Shillington, PA native Erich Cawalla makes a very busy living as a bandleader, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, educator, booking agent, and recording artist. Imagine Michael Buble with a saxophone and tenor voice, and you have Cawalla. He has performed well over 3000 shows in all types of settings and shows no signs of slowing down in keeping up this rigorous schedule. Since his Governor Mifflin High School days when he had the honor of performing in Carnegie Hall as a Senior as a member of the PA District 10 Chorus, he always dreamed of releasing an album featuring selections from The Great American Songbook in the style of his idols like Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Jack Jones, Bobby Darin, and many other crooners. This “life’s work” dream is set to become a reality as Cawalla will release his debut Solo CD this Spring entitled: Erich Cawalla – The Great American Songbook.
The album features a traditional 17-piece big band with orchestra performing original arrangements of songs in The Great American Songbook penned by Denver, PA native Dave DePalma, as well as (1) original written by Cawalla, DePalma, and the album’s multi-talented producer, Bennie Sims of Boom Camp Productions. Because of the sheer amount of diligence and perfection that goes into an album like this, the process began almost 5 years ago when Cawalla approached DePalma to write these original arrangements. Cawalla is featured on every track on both vocals and saxophone. Featured guest musicians include Grammy-Winning trumpeter Randy Brecker, Grammy-Winning guitarist David Cullen, legendary percussionist Leonard “Doc” Gibbs (bandleader from the former Emeril Live on the Food Network), former Maynard Ferguson drummer Marko Marcinko, Yamaha pianist Steve Rudolph, legendary Philly saxophonist Larry McKenna, jazz saxophonist Andrew Neu, and many others. Selections include the standards “Have You Met Miss Jones”, “All My Tomorrows”, Smokey Robinson’s “Ooo Baby Baby”, as well as tributes to legendary artists including “When Sunny Gets Blue” in memory of Kenny Rankin, “Almost Like Being in Love” in memory of Natalie Cole, and “The Curtain Falls” in memory of Bobby Darin. Cawalla’s performing style invokes stark similarities to his many influences including some of these vocal artists, as well as saxophonists David Sanborn, Hank Crawford, and Phil Woods.
Cawalla is a multi-instrumentalist that has shared the stage with a vast array of celebrities including Jeff Dunham, Marie Osmond, The Skyliners, Martha and the Vandellas, The Blue Notes, Bill Haley’s Comets, The Earls, and Sonny Turner. As bandleader of The Uptown Band, he has released two full-length albums that received critical acclaim and charted on numerous national radio charts. His song, “Waiting for Her”, appeared on Music Choice on national TV and “SJ3” rose as high as #9 in the country on the Groove Jazz radio chart. In 2015, Cawalla, alongside producer Bennie Sims’ and Pieces of a Dream’s Curtis Harmon, wrote “BJF25”, a commemorative song celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their hometown Boscov’s Berks Jazz Festival. The recording features Cawalla, Sims, and Harmon performing alongside industry heavyweights Rick Braun, Brian Bromberg, and the late Chuck Loeb. In 2017, Cawalla and Sims wrote “222 South”, a funky instrumental written about his hometown highway in Reading, PA. “222 South”, featuring Cawalla on alto saxophone, was placed on the nationally-syndicated Smooth Jazz Network.
Erich Cawalla – The Great American Songbook will be released locally in Cawalla’s hometown of Reading, PA on March 25, 2020 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Ballroom at 7:00 PM as part of a special Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest Preview Show. This live show will feature the original arrangements on Cawalla’s upcoming solo CD, backed by a 25-piece big band and orchestra. Opening the show will be the Tulpehocken High School Jazz Band. Tickets are $15.00 for Adults / $8.00 for students and can be purchased online at erichcawallamusic.square.site or by calling
(610) 781-8312. Food and drink will be available from the Crowne Plaza. Cawalla’s CD will be available for purchase.
Erich Cawalla – The Great American Songbook will be released nationally on May 18, 2020 via Chicago-based Blujazz Productions. Cawalla is currently seeking and accepting all types of publicity platforms to promote his debut release including TV/Radio/Podcast/Magazine/Newspaper interviews, live performance opportunities, and album reviews.
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