Photo by Tab Salsman | Graphic Design by Tatiana Gorunov
ILYA SEROV’S THIRD STUDIO ALBUM JUST FRIENDS
IS RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 8, 2021
COLLABORATIONS FEATURE AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS
DAVE KOZ, GREG MANNING, ALEX HAHN, MATT CUSSON, KAY-TA MATSUNO
Watch a short 1 minute promo video for the album HERE
(Los Angeles, CA) Billboard’s rising star, award-winning trumpeter and singer Ilya Serov, released his new studio album titled JUST FRIENDS on November 8, 2021. The album is dedicated to one of America’s most iconic jazz trumpet players and singers, Chet Baker, and is titled after Baker’s classic jazz standard of the same name.
“Chet’s music inspired me when I was a young musician and pushed me to start finding my own voice in the world of jazz”, said Serov. “As my composition and playing styles matured over the years, I began to wonder what Chet, with his musical genius, would sound like if he was a contemporary jazz artist today. With JUST FRIENDS I‘ve tried to show the connection between several generations of jazz.”
Along with Serov’s renditions of Chet Baker’s most recognizable songs from the Great American Songbook, his considerable composition chops are on display in several original contemporary tunes inspired by those standards. JUST FRIENDS features 11 songs, three of which (Chillin’, Heat, and Ironic) were released earlier in 2021.
The inclusion on the album of a custom built, one-of-a-kind instrument Serov dubbed a “Jazzohorn” gives his music a smooth tone and distinctive sound that he is excited to share with his audience. Based on a flugelhorn and shaped like a saxophone, it has a unique look that was designed by Serov and UK trumpet maker Andy Taylor, who specializes in building unique, quality trumpets.
“The idea of redesigning trumpets was common in the 1920s. I really like the warm, soft tone of the trumpet and I knew I wanted an instrument with similar qualities,” said Serov. “While my new jazzohorn has the warmth of the flugelhorn, it also has a unique, breathy quality. A bonus feature is that it looks like a saxophone, which I always wanted to play, so the jazzohorn gets me closer to that childhood aspiration,” he joked.
In addition to Serov, the album features award-winning artists including saxophone great Dave Koz. In a recording career that spans nearly three decades, Koz has racked up an astoundingly impressive array of honors and achievements: nine GRAMMY® nominations, 11 No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, numerous world tours, 13 sold-out Dave Koz & Friends at Sea cruises, performances for multiple U.S. Presidents, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and appearances on a multitude of television shows.
Said Koz of Serov’s single Heat: “This new single is Ilya’s first real contemporary jazz song, and it is so good. He asked me to play on it and I said, ‘Yes, please!’ Heat really has all the ingredients to become a smash hit in this format… a great groove, a fantastic melody, great musicianship, and at the core of all of it is Ilya’s trumpet. He’s such an amazing player.”
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Video for Serov’s first single “Heat” (feat. Dave Koz) is available here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pObeFgxCEY4
About ILYA SEROV: Ilya Serov is an award-winning trumpeter, guitarist, vocalist and music producer. He began studying classical trumpet early-on, honing his skills at the prestigious St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music and performing with St. Petersburg’s symphony orchestras and the state opera theatre. His musical world was expanded dramatically when Serov discovered American jazz as a teen, and it quickly became his passion.
Serov’s album JUST FRIENDS is a departure from his 2013 successful debut album of jazz standards, September in the Rain, following which he was named Best New Artist at the Hollywood International Music Awards (2014). His second album, Back in Time, was released in 2018 as an homage to the Big Band era. It featured the artist’s smooth trumpet playing and unique vocal style, and included collaborations with GRAMMY®-winning percussionist Poncho Sanchez, renowned pianist Roger Kellaway, and acclaimed sax player Eric Marienthal.
For several years, Serov has participated in well-known and highly-respected music festivals including the Catalina Jazz Festival and the Newport Beach Jazz Festival. He has also traveled with the Dave Koz & Friends at Sea jazz cruise, sharing the stage with such greats as Peter White, Larry Graham, Jonathan Butler, and Michael Lington.
JUST FRIENDS Credits and Complete Track Listing:
Main Artist: Ilya Serov – vocals, trumpet, jazzohorn, keyboards, programming;
Featured Artists: Dave Koz – saxophone; Greg Manning – piano; Alex Hahn – saxophone; Matt Cusson – vocals (harmonies); Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar.
Produced by Ilya Serov; Executive Producers: Bobbie and Jim Stovall, Ilya Serov; Associate Producer: Natalia Staneva; Recorded by Tom McCauley at B2 Studios; Ken Freeman & Eric Valentine at Chocolate Cave Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Mixed by Ken Freeman; Mastered by Steve Hall at Future Disk.
1. Just Friends – 3:34 by John Klenner and Sam Lewis (EMI April Music Inc, o/b/o EMI Robbins Catalog Inc.)
Rhythm Arrangement by Kay-Ta Matsuno; Horn Arrangement by Ilya Serov & Kay-Ta Matsuno; Background Vocal Arrangement by Matt Cusson; String Arrangement by Ilya Serov.
