Return to HomeInstrumental music has the distinct advantage of encompassing the various influences of time and place and emotion without fear of being pigeonholed into a specific genre or type. Instrumentals, especially if they lean toward the jazz spectrum--and it is a spectrum-- express cultural influences, spiritual ideologies and mere human moods unconstrained by preconceived notions of right or wrong or true or false. It can be what it wants to be. What it is. Such as it is with THIS WAY THAT.
The brainchild of composer/producers Ron Saltmarsh and Dan Truman, two eclectic musicians with diverse taste and experience-but with a lot of common ground--THIS WAY THAT is the result of years of travel and musical meandering, and of exploration of all forms of music.
Saltmarsh and Truman were college friends at Brigham Young University, and both played in various groups, including the award-winning jazz ensemble "Synthesis," and the school's heralded ensemble the Young Ambassadors. That world-touring group's multi-genre repertoire gave the two a background in pop, jazz, Sousa marches, contemporary orchestral music and country. It was there that Truman, producer and composer, discovered the similarities in jazz and country, which eventually led him to his current place in Nashville's supergroup Diamond Rio. That heralded band has earned nine Grammy nominations and sold more than five million records.
Both Saltmarsh and Truman gained degrees in Recording and Music Composition from BYU, and Saltmarsh soon partnered with Emmy-winning composer/pianist Sam Cardon to create The Jazz Ranch, a state of the art studio that was housed in part of the Osmond Family complex in Utah. Saltmarsh went on to build other studios, while still finding time to earn an MBA from Brigham Young--and become one of the west's most sought after session guitarists and producers.
Becoming aware of the growing and diversifying music scene in Nashville, Saltmarsh moved there in 1992. His reputation as an eclectic composer preceded him, and he quickly became an in-demand session player and artist for multimedia work. He's covered nearly every conceivable musical base, and you've surely heard his work on television and international radio. He's written and produced trailers and promo's for CMT, ESPN, Disney, NBC, ABC and Fox, and most recently has been the principal composer for television shows like Life & Times, Yesterday & Today airing on TNN and CMT as well as documentary specials for A&E Biography, The History Channel and others. Along the way Ron has picked up numerous awards including Addy's, Telly's, Clio's and earned several Emmy nominations for his outstanding work.
But as successful and lauded as Saltmarsh's compositions for television and radio have been, his heart has led him back to performing, and creating the music that he loves. Says producer Truman of Saltmarsh, "I remember thinking back at BYU, how excited Ron was. How he loved the music. He's the same way about this music, too. I always knew we'd do something together."
And done something they have. The music of THIS WAY THAT is certainly a product of the world travels of both men. It reflects, too, in some ethereal way, the passion, the integrity, the joi de vivre and spirituality of the group. It is a product of Saltmarsh's refined musical sensibilities, his technical expertise, of his broad, musical palate and his sense of humor, his sense of self. "We tried to put no constraints on this music," says Saltmarsh. "We just wrote tunes."
That they did. THIS WAY THAT's debut is colorful, vibrant, alive. From the opening bars of "Hangin' With Newell," which lands you squarely in the contemporary jazz mainstream, through the joyful and uplifting "Ola Del Mar," to the multi-cultural felicity and rousing movements of "More Tabasco Please," THIS WAY THAT leads you on a journey through a classification-defying and heart-pleasing instrumental landscape. Move inward with "The Seeker," float through the sweet melancholy of "Last April." Step out with "Way Too Late, Way Too Fun." Surrey on from "Mismalloya," which will put you on a beauteous beach in Puerto Vallarta to the positive and powerful "Festival" which brings you home to yourself, and allows for personal interpretation, like all good meanderings. And all good instrumentals.
With THIS WAY THAT, you can light a candle, or pop a cork. Laugh with their joy, smile at the pleasure. Go into your heart and glimpse theirs. Sink into your most comfortable chair or spread your favorite blanket; buy a ticket to where you really want to go, and travel the world incognito.