Crosby, Pevar & Raymond…
Listening to CPR, you have to recall the great Duke Ellington’s definitive comment on musical quality: “If it sounds good, it is good.” With that simple approach, David Crosby, Jeff Pevar, and James Raymond bring grace and elegance to contemporary harmonies that echo the best jazz and rock roots. It “sounds good,” which is a simple foundation supporting a complex structure. CPR includes a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter with a lasting influence on popular music, a guitarist who’s played with the greatest names in the business, and a keyboard player who’s a composer in television and film, and (like the others), enjoys backup, session, and performance credits with some of the hottest acts in the culture.
It’s this startling blend of solo and ensemble talent that is the basis for the band’s success in the studio and on tour. David Crosby brings almost four decades of experience to the group, as a solo folk artist, and as a founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash (and on occasion) Young. James Raymond began playing, composing, and arranging as a teenager, and by age thirty has played with top jazz and rock groups, while Jeff Pevar has been a force in the bands behind Ray Charles, James Taylor, Rickie Lee Jones, Joe Cocker, Shawn Colvin, B.B. King and many others. CPR’s close harmonies are like gold and silver threads running through the fabric of their music; following the intricate patterns of sound is an exercise in discovery.
The deceptively easy beat that marks the opening of “Morrison” gives way to righteous indignation in its chorus. There’s a haunting imagery in “Somehow She Knew” that is mirrored by the poignant lyrics of “Time is the Final Currency,” and a rhythmic lilt to “Little Blind Fish.” The song “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” simply rocks. All through the album Crosby’s vocals blend effortlessly with Raymond’s and Pevar’s harmonies, creating an effect that’s a soulful reunion of the familiar and the unexpected. CPR creates echoes with every listening, because the heart has a memory of its own.
Words and photo from the official CPR website.
Discography
Gravity
Samson Music 2001
Tracks: Map to Buried Treasure, Breathless, Darkness, Gone Forever, Eyes Too Blue, Jerusalem, Kings Get Broken, Angel Dream, Katie Did, Climber, Coyote King & Just Like Gravity.
Musicians on the Gravity album: David Crosby, Jeff Pevar, James Raymond and others.
Live At The Wiltern
Samson Music 1999
Tracks: Morrison, Little Blind Fish, One for Every Moment, That House, Homeward Through the Haze, At the Edge, It's All Coming Back, Rusty and Blue, Delta, Dream for Him, Old Soldier, Hero, Long Time Gone, Déjà Vu, Eight Miles High, Ohio & Almost Cut My Hair.
Musicians on the Live At The Wiltern album: David Crosby, Jeff Pevar, James Raymond, Marc Cohn, Phil Collins, Graham Nash, Andrew Ford & Stevie DiStanislao.
Live At Cuesta College
Samson Music 1998
Tracks: in My Dreams, Tracks In The Dust, Homeward/Haze, Rusty And Blue, Thousand Roads, For Free, Morrison, Somehow She Knew, ´Till It Shines On You, Time Is The Final Currency, Where Will I Be/Page 43, Delta Deja Vu, One For Every Moment, Guinnevere & Wooden Ships.
Musicians on the Live At Cuesta College album: David Crosby, Jeff Pevar & James Raymond.
CPR
Samson Music 1998
Tracks: Morrison, That House, One for Every Moment, At the Edge, Somebody Else's Town, Rusty and Blue, Somehow She Knew, Little Blind Fish, Yesterday's Child, It's All Coming Back to Me Now & Time Is the Final Currency.
Musicians on the CPR album: David Crosby, Jeff Pevar, James Raymond, Curt Bisquera, Michael Bland, Luis Conte, Deborah Dobkin, James "Hutch" Hutchinson, Russ Kunkel, Steve Tavaglione, Leland Sklar & Steve DiStanislao.