Second Wind John Lee

• 1 It's a Blue World 04:55
• 2 Why Was I Born 04:48
• 3 Second Wind 04:22
• 4 Curtain Call 02:44
• 5 Moonlight In Vermont 03:23
• 6 Music Music Music 03:21
• 7 Young At Heart 04:23
• 8 It Happened To Me 04:23
• 9 Dear Old Stockholm 06:59
• 10 Widow's Remorse 03:04
• Total Runtime 42:22

Info for Second Wind

When my dear friend Cory Weeds asked me what I wanted to do for my sophomore recording, I had no clue what I wanted to do. We started tossing around a couple of ideas and I can't remember who said it first, but somehow the idea of doing a piano trio recording with Kenny Washington and Peter Washington came up. To me, it was almost a joke - the idea of recording with my favorite rhythm section of all time since I was 19 years old wasn't realistic in my mind.

However, Cory being the kind of person he is basically had it drafted up within a few days and it was on. I knew that this project would be something special. Everything that sums up my style of piano playing comes from my favorite modern heroes Benny Green and Bill Charlap. What a monumental occasion to be able to record with their long time friends and rhythm section. I started putting together the repertoire we would record that would play to the strength of this combo which was a combination of things I've been playing for a long time while also writing some new material that I knew Kenny and Peter would be able to interpret beautifully. We had one day in the studio and the entire session was over in just a few hours. I was supported and encouraged by Peter through his kind words of appreciation about my playing and musical selections. I greatly appreciated Kenny's attention to detail and dedication to my music as he would ask for more takes so he can give me the best result he could possibly give. Cory was there supporting me through every minute and making sure that we were on track and recording the best possible music. My first experiences recording was through Cellar Live and I always feel the most comfortable having him around in the studio. I hope that people enjoy listening to this recording as much as I enjoyed making it. Don't expect to find any innovation here - It is just swinging hard with intricacy. It is music for all people.

This recording is in dedication to my mother Hyun Joo Lee who passed away unexpectedly in January 2023. You never know what someone is going through. Widow's Remorse. Tell your loved ones just how much you love them and never take them for granted. It Happened To Me. Sometimes, you might feel confused. Why Was I Born? Sometimes, you might feel alone. It's a Blue World. The cure is to express yourself through the means you know best. Music! Music! Music! In the darkest of times, you pick yourself up and carry on. Second Wind. Innocence is truly bliss. Young At Heart. One day, we'll meet again and I'll tell you all the stories. Curtain Call.

Special thanks to Cory Weeds, Yvonne De Troye, Kenny Washington and Peter Washington for the support to carry out this project. As my dear mentor Ralph Peterson Jr used to say: Onward and Upward...

John Lee, piano
Peter Washington, double bass
Kenny Washington, drums

Recorded at Monarch Studios, Vancouver, BC, Canada on December 18th, 2023
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Sheldon Zaharko
Executive Producer: Cory Weeds
Produced by Cory Weeds and John lee

John Lee
is a Grammy Award winning record producer and audio engineer. He has produced over 100 recordings and is the co-founder of the record label JLP, Jazz Legacy Productions. From 1984 thru 1993, John Lee was Dizzy Gillespie’s bassist. Performing and recording in the trumpet master’s various bands including the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band and Dizzy’s Grammy Award winning United Nation Orchestra. After Dizzy’s passing, his family asked John to create an ongoing tribute to the great man and his music—and the concept for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars was born. John is the bassist and director of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band and the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience. He has also worked in the bands of Gary Bartz, Larry Coryell, Jon Faddis, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Gambarini, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Gregory Hines, Claudio Roditi, Sonny Rollins and McCoy Tyner.

This album contains no booklet.