Eric Darius
Contemporary Jazz Sax
With the release of 2004’s “Night on the Town”, saxophonist Eric Darius was prophetically hailed, Best Debut Artist of the Year by Smooth Jazz News, alerting the world that an exciting and vibrant new artist was officially embarking upon his destined mission to take the idiom to scintillating new heights. Noted for his searing and unrelenting passion and energy, Eric’s albums and live performances earn him new fans at every turn, as well as industry and critical acclaim. His last album “Just Getting Started” debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart, remained there for nine consecutive weeks, and featured four hit singles, including his cover of pop star Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” (the album’s second single, which reached 2 on the SmoothJazz.com charts and also cracked the Top 10 on R&R Contemporary Jazz chart). Successes such as those make his fourth and latest album “Goin’ All Out”-his first for legendary jazz label Blue Note Records-a highly anticipated release and statement of what’s next to come! “Goin’ All Out” will prove to be groundbreaking for the way Darius incorporates all manner of popular music into a blazing inferno of pure body rockin’ and soul stirring energy. Innovatively crossing over all music boundaries, he creates a very distinctive, fresh sound and approach that is uniquely his own. “Goin’ All” Out captures the same level of youthful intensity and enthusiasm, which has become the trademark of his live shows, in a state of the art studio recording. “My new album is about the new directions my music is taking,” Darius states with excitement. “When I started writing for this project, my goal was to create an album that would appeal to everyone, including the younger demographic. Being that most people from my generation are not exposed to jazz, I’ve incorporated elements from various genres, such as hip hop, R&B, and pop, into my music, giving them something to relate to. The trade off is, I hope that it will inspire them to listen to more jazz and embrace this kind of music. I want to open listeners’ ears and expose them to a hybrid of sounds by offering them jazz from a new stylistic approach.”
