Album Notes

With the 2005 release of his self-titled debut solo CD, Michael Ghegan has cemented his status as one of the most expressive and in-demand saxophonists on the contemporary music scene. A constantly touring saxophonist and keyboardist whose musical travels have taken him from intimate performances for the President of the United States to on-screen collaborations with Elton John to arena gigs with Aerosmith, Ghegan has played all over the world, from Tokyo, Japan to Mogale, South Africa; from Istanbul, Turkey to Pori, Finland; from Kiev, Ukraine to Moscow, Russia. He has supported and played with Grammy-winning artists ranging from the Allman Brothers to Jamiroquai. Recently, Michael worked as the musical director and band leader for Comedy Central's late night talk show "The Chris Wylde Show". He is the featured saxophone soloist with multi-platinum selling pop artist, Justin Timberlake and world-renowned jazz pianist Keiko Matsui. Ghegan is also a solo artist in his own right. A graduate of the Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts with degrees in education and jazz performance, Ghegan has also been a music teacher at the elementary, middle and high school levels as well as an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he teaches master's classes in improvisational flute. Ghegan also writes and produces music for popular television shows, including 'Extra', 'Ellen Degeneres', 'Sharon Osbourne', 'The Bachelor' and he recently composed and produced the score for the upcoming motion picture "Jack Halloween" (City Lights) and has artist endorsements with Yamaha, Vandoren, AKG, Ultimate stands, Rode microphones and Hiscox instrument cases of London. Ghegan has played on numerous movie and commercial soundtracks, including the motion picture "Jack Frost" (Warner Brothers) and international ad campaigns for companies such as Mercedes Benz and Diet Coke. Ghegan is also the President and founder of Bluetone Productions, a company that provides original sound design for everything from artist's CD's to Television commercial soundtracks, Title Theme, Voiceovers and Bumper music as well as feature film scores. Although most well-known for his distinctive and well-developed skills on the saxophone, Ghegan is also a sought-after keyboardist, singer, progammer and producer. Ghegan's 2005 debut solo CD, "Michael Ghegan," is a testament to his skill and diversity as a musician. From the upbeat yet stirring "More to Give", to the rich and smooth "...Should You Stay" to the hauntingly beautiful 'If Fortune Lied' (dedicated to a friend who died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11), the album spans the spectrum of musical movement with grace and agility. All songs on the album were written by Ghegan himself, and in addition to playing saxophones on the album, he also handles keyboards, drum programming, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and flute with equal skill. Award-winning pianist Keiko Matsui guests on the CD along with drummer Michael Bland (Prince) and bass guitarist Mel Brown (Marc Anthony). When he's not on stage or in the studio, Ghegan obsesses over surfing, loves traveling and makes magic happen in the kitchen. You can see and hear Ghegan on his four latest releases: Keiko Matsui's 'White Owl" and "Walls of Akendora" (2 live DVD/CD's filmed in Tokyo and South Africa), Pat McGee Band's new DVD/CD release "Vintage Stages Live" and his self-titled debut CD, "Michael Ghegan". For more information please go to http://www.myspace.com/michaelghegan http://www.michaelghegan.com