...Marienthal was in his Washington, D.C. hotel room on a tour stop with Brian Culbertson when the idea of collaborating with the keyboardist first occurred to him. "Once I decided on a more pop direction, I was hoping he would produce the record," the saxophonist says. "He's such a gifted, detail oriented musician and has such a great awareness of what's going on musically. I knew he would be the one to bring out the best in me and help me create what I had been feeling musically for a long time. He immediately agreed to do it and we wrote three songs together.  "Then he brought in Stephen Lu," he adds, "a young guy with a fantastic ear for what's fresh and current. The chemistry between the three of us was immediate, and we wrote some tunes together and then Stephen and I wrote three songs that also made the album."   Just Around The Corner gets off to a sizzling, fast grooving start with the album's first single, "Blue Water," the first Marienthal/Culbertson collaboration that backs the saxophonist's emotional melody with lively keyboard harmonies, trippy chill flavors and vibrant horn textures. "Times Square," which features the keyboards and programming of co-writer Lu, opens with a silky sax intro, then thumps into a mid-tempo funky flow on the verses that build to a blistering horn section chorus.  ..."I continue to be inspired by great musicians who year after year continue to create innovative music that always sounds fresh," Marienthal says. "Likewise, working on the new album with Brian and Stephen has pushed my own game to the next level.  Just Around The Corner is a melody-driven, straightforward pop instrumental date that honestly reflects the musical groove I'm in right now." 

© 2007 Concord/Peak Records