Wurlitzer
A little bit about Jack Rugan's 29th album of uniquely original music.
Okay, perhaps the best place to start is the title of the new album.
"Wurlitzer" is named after the vintage studio upright piano Jack purchased for his 19th birthday way back in 1982! Of the over 2100 he composed over the past 40 plus years, probably a thousand were written on the old Wurlitzer.
All the songs on the new album were written between 2013 and 2016 during the most difficult time in Jack's life. He experienced a tremendous amount of loss - his father to Alzheimer's, his two senior pups, and his second marriage. In addition, he turned 50 in 2013 and began to reflect on how fast the years passed and felt the overall loss of time. Writing and recording about these four types of loss proved to be cathartic, healing, and provided some closure that chapter of his life.
Though lyrically the songs are a bit "heavy", often the music on the 14-song disc is quite loud and direct. Jack wanted to convey a sense of exacerbation and frustration in the instrumentation and with his vocals. Recording began in early 2017 and two singles, "Inasmuch as I'd love to say yes" and "Silence takes the stage" were released as singles during the early sessions. A total of nearly 2 dozen songs were considered for the project. The 14 that made the final cut provided a cohesive listening experience.
"Wurlitzer" is available on CD and through all digital media/streaming services. In addition, an 8X8 book version is available, featuring graphical representations of all 14 songs, along with lyrics and liner notes.