Ilya Serov – lead vocal, background vocals, jazzohorn, trumpet, keyboards; Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Greg Manning – keyboards; Alex Hahn – tenor & baritone saxophones; Paul Nowell – trombone; Maurice Ellis – bass; Chad Wright – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion; Matt Cusson – background vocals.
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2. Ironic – 4:50 by Ilya Serov & Kay-Ta Matsuno (Silky Sound Media / BMI)
Rhythm Arrangement by Ilya Serov & Kay-Ta Matsuno; Horn Arrangement by Ilya Serov.
Ilya Serov – trumpet, keyboards; Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Greg Manning – keyboards; Maurice Ellis – bass; Chad Wright – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
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3. There Will Never Be Another You (feat. Matt Cusson) – 4:23 by Harry Warren & Mack Gordon (MPI Music Publishing Inc. o/b/o Morley Music Co., Four Jays Music Pub., Mattsam Music)
Rhythm Arrangement by Carnell Harrell and Ilya Serov; Background Vocal Arrangement by Matt Cusson.
Ilya Serov – lead vocal, jazzohorn; Matt Cusson – featured artist (vocal harmonies); Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Carnell Harrell – keyboards; Nathaniel Kearney Jr. – bass; Eric Valentine – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
4. Heat (feat. Dave Koz) – 3:54 by Ilya Serov & Kay-Ta Matsuno (Silky Sound Media / BMI)
Rhythm Arrangement by Ilya Serov, Carnell Harrell; Horn Arrangement by Ilya Serov
Ilya Serov – jazzohorn, keyboards, programming; Dave Koz – featured artist (tenor saxophone); Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Carnell Harrell – keyboards; Nathaniel Kearney Jr – bass; Eric Valentine – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
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5. Time After Time (feat. Greg Manning) – 3:28 by Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn (Sands Music Corp.)
Rhythm Arrangement by Kay-Ta Matsuno
Ilya Serov – lead vocal, trumpet; Greg Manning – featured artist (piano, keyboards); Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Maurice Ellis – bass; Chad Wright – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
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6. Chillin’ – 4:53 by Ilya Serov & Kay-Ta Matsuno (Silky Sound Media / BMI)
Rhythm Arrangement by Ilya Serov & Kay-Ta Matsuno; Horn Arrangement by Ilya Serov
Ilya Serov – trumpet, keyboards, programming; Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Greg Manning – keyboards; Maurice Ellis – bass; Chad Wright – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
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7. Let’s Get Lost (feat. Alex Hahn) – 3:37 by Jimmy McHugh & Frank Loesser (Sony/ATV Harmony)
Rhythm Arrangement by Kay-Ta Matsuno, Background Vocal Arrangement by Ilya Serov
Ilya Serov – lead vocal, background vocals, trumpet, keyboards; Alex Hahn – featured artist (alto saxophone); Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Greg Manning – keyboards; Maurice Ellis – bass; Chad Wright – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
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8. My Funny Valentine – 4:59 by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart (Chappell and Co., Williamson Music)
Rhythm Arrangement by Kay-Ta Matsuno; Horn Arrangement by Ilya Serov
Ilya Serov – trumpet, keyboards; Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar, drum beat programming; Greg Manning – keyboards; Maurice Ellis – bass; Chad Wright – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
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9. Everything Happens to Me (feat. Matt Cusson) – 5:01 by Matt Dennis & Tom Adair (Dorsey Brothers Music a Div. of Music Sales Corporation)
Rhythm Arrangement by Kay-Ta Matsuno
Ilya Serov – lead vocal, trumpet; Matt Cusson – featured artist (vocal harmonies); Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Greg Manning – keyboards; Maurice Ellis – bass; Chad Wright – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
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10. Night in St. Petersburg (feat. Kay-Ta Matsuno) – 4:34 by Kay-Ta Matsuno (Silky Sound Media / BMI)
Rhythm Arrangement by Kay-Ta Matsuno; String & Horn Arrangement by Ilya Serov
Ilya Serov – jazzohorn, keyboards, programming; Kay-Ta Matsuno – featured artist (guitar); Greg Manning – keyboards; Maurice Ellis – bass; Chad Wright – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion
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11. Daybreak – 3:28 by Ferde Grofe & Harold Adamson (EMI Feist Catalog Inc.)
Rhythm Arrangement by Ilya Serov & Carnell Harrell; Horn Arrangement by Ilya Serov; Background Vocal Arrangement by Matt Cusson
Ilya Serov – lead vocal, background vocals, trumpet, jazzohorn; Kay-Ta Matsuno – guitar; Carnell Harrell – keyboards; Alex Hahn – tenor & baritone saxophones; Nathaniel Kearney, Jr. – bass; Eric Valentine – drums; Ronnie Gutierrez – percussion; Matt Cusson – background vocals
JUST FRIENDS is available on Spotify, Apple Music , iTunes, Amazon, Pandora and YouTube.
For more information on ILYA SEROV contact:
Kerrie Sadler
818-292-3858
Website: www.ilyaserov.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ilyaserov
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilyaserovmusic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ilyaserovmusic
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