Artists:JM Cruiz

JM Cruiz is from the Tacoma, Washington and has been in the music scene there for many years! JM is a crafted rock & jazz artist.

After playing in various different rock bands, JM turned his attention to his other love, jazz, drenching himself in music from some very expressive, impressive, soulful and heart wrenching jazz artists like Steve Laury of FattBurger, Spyro Gyra, Avenue Blue, Chuck Loeb, Pat Metheny, Steely Dan, Santana, Wes Montgomery and any jazz artist that brought out deep emotion within him.

He then began writing and poring all his emotions and feelings into his own music. In 1997 he and one of his fellow musicians from one of his early rock bands put together and released a pop rock CD single & were offered a $70,000 recording contract. This enabled him not only to reinvent himself on the keyboard, but to pursue his long time dream of releasing his first smooth jazz CD, "Street Dreams" in 2001.

In 2002, he released his second smooth jazz CD entitled, "Upbeat On The Down side" and his third smooth jazz fusion, rhythm & blues CD, “Colour Of Blue, A Portrait” in 2004, “The Sum Of Fusion”, jazz rock fusion in 2005, " Into The Far Distance", smooth, jazz fusion in 2006 & "Love & Reality", rock, jazz fusion in 2007.

Once a rock musician reaches his highest potential with rock music, he then needs to turn his attention to a music where he can really express himself & show his full potential & creativeness & that music is jazz. Music for the mature mind.

One of his smooth jazz instrumentals "Ocean Drive" was up for song of the year award in 2005 on Radio Six International in Scotland. Jm's music is gaining great notoriety on radio stations all over the world. Not unusual for this artist who has been grinding the axe until it has become razor sharp!

"To me, rock would be nowhere if it were not for jazz, jazz is the most expressive form of music on the planet. Not only is it entertaining, it reaches the very deepest seat of emotion that any human being can possibly feel. It can calm you down like a slight breeze on a sunny afternoon, it can pick you up and soar you through the universe with great speed and accuracy and bring you back a completely changed individual, with a new perspective and appreciation for life" Jmc.

V.E.