Demo2007 EP Worldwide Digital Release 2009-03-21: TzeMan Intro

My TzeMan Demo2007 EP will be digitally released worldwide this coming Saturday, 2009-03-21! I'll let you know in future posts where it'll be available for purchase, but for now the one place you'll be able to find it for sure is my site, http://TzeMan.com. :)
In this post, I'll be introducing myself -- what I am and who I am.
[TzeMan is pronounced "Zay-Man"]
Let's start with what I am...
I'm a DIY smooth-jazz, pop-classical composer/arranger. What does that mean? I do everything myself. I compose, arrange, record, produce, and release my own music, through my own label. I don't work for a big corporation; I'm not signed with a publisher or a record company. My funding comes from my day-job. Yes, REAL musicians have day jobs! :D People say my music sounds like a cross between Bob James and George Winston, with some David Sanborn and Keith Jarrett thrown in. Of course, if I didn't think my music has its own identity, I wouldn't be composing it to begin with! :D
Why do it all myself? The key reason is control over my music -- its quality, authenticity, and presentation. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my compositions and arrangements. I don't want industry professionals telling me what to write, who to license to, or how to record, package, or promote it. To them it's a business, but to me it's my life's work, and there's a big difference in how the whole artform is approached. More importantly, I want to reach you, my fans, directly. I want you to have a close, genuine, personal relationship with my music, without any big-business, super-star image getting in the way.
Why smooth-jazz and pop-classical? It's just because these are the stylistic tags that give the best fit with most of my sound palette. To me personally, smooth jazz sounds too smooth for the most part. I'm not trying to sound smooth or jazzy. I just happen to like music that's more soothing than rock, and at the same time more complex than pop. It's definitely not jazz if you think jazz is all about solos and improvisation -- I'm a composer after all, not an improvisor! I also write quite a few piano pieces which sound like classical, but nowhere as rigid or sophisticated.
I'll grant that these "genres" server a good practical purpose, but they really don't tell you what my music really is about. For that, you'll just have to listen to the EP.
Why title it a Demo? Well, most industry pros would say that's the worst title you could give to any commercial release. But I'm an artist, not a business man; I'm not scheming to get rich on my music. The ONLY commerical aspect to my music is that I'm not throwing it away for free. Free means cheap, and my music is NOT cheap; it has my blood, sweat, and tears in every note. You need to buy it, because you need to show me that you're worth it!
Also, my fans have been asking where they can buy my music for a long time now. I am still planning to write and record a full-length album, but that's still won't be done for at least another 18 months. I thought this would make a good "appetizer" for my fans, and the demo title sounds appropriate especially because I still considering that upcoming album my real, official debut.
Quite frankly, with this EP I'm demonstrating to you the power of my music. I call it "Spa for the Soul." That's what my music means to me, and what I hope it'll mean to you!
Okay, now on to who I am. This is gonna be brief! :D
I'm 46 years old. I'm a first-generation Chinese immigrant to the United State, living in Vallejo, CA. I have a full-time day-job, and I write music in my free time.
I was born and raise in Hong Kong, China. I took a couple years of piano lessons, got bored and quit, and have been playing by ear ever since. I grew up listening to American Top-40 or the radio, discovered classical music thru my dad, and jazz thru my college classmates at Cal Berkeley, graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Music, and spent 10-15 years trying all the wrong ways to "break into the music biz." Then I got married, gave up music and got a corporate job, and bought a house.
Funny thing is, I got back into music a few years ago because of the stress from the day-job! Go figure!! :D Bought a computer and some music gear and software, and started to write and record the tunes you'll be hearing on this EP.
I'm actually finding a good life balance between the day-job and the music. The day-job generates funding for the music, and the music helps me destress from the day-job. The day-job also frees me from approaching my art like a business, and the music also saves me from defining my identity solely by what I do for a living. The one complements the other very nicely for me, and I'm planning to keep both going.
So, there you have it. What I am, and who I am. :)
In the next post, I'll be talking more about how this EP came together, how I wrote the tunes, and more details on the worldwide digital release. So STAY TUNED!
Till next time, peace to all!