Guy Eckstine

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Guy Eckstine is a music industry A&R & new media executive, record producer, musician and composer, who has produced and executive produced over 40 records. Four albums that Eckstine has produced or executive produced have won Grammy Awards, including The New Standard by Herbie Hancock.

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[edit] Biography

The son of singer and bandleader Billy Eckstine, Guy Eckstine is currently a Partner at Iconique Music Group, a new media solutions, artist recording contract solicitation, and brand marketing company, focusing on business development opportunities in technology, A&R, music publishing, and film and television. Throughout his 20 year executive career, Eckstine has distinguished himself in a variety of positions in the music industry as SVP Creative Development, MP3.com, VP A&R, Verve Records, Director A&R, Columbia Records, and Creative Manager, Virgin Music Publishing. Most recently, Eckstine was the Co-founder and former CEO of MIAATV.com- Music Industry Television.

After attending UCLA as an Ethnomusicology Major and John Bergamo's percussion program at California Institute of the Arts, Eckstine began his music career as a session musician playing drums for Quincy Jones, Michael McDonald, Eddy Grant, Michael Henderson, James Ingram, and Herbie Hancock, among others.

He is also a founding member of the avant-progressive rock band Soma, featuring guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist, Tony Levin, and keyboardist/composer, Mark Gleed.

His executive music business career began in 1988 at Virgin Music Publishing. As Creative Manager at Virgin Music, Eckstine secured songwriter covers for Virgin's stable of songwriters, placing songs with Whitney Houston, Paula Abdul, and Kool And The Gang, and also providing music supervisory assistance on the movie, Sideout, among others. Shortly thereafter in 1989, Eckstine was hired as Director of A&R at Columbia Records, where he worked with, Terence Trent d'Arby, Shawn Smith, (lead singer of Brad/Satchel), Regina Belle and Philip Bailey.

In July 1991, Eckstine then joined Verve Records as VP/A&R, at which he signed and produced/executive produced recordings by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chris Botti, Jeff Lorber, Art Porter, Gino Vannelli, Pete Belasco, Peter Delano, Evan Marks, and Roy Hargrove, among others. He also executive produced the Frank Zappa tribute album, "Zappa's Universe" which received a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance".

As VP A&R at Verve Records, Eckstine's creative vision helped guide Verve to 6 consecutive years (1991-1997) as Billboard Magazine's premiere jazz label in the World. During his tenure at Verve, the radio airwaves were inundated with his new urban/pop driven jazz stylings, as his artists and productions scored an unprecedented 15 chartopping Gavin Report records in a row. Groundbreaking artists, Chris Botti, Art Porter, and Pete Belasco, along with Jazz Legends, Herbie Hancock, Gino Vannelli, Jeff Lorber and UK Jazz/Funksters, Incognito, had their respective careers launched, reinvigorated, and introduced to the USA marketplace under Eckstine's A&R vision and guidance. Eckstine also discovered, produced and signed, 17 year old Jazz piano phenomenon, Peter Delano. Seminal and Grammy winning jazz recordings of the 1990's included, Herbie Hancock's, "Dis Is Da Drum", and "The New Standard", Chris Botti's groundbreaking debut recording, "First Wish", and the ultra funky debut of the late great saxophonist, Art Porter, "Pocket City".

Eckstine also delved into remixes under the moniker, "Fly Guy X", remixing Art Porter's, "Straight To The Point", with Guru, and the award winning UK remixes of Evan Marks', "Jazz Not Jazz".

In the late 1990s, Eckstine became SVP/Creative Development, for the pioneering online music service provider, MP3.com, providing artist development expertise on the MP3.com "Music and Technology Tour" featuring, Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, Christina Aguilera, and TLC. Becoming a part of the .com revolution, Eckstine was initially hired as Genre Manager for Jazz, World and Classical Music. The iconoclastic company sold to Vivendi /Universal in 2002 for $370 million.

