Murl Sanders Releases New CD

December 1st 2012

Rita Davidson Barnea

Accordionist Murl Sanders has just released his new 2012 CD, “Stories of Lucille”. All tracks are original and feature some of the best jazz musicians in Seattle including Warren Rand, Clipper Anderson, and Mark Ivester. It would be a wonderful holiday gift for accordion enthusiasts.

Selections include:
1. Stories of Lucile (feat. Warren Rand)
2. Let’s Get Crackin’
3. Drop It Here, Drop It Now
4. Gosta Major
5. Springin’ Hope (feat. Mark Ivester)
6. Fields of Gold
7. Still Laughing in the Hall (feat. Clipper Anderson)
8. Shawn’s Second Half
9. We Couldn’t Resist It
10. Estamos Ai (feat. Warren Rand)
11. It’s New Year

Murl Allen Sanders is an independent, modern accordionist, pianist, composer, teacher and recording artist who plays pop, rock, zydeco, country, jazz, blues and various ethnic styles on piano and accordion. He has worked with such diverse national and international artists as:  Chuck Berry, Etta James, Glenn Yarbrough, Merrilee Rush, Theodore Bikel, Peter Duchin, Leslie Gore, The Von Trapp Children, Lee Oskar, OhNo, Underground Resistance, Leroy Bell, Clare Fischer, Todd Simon, and composer David Matthews.

Murl has also worked with a host of regional luminaries including Terry Lauber, Ken Boynton, Danny Deardorff, Kelly Harland, Susan Pascal, Barbara Lamb, Geoffrey Castle, Orchestra Seattle, The Seattle Chamber Singers, The Everett Symphony, Nancy K. Dillon, Leon Lishner, Magical Strings, Tim Noah, Papaya, Michael Powers, Ellen Lippman Finn, Renee Redeker, Nadine Shanti, Tickle Tune Typhoon, Michael Tomlinson and Jim Valley, Billy Mac, Warren Rand, Chuck Deardorf, Wendy Marcus and Shawn Weaver among many others.

Recent notable performances include performances with orchestra, at national and international festivals, and accordion clubs, conventions and associations including Texas, Arizona, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Leavenworth, ATG, Silver Falls plus more.
 
Murl is an award winning ASCAP composer and adjunct faculty at Cornish College of the Arts. Murl’s “Accordion Concerto No. 2” for accordion and orchestra was supported by a grant from the City of Seattle’s Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. It was premiered on March 18, 2007 with Orchestra Seattle conducted by George Shangrow. Murl’s “Accordion Concerto No. 1” was premiered on June 6, 2003 with Orchestra Seattle at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus.

Murl’s versatility has led him to be in demand as a concert artist, workshop presenter and freelance artist in numerous bands and studio work for MUZAK, television and radio commercials as well as sideman work on many CD projects in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. He also leads his own band, does solo work, composes and arranges music, sings, plays piano, harmonica, Hammond B-3 organ, electronic keyboards and teaches privately.
Murl’s “Accordion Concerto No. 2” for accordion and orchestra was supported by a grant from the City of Seattle’s Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. It was premiered on March 18, 2007 with Orchestra Seattle conducted by George Shangrow.

Murl’s “Accordion Concerto No. 1” had a world premiere June 6, 2003 with Orchestra Seattle conducted by Maestro George Shangrow at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus. It has since been performed by the Clear Lake Symphony in Texas conducted by Dr. Charles Johnson with accordionist Dr. Joe Pouzar.

You can currently hear Murl’s music in retail stores on the MUZAK network and in Nordstrom’s own background music system. Recently Murl has played piano, accordion, organ and harmonica on soundtracks for the films:
“Georgia Rule”  ”Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” ”Eulogy” ”Moonglow” ”It’s Only Temporary”

The Chicago Accordion Club and Milwaukee Accordion Club featured Murl in 2003. In 2004 Murl played a tour of California Accordion Clubs including San Diego, San Francisco, Escalon and Vacaville. Murl is a member of the Northwest Accordion Society and performs regularly at Seattle’s Day of the Accordion and has been featured at the Forest Grove Accordion Club as well. Murl was also a featured artist at the Cotati Festival.

Murl’s introduction to jazz piano and the “American Songbook” was through his friend and teacher, John Wittwer. John was a superb pianist in the traditional jazz and ragtime styles and an intellectual who inspired his students with great literature and humor. Murl was recruited in high school to play jazz piano in the Nathan Hale big band and Seattle Community College big band by John Moawad, another high-energy motivational teacher.

