Featured Artists

Tom Saviano:
A Man of All Things Music

November 2023

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The Formative Years:

Saxophonist, keyboardist, lyricist, composer and arrange, Tom Saviano grew up in Chicago, Illinois, where his father had a presence in the local Chicago music scene as a big band conductor and arranger.

Because he came from a large family, Tom’s parents pressed upon him the importance of taking care of his instrument, and putting in the necessary practice to master his instrument. Tom did not need to look no further for inspiration than his father, Albert Saviano, who had the fortunate opportunity to meet Louis Armstrong wife, who in turn referred young Albert to Zilner Randolph, the conductor and arranger for the Louis Armstrong band.   Following that lead, Albert took advantage of his lead and studied the concepts of arranging.

A defining moment in Tom’s development as an aspiring musician, was when his dad took Tom and his brother to see Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie Band with Quincy Jones conducting at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago.

“I was fifteen or sixteen years old, when I saw that I was blown away and in my mind something clicked,  I thought that’s what I want to do.  I was inspired by that.”

Moving West:

After High School, Tom moved to Southern California with his family where he attended Golden West College.  The band program at the college led by Tom Hernandez proved to be a pivotal point for Tom because it set him on a solid path to the recording industry.  Others people who who were driving forces for Saviano were jazz instructor Gerry Schroeder and Doc Rutherford of Orange Coast College.

A Pro’s Pro:

After graduation from college, Tom began to make a name for himself and a sought after session musician in Southern California.  Tom Saviano has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Barbra Streisand, Al Jarreau, Brenda Russell, and Michael Jackson, Lee Ritenour, Steve Gadd, Randy Brecker, and too many others to name. 

 Tom’s career recording credits extends to producer, composer, musical director, arranger, saxophonist, keyboard player, which has afforded him the opportunity to compose for film and television, multiple gold and platinum albums, and Grammy Award winning songs for Dolly Parton, and Ray Charles.  In 1981,  In 1981, Tom performed on “You Are A Winner” and the Grammy Award record “I Wanna Be With You” from Earth, Wind and Fire’s album Raise, as well as Maurice White’s 1985 self titled solo album “Maurice White.”
 
However, Tom’s career began as one of Los Angeles’ most talented session players, a reputation that landed him a stint as Melissa Manchester’s musical director and arranger on three of her albums. including “Don’t Cry Out Loud.”
 
Tom Saviano:
Working on this album was a turning point in my career.  I did all the rhythm section and horn arrangements except for one song.
 
The Band Heat:
 
It was during this period with Melissa that #TS formed the group HEAT with whom he released two critically acclaimed albums (HEAT and Still Waiting) from MCA Records, generating two Top 40 R&B hits, “Just Like You” and “This Love That We Found.” On both albums, Saviano co-produced and arranged all of the music, played sax and keyboard and wrote and/or co-wrote all of the songs.
 
Much like Maurice White, Tom assembled a group of outstanding musicians to create an incredible jazz infused R&B/Pop sound inspired by an Earth, Wind and Fire feel, and the result was an debut album that “Billboard, Cashbox and other trade magazines recognized as a force that came blazing into the atmosphere with a sophisticated presence usually expected from veterans such as Quincy Jones or a team like Maurice White & Charles Stepney.” –(Scott Gross, Inside MusiCast)
 
The albums from “HEAT” featured multiple EWF associates such as Jerry Hey, Chuck Findley, David Foster, Ricky Lawson, Paul Jackson Jr, and others.
 
Side Note: “Just Like You” was also hand picked by Debbie Allen and used for her dance feature on an episode of the FAME television series as well as being covered on the “Kids From Fame” soundtrack.
 
Heat Revisted:

In 2013, Tom took a fresh look at the music HEAT created and earnestly produced a re-introduction of the music with the benefit of new technology, while maintaining the essence of the original songs.
 
A New Path:

In 1998, Saviano released his first individual album entitled “Making Up Lost Time.”  That album was followed by “The Crossing”. The album was beneficial in the long run for Tom because he was able to developed and collaborative relationship with Bill Champlain, and his well known band the “The Sons Of Champlain.  Tom and Bill also co-wrote “Holding On” which was recorded by the legendary group Chicago for their 1991 album “Twenty 1.”
 
