John L Zainer - Stretchin Out

John L Zainer... In 1938, at the age of four, two events happened which will help explain the cover. I had my first ride on a motorcycle, a 1938 Harley. This was also the first year I started taking music lessons. I started with the accordion and then added piano the following year. I'm still riding motorcycles, playing the piano, and occasionally the accordion. After studying piano for fifteen years I was drafted into the U.S. Army. Upon arriving in Germany in 1955 I met some jazz musicians and at that time started to improvise and listen to the well-known jazz musicians of the time. During the course of the next five years I discovered and started to enjoy the talents of Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, Bud Powell, and Bill Evans. Currently my two favorite jazz pianists are Walter Norris and Kenny Barron. In addition to jazz, I enjoy playing the Bach preludes and fugues and from one of them came the idea for the improvisation of the Bach Fugue XXIV-Vol II. The rest of the songs are among my favorite jazz standards. By the way, the cover photo was taken in 1960 on a street in Los Angeles aboard a 1951 Norton. The Harley on the back is with my Slovenian Grandmother and older Brother Don. Oh, and that sexy woman by the window is my dear wife of 44 years...which explains the title "Song for Ille-Heid". The CD was the idea of my nephew Michael Zainer. He was working at The Village Recorder, a well-known Los Angeles studio. He called and asked if I would like to play a 9-foot Yamaha Grand, which happened to be tuned and mic'd for a session earlier that day. I went in to play this instrument and Mike decided to record me. A second session took place that was engineered by Okhee Kim. This album is a result of those recording sessions. Arranged and performed by John Zainer Recording Engineers: Okhee Kim and Michael Z. Zainer Mixing Engineer: Okhee Kim Recorded at The Village, Los Angeles Mastered by Joe Gastwirt at Ocean View digital Mastering Layout and design by Okhee Kim All photos courtesy of the Zainer Family Archives Produced by Michael Z. Zainer Copyright 2002 Michael Z. Zainer. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

1) Dolphin Dance
2) The Dolphin
3) My Foolish Heart
4) D Dam Blues
5) Invitation
6) Quiet Now
7) How Deep Is the Ocean
8) For Heaven's Sake
9) Theme from Bach Fugue Xxiv-Vol II
10) Nardis
11) Song for Ille-Heid
12) Night and Day
13) The Peacocks
14) A Sleepin' Bee