Blue Horizon
A contemporary jazz album by pianist Nicholas Bridgman
Featuring Craig Hall, Dan Koloski, and Jim O'Sullivan
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Production
All songs composed by Nicholas Bridgman, arranged by Jim O'Sullivan and Nicholas Bridgman, and performed by Nicholas Bridgman (piano), Craig Hall (guitar), Dan Koloski (bass), and Jim O'Sullivan (drums). Mastered by Nicholas Bridgman using Apple Logic Pro X.
Origin
This project took shape in the summer of 2020, when I collected 12 of my best compositions from the last five years. I wanted to record them with a band, but it was the middle of COVID, and live performances were hard to come by. So I went on the online jamming site, Jamkazam, where I met Jim, Craig, and Dan in various virtual jam sessions. They each took an interest in the project, and we committed to spending the next year recording from our hometowns around the U.S. Jim provided exceptional work arranging the songs in collaboration with me, and Craig and Dan brought exciting new angles to each piece with their accompaniment and solos.
Stream on SoundCloud Below
About the Band
Pianist Nicholas Bridgman composes and performs contemporary jazz. He is classically trained, having studied with classical pianist Gloria Cheng and composer Miguel del Aguila. He has performed with numerous jazz ensembles in California and released four albums of his original pieces. His writing blends inspiration from jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea with modern influences from smooth jazz, pop, folk, and new age.
Photo by Kala Stevens
Bassist Dan Koloski is a multi-instrumentalist and composer who lives in Portland, Maine. Dan's musical activities span a range of genres including jazz, soul, roots, musical theater and traditional contradance. Dan previously played with Feral Academy and The Woodshed Mystics, and today can be seen regularly with Maine ensembles including Blue Fuse Jazz, The Violin Movers, Sonja & Good Friends, and Jenny Van West, as well as in area pit orchestras.
Montana guitarist and upright bassist Craig Hall has teamed up with other mountain state musicians on nearly 80 recordings and tours of America, Eastern Europe, Japan and Australia. His projects have included stints with Eden Atwood, Jeni Fleming, Montana Mandolin Society, Springhill, String Jumpers, Craig Hall Trio and many others as well as side manning on guitar or bass for numerous jazz stars crossing the region. The Craig Hall Quartet was featured on the popular television program 11th and Grant. He maintains a busy teaching studio, mentoring young classical/jazz guitarists.
Photo by Michael Blessing
Photo by J&S Florman
Indiana drummer/percussionist Jim O’Sullivan holds an MM in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of North Texas, where he studied with internationally renowned musicians Ed Soph, Paris Rutherford, and Rich DeRosa. Afterwards, he instructed jazz ensembles and applied drum set at universities throughout the Midwest. He has written, arranged, and recorded music professionally, playing throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, as well as with the Dayton Jazz Orchestra, the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, Indianapolis’s Cool City Band, and various church worship teams and orchestras. His musical interests span a wide range, including Afro-Caribbean, Brazilian, Jazz and Rock, Irish Traditional, and Classical styles.
Photo by Colin Ford
Usage
The songs on this album are available for use in collaborations, special events, presentations, remixes, and other settings that contemporary jazz could enhance. Please simply inform me of how you plan to use them, and if possible provide a video or audio link of your project that I could feature on my website.
Stems for Remixes
I welcome use of my stems for remixes of all types. Below are piano stems from this album in WAV format. Please let me know what you create!
Charts
Below are PDF charts for each song on the album, so that you can play them yourself. Let me know if you record a cover!
Contact Information
Nicholas Bridgman
Email: nbridgman (at) gmail.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/nbridgmanmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nsbridgman/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-bridgman-1
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4hriKf6HGyG0kKDAytnNTV?si=1z8uMfH7QIGbd1wzr8YQAQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nsbridgman
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNgp9U1DOsxgMMMWKvJGZ9A
Many Thanks for the Following Features
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11/13/21 - The track "Smooth Landing" was added to the daily playlist at the internet radio station, Smooth Jazz and More. They are also on Facebook at smoothjazzandmore.
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11/14/21 - The album will be featured on Prebys on Jazz, heard on the Prairie Public network and WETF--the jazz station in Indiana.
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11/17/21 - The World of Jazz Show will feature tracks from the album on the following dates: 1/16/22 (Su.) 3pm EST, 1/20/22 (Th.) 10pm EST, and 1/21/22 (Fr.) 10pm EST. You could tune in at nu.taintradio.org. The show will also be available at the Different Noises blog, Mixcloud, and All About Jazz.
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11/22/21 - The track "Smooth Landing" was added to the Smooth Jazz playlist on the Two Minute Holler YouTube channel (see Track #74).
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11/24/21 - The Luminous Chord on KBRP 96.1 in Bisbee, Arizona, is playing a track from the album tonight at 10:57 p.m. PST, and repeating Sunday 11/28/21 at 6:57 a.m. PST.
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1/1/22 - The track "That Old Fair Is in Town" was a Semi-Finalist in the 2021 UK Songwriting Contest.
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1/14/22 - The UK jazz blog, bebop spoken here, reviewed Blue Horizon.
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1/16/22 - The show Cats in Our Laps on KPTZ 91.9 FM Port Townsend, WA, will be featuring two tracks from the album and doing a brief interview of me on Sunday, 1/16 during the 7:00 p.m. hour. Listen on KPTZ's livestream.
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1/21/22 - The track "Earthworm" was added to Michael Paul Kramer's Spotify playlist, Cha Cha (Ballroom Latin Dance).
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1/21/22 - The music blog, The Grateful Web, featured the album here.
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1/22/22 - In the 2021 SongDoor International Songwriting Competition Instrumental category, the track "Elevation" was a Finalist. The track "Smooth Landing" also received Honorable Mention.
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1/22/22 - The track "Earthworm" was featured in JazzWorldQuest's Showcase 2022.
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1/23/22 - The track "Blue Horizon" was added to Five Dragons' Apple Music playlist, Round Midnight - Late Night Jazz Music.
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1/26/22 - The track "Blue Horizon" was featured in Ambient Soul Vibrations' Contemporary Jazz section.
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3/30/22 - In the 2021 Great American Song Contest, the track "Cascades" was a Finalist.
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4/8/22 - The music blog, Musiflo, reviewed Blue Horizon.