Fearless Flights of Fantasy: The Groove Project Rides Again

Dancing in the Sky

The Groove Project Volume 1: Flights of Fantasy

http://thegrooveproject.band

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/album/volume-1-flights-of-fantasy/1517116349

Spotify - https://bit.ly/TGP-FlightsOfFantasy

Refreshing, new, and innovative compositions from jazzperson Producer and Guitarist Arun Shenoy and his 8 piece ensemble The Groove Project. What you will hear is upbeat and energizing, good for keeping your pace up while exercising, running and powering through the day, and plenty left over for moving all night on the dance floor. There are some tracks to let the groove relax and you can feel the tension fade away. The diversity here is quite satisfying and complete, a showcase of variety, inventiveness and creativity, there’s emotion in each track. And you will fly.

The story behind Flights of Fantasy is that the band was formed in Los Angeles, California as a 14-piece group and released a debut concept jazz-funk album titled A STAGEY BANK AFFAIR in 2016. Now The Groove Project is an 8 man jazz monster, combining the basic fundamentals of flying any airplane, with Shenoy's characteristic gift of making good melodies, and the music delivers new surprises.

ARUN SHENOY received a GRAMMY® Award nomination at the 55th Annual GRAMMY® Awards for his debut Flamenco world fusion production titled RUMBADOODLE in February of 2013. The current band features ARUN SHENOY and MATTHEW SHELL on guitars, LONNIE PARK keyboards & vocal, MARCUS MITCHELL on saxophone, DAVID JOUBERT on keyboards, GLENN WELMAN on the drums, HECTOR RUANO on bass, SAMITURU on guitar, PLUS pianist Vahagn Stepanyan makes a special appearance on two tracks.

The opener is "Home In the Sky" (4:25) The buoyant, hard grooving track blazes out of the gate and sets a driving energetic tone, pure emotion mixed with exactness and precision, with allowances for wind and the quick, relentless pull of gravity and loaded with shiny excitement right from the very start with sax on top, big drums, soaring, sometimes wordless vocals, guitar, with the varied vitality of a track that climbs the sky,  and leaves the listener both shaken and stirred.

The view is breathtaking operating an aircraft, and on the track "Beyond the Atmosphere" (4:24) the music and the emotions are pure, allowing the listener to connect to the energy and feelings that all people share, crisp and balmy, wheeling and soaring, swinging and looking downwards on the eagle's view, all muscular punch and sizzle, the sound includes a surprising, swinging airworthiness.

Carry me over to envision the infinite"Ocean of Air" (4:31) working out some tight groove action adding some gentle colors that evolve and reflect something of substance as they fly over beautiful, magic and enchanting landscapes, distant lands and delirious burning blue, with the feeling of being born to fly while drawing attention to our connection to the earth itself.

Well, forget the laws of gravity, I never cared much for laws anyways, just relax, enjoy a moment of release, and lose yourself in a precious moment of peace and tranquility "Gravity"(6:49)  featuring the piano wonderment of Vahagn Stepanyan, and starts in a slower groove letting things breathe out keeping it solid  gliding high in the air, exciting and fun, an effortless flow of energy and exchange of ideas. Overall, gravity can have a relaxing effect if you just want to let go.

Fly away into the magic and mesmerising world of "Shadows" (3:31) with only those limitations required by regulation or that are necessary for the safe operation of our aircraft and with a sound that is even bigger and more vibrant, ride a gryphon or a pegasus or a dragon, ultimately jamming flights of imagination.

Who else has seen the real reason birds sing? "To Be a Bird" (4:18) Pushing the envelope, dancing the skies on laughter-silvered wings while it picks the tempo up, on a breeze doing some easy moves while keeping it steady, living and breathing that music that is feisty and creative and quick and bright, let me just say that birds and beauty pleases me.

I have my head in the clouds and I feel like I might "Never Touch the Ground" (5:03) listening to this saxophone and high hat, jetting into urgent, brief conversations with an airborne heart, apply some guitar heat, keeping a constant beat going upwards, some power and some tension release moments, overall keeping the groove going, just the remedy for any immobile day or night in your life.

