"NARKED RECORDS is delighted to announce the forthcoming release of the highly anticipated new album, “First Light” by acclaimed artist and producer MATTHEW SHELL. The hour-long jazz opus boasts of a complex arrangement featuring 17 key changes and 20 tempo changes, all created by Shell in a single twelve hour session. The music on the recording has been brought to life by Vahagn Stepanyan on the piano and upright bass, Kenny Wesley on vocals, Kenny Darby on keys, Curtis McCain on percussion, Nicolas Laget on flute and sax, Yoed Nir on cello, and Shell himself on guitar. The album is slated for release on Aug. 30, 2017.

“First Light” was born in a single burst of inspiration. On the day Shell’s wife took on a new job for better work/life balance, Shell hit the studio to create this hour-long arrangement to fully explore the range of emotions felt by his wife. Shell’s unreleased 2016 production of “The Christmas Song” was originally only made as a gift for his family, but it has been included as a bonus track since it was the first instance where Shell attempted explore the “First Light” sound.


Credits

Production, songwriting, arrangement and guitar by Matthew Shell
Vocal artistry by Kenny Wesley
Flute and saxophone by Nicolas Laget
Piano and upright bass by Vahagn Stepanyan
Rhodes keyboard by Kenny Darby
Percussion by Curtis Jerome McCain

Tracks 17 and 18 feature cello ensemble arranged and performed by Yoed Nir String Productions
Track 18 features vocals by Zane Alan Latta | Saxophone by Marcus Mitchell | Flute by Wouter Kellerman | As written in 1945 by Bob Wells and Mel Torme | As made famous by Nat King Cole

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Nicolas Laget and Matthew Shell at The Sweet Spot Studio, Annandale, VA
Mastered by Nicolas Laget and Matt Veirs at the Sweet Spot Studio, Annandale, VA
Art design by Alexandra S. Haris
Executive produced by Arun Shenoy, Terra Tuono-Shell and Matthew Shell

© 2017 MTS Music Productions
℗ 2017 Narked Records / MTS Music Productions