On McKinney Music, “the best independent music magazine in the UK“, Michael Zentner, violinist and producer of ZenLand Releases, gives Doug Lunn, a friend and band member who passed away, praise for his talent, heart, and contribution.
LANDZEND
The ambient jazz group ZenLand Releases has announced that their second studio album, LANDZEND, was released on February 17 and will be distributed worldwide by Sony Music.
Doug Lunn
Michael Zentner, a producer and violinist for ZenLand Releases , paid tribute to Doug, noting that he was an amazing bassist and a wonderful soul. He was ZenLand’s lifeblood, and his performance on this record is breathtaking, Zentner commented.
According to Zentner, the day he (Zentner) received the mastering engineer’s sequenced LANDZEND album tracks, his longtime friend and bandmate left this world.
Zentner had been ordering, altering, and blending tracks from the band’s State house Studios, Hollywood meetings for quite a long time and didn’t have any desire to introduce any of it to the band until it was settled. Doug was the first person Zentner wanted to hear it and get a response from. Because of how well it turned out, Zentner knew Doug would be pleased.
At that time, approval from that friend whom he loved and admired so much was just as important to Zentner as any potential financial gain or career advancement he might have hoped for as a result of the work.
Lunn, Zentner, and guitarist Tim Young from Late Late Show (James Cordon/Reggie Watts) have been the core members of ZenLand since well before the release of the band’s first album, which was called ZenLand Releases.
The beautiful voice, harp, and keys of guest artist Low Leaf give LANDZEND even more life and make it magical.
Doug never heard or saw himself making this beautiful music on any of the live Capitol Studios performance videos that were later made. At the very least, those who remain will be able to enjoy his exceptional contributions to ZenLand and the numerous other recorded works that bear his distinctive signature, Zentner noted.
For ZenLand’s third studio album, Heavy Revel, which will be released later this year and will also be distributed by Sony Music, ZenLand has also announced the addition of legendary bassist Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, John Lennon).
Michael Zentner
Michael has collaborated with members of The Who, The Doors, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sting, Frank Zappa, Yes, Peter Gabriel, The Spiders From Mars, Brand X, and others on both live performances and recordings.
Low Leaf
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, and producer Low Leaf hails from Los Angeles. By combining her own self-taught harp with the classical piano training she received as a child, she has developed her own distinctive sound through years of self-made recordings.
Tim Young
Along with Pearl Jam/Soundgarden drummer Matt Chamberlain and Kneebody bassist Kaveh Rastegar, Tim is a founding member of the Seattle power trio Thruster. Tim has collaborated with Wayne Horvitz, David Sylvian, Beck, and Sam Rivers on recordings, performances and productions.
Doug Lunn
Doug is best known for his collaborations with a number of significant musicians and bands, including: Mark Isham (of the Mark Isham Band), David Torn, Andy Summers of the Police, Chad Wackerman, and Fire Merchants are among the artists.