Jack Foster III releases “Jazzraptor's Secret” "

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – 29 July 2008 – “Jazzraptor's Secret” is the forth solo album from Jack Foster III. Jack exploded on the scene in 2003 with his first album “Evolution of Jazzraptor” with Trent Gardner and Robert Berry, his latest album fully exemplifies the “evolution” that the trio have gone through in their 5 years of doing albums together.
Jack had this to say: "I'm extremely excited to have my next album coming out on America's preeminent progressive label - ProgRock Records. I've enjoyed my
relationship with Musea Records, but I write from an American perspective, so I really should be on an American label, I think. It's quite awesome to have label-mates like Henning Pauly, Sylvan, Erik Norlander, Lana Lane, Oliver Wakeman, and the many other incredibly talented musicians being represented by ProgRock Records.

I'm very proud of my first three albums with Trent Gardner and Robert Berry. But I think with the new album -- Jazzraptor's Secret -- the music really coalesces stylistically into something distinctive. The musical range is still there, but Trent, Robert and I have developed a sound that's unique and quite unmistakable. It's exciting to have watched, listened, and to have lived through this five year musical evolution. Texture, subtlety,
strength, message . . . hey, I really think that this album is going to blow people away! Many thanks to ProgRock Records and Shawn Gordon for the faith."

“I’ve been following Jacks career since his first release was making the rounds before officially being released and I’ve always enjoyed each one as it came across my desk. I was really pleased with the opportunity to finally work with him on his latest.”, said Shawn Gordon, President of ProgRock Records.

”Jazzraptor’s Secret” is the ProgRock Records debut release from Jack Foster III and can be found at http://www.progrockrecords.com/artists/view.php?id=101. The album will be released in lat September 2008.

I have a fairly broad view of prog, probably not as broad as some people. Which website did you look at for Jacks info? If it is the 'jazzraptor' one, that hasn't been updated since the first album came out 5 years ago, and that description of the first album is pretty accurate, but doesn't apply to this album.
I'll check out pretty much anything that gets sent to me, but certain things don't make a lot of sense on our label because we're not known for them, like really hardcore progmetal, avant, rio, fusion. Probably the least prog thing I put out was the Planet P Project album, but to me, the concept behind the music was so intense and the music so good, I just had to put it out. So my personal enjoyment of a release is the highest priority because I won't put it out if I don't like it, but I don't think I've put out anything that could not be called prog in any way.

I do have other labels that I put music out on, www.therecordlabel.net - I just put out a country album recently by Matt Cash and Henning Pauly (Chain, Frameshift).

Howdy Easy Livin' and Shawn:

Somebody e-mailed me about this thread, and I thought maybe I should jump in. (How's the water?)

I guess I need to update my web-page! Yeah, I had something in the interim, which is no more, but jazzraptor.com remains, and indeed I'll make sure it's updated before the release of the new one.

Labels in music, like . . . "progressive", are a necessary evil, but I know for a fact that they drive musicians crazy! I guess my music must be progressive, because the community that has adopted the music is the progressive community! But quite frankly, I consider myself a musician, a singer-songwriter, and a guitarist. I don't write a song and then question whether the new music stylistically fits the label that some observer has given it and that it therefore is supposed to fit! My roots are in Rock music, but for me, there's a broad range of musical possibility that I enjoy exploring. I would like to think that the acceptance of the entire range is part of what makes music progressive. Is that too big a wish? LOL! Probably!

But some people feel a need to label everything. Was my first album progressive? Here's an opinion from one reviewer:

http://www.progressor.net/review/jack_foster_2003.html

So there's your answer! The nine songs on the first album were "1) slightly Jazz-tinged electrically acoustic guitar Art-Rock, through 2) Symphonic Prog-Metal, 3) Classic Jazz-Fusion with brasses at the helm, and 4) Classic Symphonic Art-Rock, to 5) Progressive Cathedral Metal . . . 6) acoustic guitar-based Art-Rock with elements of Folk Rock, 7) a blend of a guitar and symphonic Art-Rock with elements of Jazz-Fusion, 8) a piano- and strings-based Art-Rock, and 9) Classic Symphonic Art-Rock with elements of Cathedral Metal."

I'll let somebody else label the 10 tracks on the new album. Hey, I'm just trying to make good music!

cheers,

Jack