz idiom.  It's the heart and musicianship of each player that gives this music life."

    The initiation of this concept started literally by asking around town which players would be available during a given couple of weeks in December of 1983.  The talent that stepped forward became the "band" for Playground, Razz's first project::  Troy Dexter on guitars, John Holt and Ray Hurley on basses, Troy Edmunston on saxes and Chariya Keopke on vocals.  Putting faith forward, Todd and Brian wanted to have a completed album to shop around to labels.  The thinking was; if a record company liked the project and picked it up for release, this would mean a contract and advance for the next album which in turn would perpetuate their concept.  As it turned out, the engineer of the project was starting a Contemporary Christian label called Exile Records and was interested in using Playground as a "debut release".  The record was released in June of 1984.

    After its release, Todd went on to Arizona State University to pursue his Masters degree in Architecture, Brian began study in pipe organ building and preparation for the next album was under way.  However, due to unforeseen label problems (i.e. 'hard knocks'), and over extended schedules, Razz was shelved.

    Fourteen years later, the two got together to rekindle Razz and writing for their latest project, Clazz, was under way.  Sticking to the original concept, a different group of musicians was selected for this recording:   Matthew Von Doran and Tom Bevan on guitars, Eric Stiller and Mahlon Hawk on basses, Albert Wing on EWI and a five piece horn section consisting of Darrel Gardner and Matt Fronke on trumpets, John Grabb on trombone, Brian Williams and Tom Margitan on saxes.  For this and future recordings, Brian has teamed up with engineer Gary Van Pelt.   Gary's sensitive miking and recording techniques create a very clean and sonic quality that has been a prerequisite of Razz from the beginning.

    Razz's next project is deep into the "construction" phase and will include several compositions from other musicians involved in its recording.  Through their association with Razzody Music, Razz will continue to progress through the fusion jungle by combining the forces talented players and exciting compositions that introduce something new with each listening.