In 1997, Lucas got his start as a musician playing as a sideman in a local band, Between 9 & 7. The band recorded a CD, which was a moderate regional hit. Although he got performances, both rhythm and solos, Lucas felt it was time to develop his own by ensemble to demand more challenges within himself as both a musician and entrepreneur. So, on New Year’s Eve of 1999, Lucas formed his own contemporary jazz trio, “Xpressions”. They produced and recorded a CD titled “Footprints”, which gained notoriety in regional markets. The record contained the classic hit “People Make the World Go Round”. All of the compositions were produced and arranged by friend and keyboardist Karey Davis and assisted by Mr Lucas himself.
An acclaimed wizard on the soprano sax, national recording artist Dee Lucas has been steadily growing his brand and base beginning with “Remembrance” in 2004, a tribute to the late legend George Howard. Continuing steady showcase of style and technique with his sophomore release “Something to Ride 2”, 2010’s “Standing Room Only”, and the 2012’s compilation of the “Rebirth of the Smooth”. He released “The Smooth Factor” in 2014 which was a refreshing interjection into the competitive genre of smooth jazz. Now with his brand new CD “Going Deeper”, the journey continues.
As a runner-up in the 2007 Capital Jazz Festival Competition, Dee Lucas has opened for a plethora of artists such as Boney James, Norman Brown, Ronnie Laws, Nneena Freelon, Hugh Masakela, Greg Karukas, Peter White, Nick Colionne, and Michael Franks. He has performed at several jazz festivals such as The Arizona Jazz Festival, The Jacksonville Jazz Festival, The Savannah Jazz Festival, and The Atlanta Jazz Festival.
In 2004, Dee Lucas’s entrepreneurial skills had surfaced, and his newly-formed record label, Mo Better Recordings, was conceived. His debut solo CD, Remembrance, was released and independently distributed in 2005.
Adding consistency to his young but surprising start, Dee released his sophomore CD, “Something to Ride 2”, in 2007, which peaked at #10 on the Smoothjazz.com Top 50 Indie Charts. With this record, this saxman wanted to further develop his own distinctive sound as a solo artist. His style, from a horn perspective, is different from that of many traditional smooth jazz artists in terms of melodic phrasing. Lucas mentioned, “I like taking off on an uncharted path in music and Something to Ride 2 is a representation of the journey that I take each time I pick up the sax.”
In 2010, Dee Lucas released “Standing Room Only”: which was composed and produced by several talented producers including Grammy winner Phil Davis. The CD peaked at #26 on the Smoothjazz.com Top 50 Indie Charts and #29 on the Billboard jazz charts. In 2012, “Rebirth of the Smooth” was released as a compilation of Dee’s first 3 solo recordings to celebrate what he has accomplished in his steadily rising career, as well as his direction in contemporary jazz. It offers a wide array of styles coming from various producers pushing the envelope in this already competitive genre of jazz.
In 2014, “The Smooth Factor”, Lucas continued to season his contemporary jazz with R&B, and featured the work of such producing heavyweights as LA-based Lew Laing, Jr., and Atlanta-based and Grammy-Award winning Phil Davis.
The journey continues in 2016 with “Going Deeper,” as the new CD has hit Billboard Smooth Jazz charts…debuting at #30 and steadily climbing.
Contact Mr. Lucas at: [email protected]
Dee Lucas performs exclusively on his Sax Dakota Soprano sax; SDSS-XG-707
