Media Room
You've come to my "media room" page, where you'll find links to past concert performances, past press releases, links to other music websites that MusicMagic Productions is a member of, as well as links and reviews of Eric Roberts' debut CD, "IN A SILENT PLACE".
Press Releases
Eric Roberts Releases New EP, "My Brazilian Heart"
Eric Roberts Among Finalists of 8th Annual Independent Music Awards
Eric Roberts & Friends Live at Kenny's Castaways
Eric Roberts Live at Snowmass Mountain Masterpieces Art Fair
Eric Roberts Debut CD "IN A SILENT PLACE" Continues To Top New Age Charts
Other Websites for Eric's Music
"IN A SILENT PLACE" CD Reviews
Mr. Roberts guitar works will definitely take you to a place where "silence is to be treasured". All originals, which makes it immediately apparent to the listener how talented Eric is... his spirit shines through each gentle acoustic guitar passage, & will transport you to regions of your soul you didn't even know existed. There is far more than just cliché guitar phrasing here, too... my favorite track is "Journey Through Time", which features Eric on Guitar & Guitar synth, as well as David Darling on Cello & midi-percussion... a timeless high-energy composition that will "take you there" - across the eons, to be sure. He also does some marvelous spontaneous improvs... both solo ("Reflections I through III") & accompanied ("A Stringy Dialogue") by Mr. Darling. Other players featured are Ed Contreras (percussion) & Robert Weinstein (guitar). If your body can't relax as your ears absorb this wonderfully relaxing music, you probably belong in a "ward" somewhere, getting "the cure"... on the other hand, this music probably can provide you with a cure, for all but the most aberrant souls, that is. I'm impressed enough to rate this one as MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
From Rotcod Zzaj at Improvijazzation Nation
"In A Silent Place" is an album that highlights intelligent yet warm guitar music with a "just right" amount of accompaniment. There's 13 nice tracks that cover lots of ground musically and emotively. Some songs have a classical - maybe Spanish styled - sense and others a more modern acoustic aura; a jazz touch is also evident in a few selections.
As far as influences, there's so many here, but clearly SEGOVIA, KOTTKE, and PAT METHENY stand out. [In] one or two places I thought of PHIL KEAGGEY and [his] older instrumental acoustic stuff. Add some Brazilian jazz and pop traces and some world and maybe even New Age touches and you have a very enjoyable album.
Top cellist DAVID DARLING formerly of the PAUL WINTER CONSORT adds a unique and quality sound. Other musical support is there, but it enhances and doesn't try to overshadow the nice work of Mr. Roberts.
I especially liked the warm playing, the clean notes, and the sound of each string - enhancing note and chords. As I listened again and again, I became quite impressed and was drawn into the nice warm musical atmosphere. For lovers of acoustic guitar, this is a must. The instrumental tracks make perfect backgrounds for reading, meditating, relaxing, and even for classy entertaining. I really enjoyed this disk and clearly recommend it.
A. Canales from the The Critical Review
He's a music educator and has played a ton of mainstream sideman gigs, but you wouldn't know it from this warm, guitar date that has classic ECM and Windham Hill moves but is firmly in the present with an eye on the future. Simply a great player that knows how to craft a very special audio escape for over burdened ears, Roberts and his well traveled pals turn in a tasty, low key adult date that has way more on the ball than you might think at first pass. - Hot stuff with a slow burning fire that is hard to ignore.