In 2021, Tom began working with a cool young talent and the highly respected “Yamaha Perfoming Artist” Bill Dowling, and his new vision “Horn Engine.”  Their first collaboration was entitled “The World Above” which was composed and co-produced by Bill, along with  Dowling, with mixing, mastering, and co-production from Tom.
 
With the seamless integration of their collaboration sound, Tom and Bill have now move forward with a joint record from Heat and Horn Engine with a song “(Put Your) Trust In Love”.  A solid record full of feel, and a steady groove that will definitely find a home in the current musical landscape.  Simply stated, they have created a gem that’s built to sound and feel contemporary in any era of music.

Ralph Johnson

Ralph Johnson is a 7 time Grammy Award Winner, Kennedy Center Honoree, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, and a member of the legendary music group Earth, Wind & Fire. EWF is still making music today while celebrating its 53rd Anniversary.  Currently they are on the road with an active tour schedule featuring dates with the equally legendary Carlos Santana.  The tour was originally scheduled for 2020, but like everything else, no one was expecting a pandemic that created a long-time pause on live music performances.

During the height of the pandemic, Ralph Johnson premiered his weekly radio show Jazz Epicenter 6.7.  As a original member of the EWF’s Classic Nine, and now a principle member of the group along with Philip Bailey and Verdine White of the legendary group, one would have thought the emphasis of Ralph’s radio would lean more towards R&B, Soul and popular music, but one run through the show quickly made you aware that Ralph’s musical foundation is from a jazz perspective, and some of the most outstanding musicians in music.

In 2022, Jazz Epicenter 6.7 moved to radio station KUNV from the campus of UNLV, and was expanded to a 2 hour format.  The addition of another hour clearly gave Ralph room to make a solid show stronger.  The song selections reflect an appreciation for great arrangers, outstanding compositions, and a eclectic range of music genres, and solid recordings from the likes of Milt Jackson, The Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Stanley Turrentine, and Miles Davis.

“We alway say music is the songbook of our lives.”
 Raised in Southern California, Ralph was introduced to music at an early age by his parents.  Ralph received his first snare drum and began to receive drum lessons when he was eight years old.  It was during those formative years that he played in school bands in the Los Angeles area, and then joining his first local band called “The Teen Turbans.” From there he landed with “The Master’s Children” which guided him on a path towards joining Earth, Wind & Fire.  “I was playing at Mavericks Flat on Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles on December 1971 with ‘The Masters Children’ and Maurice White and Verdine White, who at the time were looking for a new drummer for a revamped Earth, Wind and Fire.  They stopped by the club later I received a called and I was asked if I would like to audition for EWF.  They loved the way I played, and I ready to do something at that point.  I was in my 20’s and I was ready to get something started, and that’s what kicked it off.”

“The Journey Begins”
In his 2016 autobiography, Maurice White wrote that “Ralph had technique up the ying yang.  I liked the way he played, and I liked him even more.  I’m glad Ralph was the first piece of the new band.”  -Maurice White, My Life With Earth, Wind & Fire (p. 104). The exposure to classic soul music at a young age was instrumental for Ralph.  In a 2014 interview with NAMM, Ralph said that his “first live concert experience was January 1, 1966, to see James Brown at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.”  His exposure to jazz came from his brother in 1965 when he came home from the Air Force with a huge collection of jazz albums.  That, along with radio station KBCA 105.1, contributed to his love of jazz. “

So its comes as no surprise that Ralph was significantly prepared for his role in the drummers chair for Earth, Wind & Fire, and it also explains why he has developed a very compelling radio show for KUNV.

Music is about evolution
Ralph Johnson has played an integral role in moving the vision of Maurice White and Earth. Wind & Fire forward to a new generation of music enthusiasts and fans.  But Ralph has created a foundation that touches on multiple aspects of the music industry including the release of music from Audio Caviar and the album “Transoceanic,” to the song “Sounds Like A Love Song” he co-wrote with Douglas Gibbs that was sampled and recorded by Jay Z’s for his hip hop classic “Song Cry.” 

Ralph is a featured artist on bassist  Nathan East’s outstanding, and most recent album “Reverence,” as well as saxophonist Dave Koz’s 2020 release “A New Day” which reached #1 on the Billboard charts.  Being an original member of Earth, Wind & Fire’s Classic Nine, and riding with the journey for 53 years forever cements your legacy in music and society.  Now 71, Ralph Johnson is still finding new avenues to explore in his legendary career, and we are right there with him.


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