Jazz Music News From Robert Miller's Project Grand Slam

NEW YORK - Feb. 22, 2017 - PRLog -- So far the year 2017 has been a musical home run for Project Grand Slam.  The brainchild of bassist/composer Robert Miller, PGS is a fusion of Rock and Jazz with a twist of Classic Rock and Latin.  The band has earned over 1 million video views while defying genres, language and geographic boundaries.  PGS has developed a fervent international fan base, in large measure due to the Latin-infused title track from their recent 4^th album, "The Queen's Carnival".

On February 1^st the band had the pleasure of opening for 2x Grammy Award nominee Mindi Abair and the BoneShakers at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City. The capacity crowd excitedly responded to Project Grand Slam's original fusion music and their special reimaginings of several Classic Rock songs.  The band performed songs from their most recent hit CD, 'The Queen's Carnival', and their upcoming new EP release. Following their performance Mindi Abair and her band members enthusiastically praised Project Grand Slam on stage. Here are two Live Videos from PGS's performance. PGS "Free" (Phish Cover) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7EaJB_v_tU)   PGS "Fire" (Jimi Hendrix cover) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBBFHwdKSkw)



Downbeat Magazine is widely regarded as one of the premier Jazz magazines in the world. The March 2017 issue features a two-page profile of Robert discussing his musical roots, influences, the music industry past and present, and the journey to forming and performing with Project Grand Slam. Downbeat Profile (http://downbeat.com/digitaledition/2017/spcindie/single_page_view/45.html)

In January 2017 Robert and the band recorded a new as yet untitled EP consisting of five new songs. Project Grand Slam's live show is always red hot and Robert likes to keep the shows fresh with new material. Over the holidays he wrote three new original instrumentals and reimagined two cover songs - Cream's classic rock tune 'I'm So Glad' and 'Free' by the beloved jam band Phish.

Robert and the band previously released reimagined covers of Jimi Hendrix's "Fire" (feat. Kat Robichaud of The Voice) and The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" (feat. Lucy Woodward), both to rave reviews).  Their Kinks cover was praised by Dave Davies of The Kinks, and their video of "You Really Got Me" has been viewed on YouTube over a quarter million times.  PGS "You Really Got Me" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ7R83qO2lw) In total, PGS videos have been viewed over 1 million times worldwide on YouTube and Facebook.

Covering Cream for Robert was a natural extension of his love for 1960s Classic Rock.  Cream was one of his favorite bands back then, and Jack Bruce was a special inspiration to Robert's bass playing. The new version of "I'm So Glad" is a startling departure from Cream's version, yet maintains links to this classic song.

Covering a more modern band like Phish is a new direction for Robert. As he tells it: "My two sons in law are Phish fanatics and turned me on to the band. They recommended a few songs to me to consider covering including "Free".  I spent a year thinking about "Free" until my version of the song came to me.  I love the way that the recording turned out and I hope that Phish and Trey and their fans will too! I so admire what that band has accomplished. I felt that any cover of one of their songs had to be really special because of the band's huge and very devoted following."

As for the EP's original songs, Robert drew on a variety of influences. "Metro Shuffle" was written while he was taking a walk in his hometown of Manhattan, resulting in a gritty New York kind of feel. "Hollywood" was written in California during a vacation and reflects the frenetic pace of that town.  And "Fishin" has a totally laid back Island/Jimmy Buffet kind of vibe which Robert says came out of nowhere but has turned into a band and fan favorite.

As 2017 moves forward Robert Miller's Project Grand Slam looks forward to releasing new music, performing at festivals around the United States and wowing audiences with their own brand of inventive, original music.

For more information on Robert Miller's Project Grand Slam: projectgrandslam.com (http://www.projectgrandslam.com)