Acclaimed national recording artist & contemporary jazz soprano saxophonist heats up the BLU Zone by way of Atlanta with music from his latest album release, "Going Left," in not-to-miss BLU debut!
National recording artist and saxophonist Dee Lucas has been steadily growing his brand and fan base beginning with Remembrance in 2004. Thereafter, it has been a steady showcase of unique stylings with Something to Ride 2 (2007), Standing Room Only (2010), Rebirth of the Smooth (2012), The Smooth Factor (2014), Going Deeper (2016), & The Sweet Spot (2017).
His current release “Going Left” serves as proof that Dee Lucas is here to stay.
As as runner-up in the 2007 Capital Jazz Festival Competition, Dee Lucas has opened for a plethora of artists such as Boney James, Norman Brown, Ronnie Laws, Nnenna Freelon, Hugh Masekela, Gregg Karukas, Peter White, Nick Colionne, Peabo Bryson, and Michael Franks just name a few. He has performed at several jazz festivals such as The Music City Jazz Festival, The Arizona Jazz Festival, The Jacksonville Jazz Festival, The Savannah Jazz Festival, and The Atlanta Jazz Festival.In 1997, Lucas got his start as a musician playing as a sideman in a local band, Between 9&7. The band recorded a CD, which was a moderate regional hit. Although he got performances, both rhythm and solos, Lucas felt it was time to develop his own by ensemble to demand more challenges within himself as both a musician and entrepreneur. So, on New Year’s Eve of 1999, Lucas formed his own contemporary jazz trio, Xpressions. They produced and recorded a CD titled Footprints, which gained notoriety in regional markets. The record contained the classic hit People Make the World Go Round. All of the compositions were produced and arranged by friend and keyboardist Karey Davis and assisted by the saxman himself.
In 2004, Dee Lucas’s entrepreneur skills had surfaced, and his newly-formed record label, Mo Better Recordings, was conceived. His debut solo CD, Remembrance, was released and independently distributed in 2005. Adding consistency to his young but surprising start, Dee released his sophomore CD, Something to Ride 2, in 2007, which peaked at #10 on the SmoothJazz.com’s Top 50 Indie Charts. With this record, the saxman wanted to further develop his own distinctive sound as a solo artist.
His style, from a horn perspective, is different from that of many traditional smooth jazz artists in terms of melodic phrasing. Lucas mentioned, “I like taking off on an uncharted path in music and Something to Ride 2 is a representation of the journey that I take each time I pick up the sax.”
In 2010, Dee Lucas released Standing Room Only which was composed and produced by several talented producers including Grammy winner Phil Davis. The CD peaked at #26 on the Smoothjazz.com’s Top 50 Indie Charts and #29 on the Billboard jazz charts. In 2012, Rebirth of the Smooth was released as a compilation of Dee’s first 3 solo recordings to celebrate what he has accomplished in his steadily rising career, as well as his direction in contemporary jazz. It offers a wide array of styles coming from various producers pushing the envelope in this already competitive genre of jazz.
In 2014 with The Smooth Factor, Lucas continued to season his contemporary jazz with R&B, and featured the work of such producing heavyweights as LA-based Lew Laing, Jr., and Atlanta-based and Grammy-Award winning Phil Davis.
The journey continued with the release of Going Deeper in 2016 which debuted and peaked at #30 on the Billboard jazz charts. The album included producers Phil Davis, Joel Del Rosario, Lew Laing, Jr., former Cameo member TC Campbell, and Philly-based producer/guitarist David P. Stevens.
In 2017, Dee Lucas continues to evolve with fresh ideas and an ‘out-of-the-box’ business approach. He is currently merging his previous music catalog with his new parent company Dee Lucas Enterprises which is home of his brand new record label ODL Music. The new label released The EP Collection….Volume 1: The Sweet Spot, which is produced by legendary pianist Bob Baldwin. As a result, the radio single ‘Road Warrior’ made The Smooth Jazz Network Top 100 Smooth Jazz charts for over 8 weeks.
Dee’s latest offering “Going Left” makes his 8th worldwide release and 7th studio recording to date. Produced by some of the finest producers in David P. Stevens, Lew Laing, Jr., Joel Del Rosario, and Phil Davis, the project contains 6 original compositions plus one classic remake from Maze featuring Frankie Beverly titled ‘The Morning After’. “Going Left” is digitally distributed by Universal Music Group Distribution.