Nashville loves all things music and music is Nashville so when you want to hear a great artist, an up and coming artist, a legend, or a novice we know that Nashville is the place to go.
Jazz-rock fusion is one of the many not-so-new sounds of music hitting the airwaves and stages of major cities across the nation. One of those unique artists is Jeff Novotny and his gift for turning and twisting a collage of instruments into a magical fusion trance.
Artist quote:
“But I always impart my own personality to any style, trying to enrich rather than imitate.
And there’s also an infusion of humor at times.” says Jeff.
“Also, harmony is a rich element of music with virtually unlimited possibilities, and accordingly I try to create interesting harmonic ideas. The music generally wanders among different tonal centers rather than staying in a particular key, so you could say it’s somewhat pantonal. There aren’t a lot of conventional chord progressions or ii-V-I cadences, except in my older pieces which are more oriented toward traditional jazz.”
Cygnus X-1 is a work of art that transcends space and time. It’s a space thriller and will take you to the extreme ends of the galaxy. The opening is enticing and inviting into the far reaches. I love the echo sounds. If you love jazz fusion your gonna love this.
Artist quote:
A bit about this piece: believe it or not, it started as a recomposition of RHCP’s “Breaking the Girl,” though the only trace of this still extant is the guitar part over the pedal tone at the beginning. Some use is made of microtonality, especially in the synthesizer parts.
The overall theme could be described as creepy radio transmissions (and other sounds) in space, so sound effects play a large role in the piece. Some of these sounds are actual radio transmissions; others were created from the ground up. The title refers to the name of the black hole thought to be at the center of the galaxy. Bet you can’t predict how it’s going to end!
Cygnus X-1 is on an Independent label. Novotny produced the album. He has been described as being similar to Frank Jappa, John Zorn, King Crimson, and Naked City.
Novotny and his talented skills fit so nicely into the genres of modern jazz, jazz fusion, progressive rock, and of course swing. He also fits perfectly in the area of world music, and big band.
This artist has garnered many accolades during his career. He was nominated for Instrumental Album of the Year by Progspace for the “No One is Flying the Plane”, recorded by Panzerballett on their album “Planet Z” in 2020. “The Uninformed Security Guard” was published in International Piano magazine in 2016.
Jeff was a student of classical music at the University of Pittsburgh and jazz composition at the University of Massachusetts. He earned a Master of Music degree while there. Throughout his career, he has written and produced various types of music with jazz groups, solo piano work, concert band, orchestral and electronic music. His versatility makes him unique and in high demand as a writer and artist.
Some of Jeff’s favorite artists that have influenced his love and style of music are John Zorn, Richard Wagner, and Alfred Schnittke. Novotny is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and at present lives in Phoenix, AZ.
You can hear your favorite jazz-fusion artists around town in Nashville at Rudy’s Jazz Room on Gleaves Street and Nashville Jazz Workshop on Buchanan Street. You never know when you might find this talented artist visiting Nashville and appearing at one of these venues. Arrington Vineyards,
Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar.
Nashville Music Guide is proud to be able to present to you this artist Jeff Novotny and invite him to Music City Tennessee.
Be sure to check out Jeff’s music below and add him to your favorites list.
Stream “Cygnus X-1”:
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