SCOTT BEALL and Friends, (formerly “SIGNS OF LIFE”) celebrate the release of their debut CD, “Out To Play.” Composer and guitarist Scott Beall teams with James Cammack on bass ( with the Ahmad Jamal Trio) and Nadav Snir-Zelniker on drums in an all-original fusion of roots, blues, jazz, funk and rock. Beall’s compositions take a melodic and lyrical approach within an expansive jazz-rock form of groove, mood, texture and adventurous improvisation. Dubbed “the essence of emotion” by the East Bay Review in Oakland, CA, “Scott Beall and Friends” are emerging as a refreshing and important new voice on the NYC music scene. As Scott Beall describes the creation of the music: The move from San Francisco to New York marked a new era. Music took shape in my New York life with an amazing sense of liberation: I may now do whatever I want! I was free from the need to conform to expectations or agendas of clients, other musicians, markets, producers, hypothetical audiences, and especially, my own accumulated musical habits and dogmas. This recording is the result of that state of mind and the great fortune of running into James Cammack and Nadav Snir-Zelniker, two simply amazing musicians with massive musical vocabularies and a willingness to explore music without attachment to genre. We set out to create a live feeling in the studio, cutting tracks top to bottom in single takes and playing together in the room with little sound isolation, sometimes without headphones. (On a number of tracks, however, I could not resist the temptation of doing some overdubs and editing). Ultimately, we sought to “keep the channel open” (in the words of Martha Graham), get out of the way of ourselves, have fun, and let the music play itself. It’s fascinating to consider how the process of music reflects the process of life. Our band relationship and creative process evolved toward mutual interdependence, freedom of movement, and energy feedback on many levels. These dynamics are also core principles of sustainable natural systems and key ingredients for people of the world to live well on this crowded planet now and into the future. (Sustainability and education are my life work when I’m not writing and performing music). While music can contribute to education and raising consciousness in many ways, with this recording we’ll be happy just to lift someone’s spirits and provide some inspiration along the way. A portion of all CD sales will be donated to the DoRight Leadership Corps, (www.dorightenterprises.org) a youth action curricular program for middle and high school youth working to create a sustainable future through energy audits of local businesses and public relations and education events.