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Cali Shine

by DD Horns

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1.
Sherman Way 04:07
2.
3.
Sammy Lee 05:24
4.
Dakiti 06:09
5.
Vanowen 06:50
6.
Cali Shine 05:08
7.
Ocean Eyes 04:47
8.
Ocean Ice 04:55
9.
10.
11.
Late Stage 07:37

about

DD Horns - Cali Shine


Just a few years after Danny T. Levin and David Moyer were born, one of the great Hollywood recording studios closed its doors. Hidden in plain sight on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Jimmy Valentine converted a dentist office into a world class studio that hosted The Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, and Bing Crosby in the 1960's. The Los Angeles session scene began to change by the late '70's and with it, Valentine's appetite for staying in the business. The rooms and equipment would lay dormant - completely untouched - until being re-opened in 2015 with an eye and ear toward preserving the living history of the space.

Fast forward to July 8th, 2021. The DD Horns are recording their sophomore album, "Cali Shine" at Valentine Recording Studios on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The group is comprised of Danny T. Levin on trumpet and David Moyer on tenor sax with JP Maramba on electric and double bass, Michael Villiers on drums, and electric guitarists Molly Miller and Josh Lopez. Much like the studio's resurrection, the DD Horns sound is something both modern and classic. "Cali Shine" was recorded in a single day with each song receiving only as much time as needed. Levin and Moyer mixed their original compositions with a few clever melody-heavy covers: Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez's "Dakiti," Billie Eilish's "Ocean Eyes," and "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie. Not unlike Herb Alpert's knack for turning the compositions of his contemporaries into hits - the title track of his "Whipped Cream & Other Delights" was written by the great Allen Toussaint - DD Horns are always listening to the musical world around them with an ear toward instrumental manipulations.

When the time comes for a new DD Horns album, the group takes their experience working with artists as diverse as U2, Vampire Weekend, Glen Campbell, Morrissey, and Iggy Pop and looks for something honest to say at the intersection of jazz and pop music. The album opener, "Sherman Way" sounds as classic in arrangement and composition as anything on Freddie Hubbard's 1961 album, "Ready for Freddie" where the trumpeter is joined by a 28-year old tenor saxophonist named Wayne Shorter. Of course the album sonics are informed as much by the work of engineer Brent Arrowood and mixer Howard Willing as by the room in which everything was recorded. Following up on the formula of their self titled debut album, Moyer and Levin organized an intentional world around their creation. Sometimes they want a crystalline reverb to compliment their uncanny phrasing; sometimes they want a saturated Roland Chorus Echo in the mix. By the time we arrive at the album closer, "Late Stage," bassist Maramba seamlessly moves from upright to electric bass (with chorus pedal switched on) and pocket master Villiers trades his brushes for the snappiest snare he can muster. Special attention must be given to the guitar duo of Josh Lopez and Molly Miller. The pair never play over one another and seem to revel in only appearing in times of compositional need.

The eleven songs of "Cali Shine" are the perfect Southern California cross section: funky and contemplative, polished and spontaneous, historic and contemporary. Turn up the car stereo and listen as the clouds pass in front of the sun. You're making your way north, straight into the heart of Hollywood.

- Chris Schlarb, Long Beach, California

credits

released June 17, 2022

DD Horns:
Danny T. Levin: Trumpet
David Moyer: Tenor Sax

with:
JP Maramba: Bass
Molly Miller: Guitar (solo)
Josh Lopez: Guitar
Michael Villiers: Drums

Recorded at Valentine Studios in North Hollywood, CA
Produced by DD Horns and Chris Schlarb
Engineered by Brent Arrowood
Assistant engineering by Franky Flowers
Mixed by Howard Willing
Mastered by Dan Shike
Photography by Ian Souter
Album cover image designed by Andrea Lee
Videos by Lee Levin/Selfish Entertainment

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about

DD Horns Los Angeles, California

DD Horns is a collaboration between trumpeter Danny T. Levin and saxophonist David Moyer.

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