January 2012

Pieces of a Dream – Dreamin’ In Funky Shades of Jazz

In the world of jazz, commodities are fleeting. Styles come and go. Artists at the top of this week’s charts could be history by the end of next month. Words like “staying power” and “longevity” are for anyone or anything that sticks around for more than a couple of years. But then, there are those rare few who are gifted with the right stuff, who hang in for the long haul – musical collectives that continue to explore and evolve album after album, year after year, decade after decade, eschewing fashion and fad and reaching instead for something much more permanent.

This is the story of Pieces of a Dream, a contemporary jazz band that boasts a magnificent and prolific  career that spans more than three decades. Pieces of a Dream emerged out of Philadelphia’s music scene in 1976. Keyboardist James Lloyd, drummer Curtis Harmon, and former bassist Cedric Napoleon were managed by the drummer’s father and uncle, Danny and Bill Harmon, respectively. The group based their name on “Pieces of Dreams,” a cover tune by jazz great Stanley Turrentine that the group performed.

Long before the “Young Lions” era of Wynton Marsalis, Lloyd and Harmon were swinging so hard as teenagers that the great Count Basie once proclaimed them “a tough act to follow.” However, it was another jazz legend, the late Grover Washington Jr., the legendary sax man who made Philadelphia his home, who helped Pieces of a Dream become the internationally known stars they are today. After quickly becoming popular around Philadelphia, the trio landed a job as the house band for a local television show called City Lights. Their experience widened as they played backup on the broadcasts to a wide variety of artists, and that’s where Washington first heard them.

One day while the teenagers were playing at the Bijou (where Grover had recorded his Live at the Bijou album), he sat in with them to play “Mr. Magic.” Can you just imagine the stratospheric “high” that must have been for the group? Soon, Washington announced that he was starting a production company and that Pieces of a Dream would be his first act. Lloyd was only a senior in high school when his first record was released. “That felt awesome,” recalls Lloyd. “Not just having an album out but going all over the world touring and performing with Grover.” Did I say something about a stratospheric high?

From 1981 to 1984, the group built their reputation with three albums on Elektra that would come to define the musical essence of the smooth jazz radio explosion: Pieces of a Dream, We Are One, and Imagine This. Those seminal records yielded some of their earliest hits, including “Warm Weather,” “Mount Airy Groove,” and “Fo Fi Fo.”  Soon after completing Joyride, their last effort for Elektra, Pieces moved to EMI/Blue Note and went on to record seven more albums. During this period, the group amicably parted ways with long time friend Cedric Napoleon.

In 2001, the band, now consisting as its core Lloyd and Harmon, signed with Heads Up International and celebrated their 25th anniversary with what was undoubtedly their best album in years, the hot, jammin’ Acquainted with the Night. The group’s silver anniversary release featured acid jazz guitarist Ronny Jordan, the mega-talented vocalist Maysa Leak, and the soulfully marvelous saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kenny Blake. Highlights included compositions from Albright and Michael Bearden, along with remakes of “Mahogany” and “Upside Down.”

Acquainted with the Night generated two top-five singles on R&R’s NAC chart. The follow-up album, Love’s Silhouette, also scored top radio chart positioning and Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart top 10 status. Their April 2004 release, No Assembly Required, proved to be another hit album in their continuing illustrious career. Pillow Talk, released in March 2006, marked the band’s 30th anniversary with a satisfying set that showcased the band’s trademark catchy riffs, infectious grooves, and compelling vocals.

The youthful exuberance of those two Philly kids from the mid-‘70s was still very much alive on 2009’s Soul Intent, Pieces’ most recent effort. The 11-song set travelled back to the basics of the duo’s original songwriting and recording philosophy by reconnecting to the its original live-in-the-studio approach and maximizing the most fundamental and enduring components of the Pieces experience. It’s that kind of innovation and eclecticism that keeps Pieces of a Dream fresh and authentic in a jazz world that’s ever-changing. “We will always be true to ourselves and our roots,” says Lloyd, “and at the same time try to stay in touch with the times.”

A few interesting facts about each individual artist:

James Lloyd began taking piano lessons at age 6.  Being classically trained, he was first introduced to jazz at age 12. Other interests include cooking and martial arts. He holds a 1st degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a green sash in Lama Kung Fu, and has also trained in Wing Chun Kung Fu. James is a true workaholic.  When he’s not on the road playing music, he’s in his home studio writing music.  Artists James has written, co-written and produced–in addition to Pieces, of course–include: the late Wayman Tisdale, Walter Beasley, Najee, Alexander Zonjic, Nestor Torres, Jeff Kashiwa, Nick Colionne, Eric Darius, Hiroshima, Gail Jhonson, and Gordon James.  You can also find Lloyd on CDs from Phyllis Hyman, Regina Belle, Loose Ends, Eddie Murphy, Ornette Coleman, and the late, great Grover Washington Jr.

Curtis Harmon has always been an avid sports fan. Being from Philly, he roots for the 76ers, Phillies and Flyers. However, of all the sports in the world, Football is his favorite, and he has very high hopes for Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2011 season. Harmon also likes tennis and shooting pool (he was once a member of the American Pool Players Association (APA)). The drummer/composer is also a big movie fan and owns a collection of almost 350 movies which include a number of vintage movies with actors that range from Humphrey Bogart and and Cary Grant to Katherine Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman. He also likes to go to the movies with his wife Patricia. He likes to study the soundtracks from different movies, taking from them certain qualities to use in his own writing. While Harmon has many likes and passions, he indicates that music always has been his first love.

Harmon, along with partner & bassist Bennie Sims, has also formed another musical group called New Foundation. Displaying a style that borders jazz/funk and R&B, their new CD entitled Goin’ Places has its own personality that differs from the songs that Harmon and Sims have written for Pieces. Goin’ Places also features the vocal artistry of world renowned vocalist Phil Perry. This album is available on Amazon, I-tunes, CD Baby, and a host of other websites. Whether collectively or individually, Pieces has obviously contributed to the world of contemporary jazz in a most significant way.  Additionally, there is no indication that, even with over three decades of providing some of the finest music in the genre, the “Dream” is in any danger of ceasing. Lucky us! – Ronald Jackson

Many thanks to www.piecesofadream.net for its major contribution to this article.