Carlton Saunders first release “LEVIATHAN” has a colossal title for two reasons:

One; like the huge blue whale the CD is mammoth, a compilation of the best songs Carlton Saunders recorded after many years in the music business, and Two; Carlton and his audience did not want the compositions to become “endangered” of extinction like the magnificent sea creatures. And D&G Music producer David Simmons agreed. 

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Carlton Saunders grew up in Bethesda MD, just outside Washington DC. He started taking piano lessons at the age of five. When he was 16 he and his brother formed a neighborhood garage band “Rockawalkin‘“. Years later Carlton moved to Austin TX to play keyboards in the house band at a huge Theme Park. The band backed up all the national performers that took the stage. It was in Austin that he met Keith “Ke-ke” McCullough, which lead to an enduring friendship and great writing collaborations. They worked with legendary producer Bob Johnston and renowned keyboardist Robbie Buchanan at The Record Plant in LA resulting in life-changing studio sessions.

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The track “Leviathan” was almost never recorded. They had worked late into the morning hours and were wrapping up when the Bob Johnston burst in and said “Get back in the studio and cut that Leviathan song!”.  They recorded the 12-minute track in just one take! For this new release, producer David Simmons separated the instrumental part from the original piece to create the title track “LEVIATHAN” and wove some of the remaining pieces together to produce the distinctly different song “Leviathan Lament”.

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Carlton also played with an innovative band called “Strutt” which made a splash with their powerful originals. When Carlton tired of the band scene he became a piano soloist working in restaurants and nightclubs including the bars of the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain.

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The 11 original songs on the digital release span the best material from Carlton’s bands to his most innovative studio creations. And since so many of Carlton’s audience identify him as a solo piano player, 5 of Carlton's favorite cover songs are performed as piano solos and included exclusively on his Souvenir "LEVIATHAN" CD.

 

“LEVIATHAN” features:
Global Cool / piano version, LEVIATHAN, Scotch Street, Take My Hand, Send Me A Letter, Gulbransen, Global Cool / studio version, Insect Jazz, Bretton Woods, Fool’s Gold, Take My Hand / unplugged and Leviathan Lament.

 

The Souvenir “LEVIATHAN” CD, and exclusively on this website, also includes 5 exclusive piano pieces. These well loved classic covers are: Louisiana / Booker’s Notion / Edelweiss / New Orleans Piano, and a powerful rendition of The Pink Panther Theme.

 

“LEVIATHAN” by Carlton Saunders – Produced and mastered by David Simmons and Eric Dalton.