| In the world of music, Maurice Gainen should just be called 'MG'- Master of Genre of Music from around the Globe. For nearly two decades, MG has produced, recorded, mixed and mastered numerous CDs in music genres spanning Jazz, Alternative, Rap, R&B, Rock, World Music and Broadway in his own Los Angeles-based recording studio, Maurice Gainen Productions. He has added his touch on sax and flute to many of these projects. Working over the years with an impressive roster of well-known stars, such as Darek Oles w/Brad Mehldau and Bennie Maupin, Jim Hershman w/Lee Konitz and Scott Colley, Larry Koonse, Eric Von Essen and the L.A. Jazz Quartet, MG has even done Sound Design for Patty Austin. He does CD mastering for all of the 5 major record labels and his recent credits include the last 27 CDs for Starbucks.
MG's latest CD is his own, JAZZ WORLD COLORS. It's a diversified music tapestry combining a unique mix and groove, celebrating generations of music evolution and the 'world journey' of his creative soul. JAZZ WORLD COLORS is a compilation of everything he's passionate about musically with all the many hats he wears.
"As a player, I have always taken lessons and I went to Berklee College of Music. I'm not a technical musician by nature....my playing always came more from the blues, rock & folk I played through high school....more from the heart than academia. College years were a lot of brain-stuffing that was useful once I was able to digest it and get the heart re-involved. When I write I don't think or analyze until it is done because the analyzation can block the process or keep me from discovering new territory. As an engineer/producer, I learned by watching other very talented people, asking questions and a lot of self-discovery. I view the studio as another instrument and approach it from a completely musical place. I have a saying - The best thing about my engineering is my sax and flute playing. This has worked very well for me. The process is always changing as I have new experiences and travels, and also due to new technological tools as they become available," states MG.
MG's interest in music from around the globe is evident in JAZZ WORLD COLORS as it swims in a sea somewhere between World Music and Jazz. It is smooth around the edges, intelligent but not arrogant. It is not meant to impress with improvisational pyrotechnics, but to make listeners feel good, no matter what their level of musical knowledge. Melody is key throughout its unique blend of music inspired from Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and all over the world.
Listening to Blues, The Beatles, Jazz and Motown while growing up, MG has always been fascinated with music. From the tender age of 8, taking over the piano his older sister left behind when she went to college, MG discovered music by pounding the piano, and refined his playing taking lessons in the 3rd grade. MG was inspired to learn more, taking on the trumpet in 4th grade, flute in 9th grade and saxophone in 10th grade, rounding out his musical capabilities. Listening to Miles, Coltrane, Hendrix and Jethro Tull hooked him into a lifetime of music.
Maurice completed studies at Boston's Berklee College of Music in Composition and Performance. He also received a National Endowment For The Arts scholarship to study under Jazz legend Lew Tabackin.
His most recent work abroad includes the Pacific Rim. He performed in Nanning, China for 40,000 people in a televised concert as a featured soloist with a 70-piece orchestra supporting Grammy Award winning vocalist, June Angela. Her voice graces one song on JAZZ WORLD COLORS. In Tokyo Japan, he appeared at the "Jazz Bird" Jazz club.
In California, MG was Music Director and performed on Sax & Flute for June Angela at the 2002 Sweet & Hot Jazz Festival in Los Angeles. He did the same for "The Hues Corporation" (best known for "Rock The Boat") at the 2004 Sweet & Hot and also headlining the 2004 Sacramento Jazz Festival for 5 shows. He has also been performing around Southern California with the Marcelo Berestovoy Quintet and his own group.
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