Joe Petosa and his family have been very supportive of Murl’s accordion endeavors and W.D. “Blackie” Blackstone for encouraging Murl early on to be serious about pursuing music.

Murl’s earliest accordion influence was Stan Boreson, a local children’s television personality, accordionist and comedian still working in Seattle. Stan inspired hundreds of kids to play the accordion. The Lawrence Welk show on TV also imprinted accordion music in Murl’s brain and Myron Floren was Murl’s hero when he was age six.
Aside from his first basics instructor, Leo Furman, Murl had only one truly influential accordion teacher as a child, Doug Middendorf in Seattle. However, Murl’s musical education has included many wonderful and inspirational teachers: John Wittwer, Jerome Gray, George Peckham, Dave Peck, Terry Moore, Kenneth Benshoof, Robert and Gerald Kechley and Barbara Lundquist most notably.

Murl has a B.A. in music education from the University of Washington and teaches private lessons in accordion, piano and voice for individual adults and children. Murl has also taught choral music at Chinook Middle School in Bellevue, Washington.

His important accordion influences include Brazilian accordionist Sivuca, jazz accordionists Art Van Damme, Frank Marocco, Leon Sash and Tommy Gumina, Astor Piazzola, the Argentine bandoneonist, Richard Galliano, Ken Olendorf, zydeco/cajun players Clifton Chenier, Geno Delafose, CJ Chenier and Bruce Daigrepont, celtic and European players Maria Kaliniemi, Joe Derrane, Ivo Papasov’s band, Phil Cunningham, various Brazilian and African accordionists, Los Lobos, Flaco Jiminez and various Klezmer players.

Some of Murl’s other musical influences are pianists Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson, organists Billy Preston, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Richard “Groove” Holmes and Jack McDuff, saxophonists John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and many others, guitarists B.B. King, Freddy King, Eric Clapton and others. The list could go on and on. All have played a role in expanding his accordion consciousness and style. His friend and colleague, Frank Marocco was a great influence on him and Murl considers him to have been the best jazz accordionist.

Murl has been an active member of the Pacific Northwest music scene for over thirty years playing concerts, festivals, recording sessions, nightclubs, churches, synagogues and private clubs.

Pupils play an important role in Murl’s life providing inspiration, energy and motivation to continue to improve both musically and personally. Teaching is a two-way street enriching the life of both teacher and student.
For more information: murl@murlallensanders.com
Phone: Tel: 206-781-8196

Murl has also worked with many regional luminaries including Terry Lauber, Ken Boynton, Danny Deardorff, Kelly Harland, Susan Pascal, Barbara Lamb, Geoffrey Castle, Orchestra Seattle, The Seattle Chamber Singers, The Everett Symphony, Nancy K. Dillon, Leon Lishner, Magical Strings, Tim Noah, Papaya, Michael Powers, Ellen Lippman Finn, Renee Redeker, Nadine Shanti, Tickle Tune Typhoon, Michael Tomlinson and Jim Valley, Billy Mac, Warren Rand, Chuck Deardorf, Wendy Marcus and Shawn Weaver among many others.

He also leads his own band, does solo work, composes and arranges music, sings, plays piano, harmonica, Hammond B-3 organ, electronic keyboards and teaches privately.
Murl’s “Accordion Concerto No. 2” for accordion and orchestra was supported by a grant from the City of Seattle’s Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. It was premiered on March 18, 2007 with Orchestra Seattle conducted by George Shangrow.

Murl’s “Accordion Concerto No. 1” had its world premiere June 6, 2003 with Orchestra Seattle conducted by Maestro George Shangrow at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus. It has since been performed by the Clear Lake Symphony in Texas conducted by Dr. Charles Johnson with accordionist Dr. Joe Pouzar.

Murl is grateful to Joe Petosa and his family who have been very supportive of Murl’s accordion endeavors as well as W.D. “Blackie” Blackstone who offered encouragement to Murl early on to be serious about pursuing music.

Murl has been an active member of the Pacific Northwest music scene for over thirty years playing concerts, festivals, recording sessions, nightclubs, churches, synagogues and private clubs.
Pupils play an important role in Murl’s life providing inspiration, energy and motivation to continue to improve both musically and personally. Teaching is a two-way street enriching the life of both teacher and student.

For more information: murl@murlallensanders.com
Phone: Tel: 206-781-8196