I'll suffocate if my feet stay on the ground a moment longer, "Leap of Faith" (3:15) lives to share openly and with all the daring that his marvelous sax can muster. Magic landscapes of beauty and a message of freedom while containing limitations within which the aircraft is to be considered airworthy and to indicate a caution area, but I'd do it again among the soaring clouds.

Flying means leaving behind the problems of the ground, and with the track "Pilot" (4:19) the momentum spins and acrobatic flight commences, feel the joy that swells within a new luxury airline, enjoy the rate of climb speed as you chase the shouting wind along enjoying a performance that should be achieved when the aircraft is operated in accordance with operating limitations specified in the approved flight plan, while frequently preferring to try new concepts and push envelopes and just let the music flow. Flight is freedom in its purest form, and I believe in fantasy.

The next track starts with a soulful feeling and breaks into the funk just on the edges, a solid consistent continuation of the larger groove machine. The sound of wings sweep the skies with fire and steel, the guitar lays the pattern here to let it flow and put a lot of passion and love into it. "First Flight" (4:19) is so graceful while it's gliding in the sky. It's beautiful to listen to when you wish to fly to infinity's vastness, to experience beauty, joy and peace, jazz is a way to explore a more sensual side of acoustic artistry.

This next track has an unbridled depth, a feast for the senses and the vibe is festive and fun, allowing us to feel good, and upbeat about life and think better about things afterwards. When I listen to "Bird on a Wire (Song for Mo)" (4:59) it brings some deeper feelings and there’s sensitivity and warmth that conveys emotions, something so natural about the way this comes across, for me, this brings the trip home both literally and spiritually. This flight takes place on two feet!

Flying is the wind in your face, and exploring mystery places on the Earth "Dreams" (4:46) featuring Vahagn Stepanyan, because you love the chill of space, because it will melt away your cares, it’s a great state of mind.

Land our plane enjoyably with the extended track "Imagine" (9:50), leaving us always hungry for fresh and exciting music that is high spirited, with just enough improvisation, super catchy, there’s an incredible energy and power there, horn, dynamic beats and a little funky keyboard flamboyance, infectious melodies and atmospheres for riding this musical idealism and for just having fun.

Overall energetic and upbeat, a "flight of fancy" is defined in dictionaries as an imaginative but unrealistic idea. This music realistically brings the listener high into the air over the amazing landscapes of the earth, lusty and brilliant, richly melodious and memorable, full of passion and life. I am always happy to chill out on occasion and listen to this longtime musical love, smooth jazz that will consistently engage our grooving spirits while inspiring us to chill and reduce the stress in our lives.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth to ride the highway that is above the clouds, to know how the clouds feel. I highly recommend Volume 1: Flights of Fantasy.

LINKS
Official artist website: http://thegrooveproject.band/
Personal website https://arunshenoy.com/
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arun_Shenoy
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/ArunShenoyMusic/
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/arunshen
Twitter https://twitter.com/arunshen?lang=en
SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/arunshenoymusic

TRACKS
1. Home In the Sky 4:25
2. Beyond the Atmosphere 4:24
3. Ocean of Air 4:31
4. Gravity (feat. Vahagn Stepanyan) 6:49
5. Shadows 3:31
6. To Be a Bird 4:18
7. Never Touch the Ground 5:03
8. Leap of Faith 3:15
9. Pilot 4:19
10. First Flight 4:19
11. Bird on a Wire (Song for Mo) 4:59
12. Dreams (feat. Vahagn Stepanyan) 4:46
13. Imagine 9:50

#ArunShenoy #TheGrooveProject #BeautifulSmoothJazz #Jazz #FlightofFantasy #VahagnStepanyan #PopularMusic #MatthewShell #LonniePark #MarcusMitchell #DavidJoubert #GlennWelman #HectorRuano #Samituru