TzeMan's Music

Spa for the Soul

Life driving you nuts? Soothe your body, mind, and soul with my music!

Demo2007 EP out now!

Budget limitations have forced me to put my debut album project on hold. I hope to release the CD around late 2010. In the meantime...

Buy my Demo2007 EP at iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, eMusic, Napster, Lala, Shockhound, AmieStreet!

Listen to some of the tunes I've composed/arranged. Just click Play.

All music composed & arranged by Tzechiu Lei.
Except "The Look Of Love" by Burt Bacharach, arranged by Tzechiu Lei.
©Copyright 2009 TzeMan Music (BMI). All rights reserved.

Tell your friends if you like it! I'm not signed with a major label, so when it comes to promoting this music, YOU ARE IT! So spread the word!!

Genres — Style "Labels"

My works are mostly instrumental, and range from Pop-Classical, through Smooth Jazz, to Jazz/R&B Fusion. If I had my CDs in record stores, they'd probably be stuffed into the Jazz section.

You won't hear much solo improvisation here. I'm a composer/arranger, not a performer. I want my tunes to be compositions, not just 16-bar "heads" for soloing!

Thanks to my college friends David Ilstrup and John Yi (Fatty Boom Boom), BART Station has some live tracks (guitar & sax). Otherwise, all the tracks are performed/sequenced by me.

Lousy info for promotion, I realize, but I'm just being honest. I believe if my music's good enough, it will touch your heart without hype or buzz.

Influences

You can read the artists' official biographies at their own websites.

Bob James [Jazz pianist/composer] - I discovered him like most other BJ fans did, on TV from the "Taxi" comedy series of the 1970's — he wrote the show theme "Angela." Somehow I heard more than just cool music — substance. His album Touchdown was the very first record I ever bought. His wonderful compositions convinced me that great music really doesn't need to have lyrics. Having been so often lied to by grown-ups when I was a child, I really don't miss the words!

Keith Jarrett [Jazz/Classical pianist] - My high-school friend Paul turned me onto this incredible player, after hearing a tape of some of my early piano pieces; somehow he knew I'd like Jarrett. He was right. Jarrett's piano improvisations were like nothing I've heard before. They're still among my favorites even now. There's so much heart in his performance, it's sometimes too much to handle! I have both vinyl and CD formats of his Köln Concert.

Brecker Brothers [Jazz Fusion group] - In the early 1980s, Paul also introduced me to this incrediable group. I bought Heavy Metal Bebop the same week Paul played his copy for me. It was the first time I'd ever heard Jazz Fusion, and I felt as if a brand-new musical world just opened up for me! If I had to give up my whole Fusion collection except just one album, Heavy Metal Bebop is the one I'd keep. Of course, I have all their other albums too. The group does not have an official website, since they've disbanded once again; Randy and Michael have full-fledged solo careers now.

Michael Brecker [Jazz Saxophonist] - While so many jazz soloists sound like they're speed-auditioning for Evelyn Woods, Michael always says something when he improvises. Don't get me wrong; he can outplay anyone on the planet when it comes to "pryo-technics." Eleven Grammies don't lie.

Weather Report [Jazz Fusion group] -

Yellowjackets [Jazz Fusion group] - After I first heard "Top Secret" on the radio in 1983, I went straight out to the record store and bought their album (Mirage a Trois). I never really paid attention to music arrangement until I heard this group. "Top Secret" remains to this day one of my all-time favorite Fusion arrangement.

Chick Corea Elektric Band [Jazz Fusion group] - I discovered Chick through Miles Davis, and was always impressed by his piano work. However, it was the Elektric Band that I really took to. This Fusion band enabled his music to blossom in ways impossible on the piano alone. Chick's compositions always took me on a musical adventure. I'm always looking forward to the next release.

Elton John [Pop singer/songwriter] - His music almost saved my life when I was just a kid in the late 1970s. When I got depressed, hearing Elton's music always made me stop crying. I felt a close connection to his music without ever knowing the lyrics. For almost a decade, I'd fantasize being a music superstar, singing and playing piano just like Elton.