Lao Tizer Band

BIOGRAPHY

Colorado-bred, LA-based keyboardist Lao Tizer embodies what it means to be a 21st-century musician inhabiting the jazz sphere ⎯ that being one who embraces musical diversity and has no fear of crossing boundaries.

The crossover sound that Tizer and his band explored on their previous album, 2018’s Songs From The Swinghouse, are further realized on Amplify with Yamin joining Tizer’s A-list ensemble who apply their magic to an exciting mix of smartly-grooved instrumentals and original vocal songs.

But as much as the Yamin’s vocal tracks are poised to knock listeners out, their proximity to the Tizer-penned instrumentals on Amplify can’t help but highlight the keyboardist’s uncanny ability to bring an equal measure of infectiousness, excitement, and accessibility to the instrumentals on the project.

“With this record, I definitely made a conscious effort to crossover to win over more general music fans,” says Tizer. “If you have music that is melodic and grooves, you can win over a broad array of listeners.” 

Without sacrificing his trademark musical sophistication, Tizer pulls this off with an almost Steely Dan-like savvy, seamlessly incorporating a host of other modern influences–from jazz to R&B to world beat to jam band–into the music on Amplify.

Invaluable to this is his band that features GRAMMY-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea), Emmy-winning guitarist Chieli Minucci (Special EFX), Senegalese bassist Cheikh N'Doye (Baaba Maal), violinist extraordinaire Karen Briggs (Stanley Clarke), GRAMMY-winning drum phenom Gene Coye (Hiromi) and legendary GRAMMY-winning percussionist Munyungo Jackson (Stevie Wonder), as well as saxophone and flute wunderkind Danny Janklow (MONKestra) and Rolling Stone 2022 ”Bassist of the Year” nominee Anthony Crawford (Erykah Badu).

With Amplify, Tizer sets the stage for a wider audience with a broad, enticing, and personal musical vision–without a boundary in sight.