Since that time Eckstine has spent his time independently producing records including the chart-topping Billboard Jazz release, "Nice and Slow", by Brian Culbertson, (2002), "A Charlie Brown Christmas", by Cyrus Chestnut, (2003), which featured Brian McKnight, Vanessa L. Williams, The Manhattan Transfer, Pat Martino, and many more. In 2004 for Savoy Jazz, Eckstine produced "Moondance", by the worlds' greatest jazz flautist, Hubert Laws, which featured, Herbie Hancock, Chris Botti, and Brian Culbertson. The album also showcased two of Eckstine's compositions, "Nighttime Daydream", and "Summer of '75".

Eckstine has produced many independent artists, and successfully solicited the recording contracts for Julia Fordham, (Atlantic Records) and Carol Welsman, (Savoy Records). In 1999, he produced and performed on the debut album of Charlottesville, VA singer/songwriter, Alexandra Scott, "Styrofoam", in 2002, he produced San Diego funk jazz combo, "Spaceman Spiff", in 2006, he produced, performed and co-wrote, Southern California based rock group, "Feels Like Friday", and NYC based singer/songwriter, "The Sandra Small 5". In addition to all of those endeavours, Eckstine also scores music for TV and Film, including the Fox Television series T.R.A.X., (2001), directed by Renny Harlin, and most recently the television commercials for CBS, "Courting Alex", starring Jenna Elfman, (2006), and TV/commercial music for the drug Avodart, (2006).

In October 2005, Eckstine became the Co-founder/CEO of MIAATV.com- Music Industry Television. In addition to acquiring talent and interviewing over 250 artist and music industry legends for MIAATV.com, including artists Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Phil Ramone, Chris Botti, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, and Joss Stone, Eckstine negotiated and implemented strategic partnerships and affiliations with major brands such as Atlantic Records, Gibson Musical Instruments, Hal Leonard Music Publishing, A.E.S- Audio Engineering Society, M.I.T. - Musicians Institute, NAMM, IAJE, Mobile Music Now, Emergenza, and ASCAP. At Digital Hollywood 2007, Eckstine produced, "Music 2.0- The Revolution Continues,- A Meeting of Minds in the Music 2.0 Community"- a two day symposium featuring A&R Executives, Music Publishers, Producers, Advertisers, Legal and New Media Professionals.

As of December 2007, Eckstine left his post as the Co-Founder/CEO of MIAATV.com- Music Industry Television, and co-founded Iconique Music Group with business partner Scott Barkham. Iconique Music Group is a new media solutions, artist recording contract solicitation, and brand marketing company, focusing on technology, music publishing, film and television.

[edit] Discography

Selected discography (produced, executive produced, and A&R):

  • Herbie Hancock - The New Standard, Dis Is Da Drum, The Essential Herbie Hancock
  • Wayne Shorter - High Life
  • Chris Botti - First Wish, Midnight Without You, Caught (soundtrack), Best of Chris Botti
  • Gino Vannelli - Yonder Tree, Slow Love
  • Brian Culbertson - Nice and Slow
  • Jeff Lorber - Worth Waiting For, West Side Stories, State of Grace, The Very Best of Jeff Lorber
  • Art Porter - Pocket City, Straight to the Point, Undercover, Lay Your Hands on Me, For Art's Sake
  • Cyrus Chestnut and Friends - A Charlie Brown Christmas
  • Peter Delano - Peter Delano, Bite of the Apple
  • Pete Belasco - Get It Together
  • Tom Grant - In My Wildest Dreams, The View From Here, Hands
  • Evan Marks - Long Way Home, Three Day Weekend
  • Hubert Laws - Moondance
  • Alexandra Scott - Styrofoam
  • Feels Like Friday - We Like Supermodel's
  • Ricardo Silviera - Small World
  • Incognito - Inside Life, Tribes, Vibes and Scribes, Positivity
  • Sandra Small 5 - Small World
  • Spaceman Spiff - The Love EP
  • Soma - Soma
  • Various artists - Zappa's Universe, Playboys 40 Years Of Jazz
  • Movement Ex - Movement Ex

[edit] Awards

Award-winning productions by Eckstine:

Grammy award

[edit] References

Sources consulted

Billboard Magazine, Radio and Records Magazine, Jazziz Magazine, The Gavin Report, 20th Century Fox, CBS, Columbia Records, Verve Records, SLG Music, Atlantic Records, Mercury Records, PolyGram Records, Occidental Records, NARAS-The Recording Academy, NPR.

Endnotes

[edit] External links