Chris Specter from Midwest Record Recap
"MY BRAZILIAN HEART" EP Reviews
It's not often that guitarist Eric Roberts makes a new CD but when he does it's clearly worth a listen. Back in 2005 Roberts released his CD debut, a fine instrumental showcase for his guitar skills called In A Silent Place. Now in 2009 the Colorado based guitarist follows up with a newly recorded 6 track EP entitled My Brazilian Heart. Everything about this new CD release speaks quality-from the studio recording sound down to the eye-catching cover artwork. Whereas In A Silent Place found Roberts in the studio recording a stellar mix of jazzy and reflective yet upbeat New Age guitar instrumentals, with My Brazilian Heart he also sounds influenced by the tropical sounds of Brazil combined with smooth jazz. Roberts recorded In A Silent Place in the studio with former Paul Winter Consort cellist David Darling and fittingly, Roberts lists a number of players among his chief influences including Paul Winter guitarist Ralph Towner, as well huge Brazilian music legends like Charlie Byrd and Baden Powell. In addition to the comparison with the early Paul Winter Consort sound, there's also a neoclassical jazz music sound in the mix with a sublime Jean Pierre Rampal meets Earl Klugh vibe in play on My Brazilian Heart, often mixing within the same track! If there's one minor aside here it's that the disc only contains six tracks but the music is so good you'll find yourself reaching for the replay button to hear it again more than once. If enough people get to hear it, I'm sure Roberts will consider a volume two in the future. A number of players appear backing up Roberts on these six guitar masterpieces including Paul Avgerinos (bass), Bill Harris (woodwinds), Nick Bariluk (keyboards) and Barbara Merjan (drums/percussion). Easy on the ears, uplifting guitar based instrumentals, My Brazilian Heart makes a fine spin for jazz and Brazilian music lovers that can also serve as a cinematic and reflective musical backdrop for your weary ears.
Robert Silverstein from Music Web Express 3000
Heading in a different direction than the introspective and more tone-poem approach that he displayed on 2001's In a Silent Place, acoustic guitarist Eric Roberts sets sail for the soft ocean breezes and sun-soaked beaches of Brazil (as interpreted through the moods and motifs of accessible smooth jazz) on My Brazilian Heart. The six-song EP does indeed contain some Spanish musical influences, notably the sensual Latin rhythms of "Flying Free" and the sexy Spanish flavors of "Swiss Samba," but the majority of this CD is resplendent with the best elements of smooth jazz with literally none of the vapidity or shallowness that sometimes creeps into the genre. Putting it succinctly, this is a killer EP of both mellow and cookin' jazz licks played by Roberts and his guest artists.
Those guests are well-known ambient artist Paul Avgerinos, here contributing on funky soulful bass, Nick Bariluk on keyboards, noted woodwind player Bill Harris and drummer/percussionist Barbara Merjan. Everyone involved plays with finesse, style, and gusto (when it's called for). It's hard to believe these cats haven't been jamming for a long time, to be honest, as their musical chemistry and sense of simpatico is self-evident from the first listen.
One of the comparisons I kept coming up with as I listened to this excellent CD was to Chick Corea's early incarnation of Return to Forever, circa Light as a Feather, because both recordings share a joyous exuberance mated to a refined musicianship and a carefree playfulness as well. My Brazilian Heart is a hugely entertaining recording and I never tired of it over many playings before writing this review.
"Brazilian Morning" starts things off in a spirited manner with a nice piano intro spiraling into Roberts' guitar side-by-side with Harris' flute. Lively but not overly so, the song sounds like a picture-perfect sunrise! "Gentle Breezes" captures the titular reference with a midtempo rhythm and perfect amalgam of assorted musical elements-Avgerinos' bass, Merjan's trap kit drums, Bariluk's keyboards and Roberts' guitar. "Flying Free" sizzles with tropical heat tempered by jazzy undertones and the resultant blend produces just enough fire to get your fingers snapping and toes tapping but is counterbalanced with a giddy effervescence to lighten the mood. "Brazilian Nights" is, paradoxically, the most "American," i.e. urban, cut on the EP, with sexy sax and vibrant piano supported by the solid rhythm section as well as adroit soloing by Roberts.
I've often written of my belief in the adage "quality over quantity" in reference to EPs, and Eric Roberts' My Brazilian Heart is another example of the veracity of the phrase. I certainly wouldn't have minded more of the same on this recording, but if these six dynamite tracks are what the musicians settled on as being their best efforts, well, that's more than good enough for me. If all smooth jazz recordings were this good, the genre would never have gone out of fashion. Who knows, maybe Roberts and company can even breathe new life into it? Highly recommended!
Rating: Excellent
