Greg Kurstin

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Greg Kurstin
Born	Los Angeles, CA
Origin	United States
Genre(s)	pop, rock, dance,
Years active	1982-Present
Label(s)	Blue Note Records
Website	[1]

Gregory A Kurstin (born May 14, 1969)^[1] is an American songwriter, producer, performer, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist, who resides in Los Angeles, California. He attended California State University Northridge, The New School in New York City and graduated from Cal Arts in California. He is one-half of The Bird and the Bee.

1 Personal life
2 Multi-instrumental work
- 2.1 Appears on
3 The Bird and the Bee
- 3.1 The Bird and the Bee Discography
4 Producer and songwriter
- 4.1 Producer/songwriter discography
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Personal life

Greg Kurstin was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Kurstin's earliest musical came from his grandmother playing piano for him when he was a baby. He started playing piano when he was five years old. Kurstin would later inherit her piano and spend hours practicing the fundamentals of jazz and blues music.

During his teenage years, he continued his jazz studies but began to perform with local bands in the Los Angeles area. Through his collaborations, he was introduced to new wave, punk and african music. At age 12 he performed in Dweezil Zappa's band and co-wrote "Crunchy Water" ^[2], the b-side to Los Angeles' KROQ's staple "My Mother Is A Space Cadet". It was also in high school that Kurstin first gained interest in recording by working with a 4-track recorder.

After high school, Kurstin moved to New York City to study with Charles Mingus' piano player, Jaki Byard, at The New School, an institution well-known for its strong arts program^{[citation needed]}. He continued to spend much time performing jazz but became immersed in New York's melting pot music scene. He was introduced to Brazilian music. He learned the fundamentals of Brazilian music and would learn to play the Berimbau. He would later play this instrument on sessions with Beck's album The Information.^[3] New York's hip hop scene caught his ear and became interested in groups such as De La Soul, Public Enemy, and A Tribe Called Quest. His obsession with these groups had a great deal of influence on his songwriting.^[4]

Upon his return to Los Angeles, Greg began writing and recording music with writer/singer Tommy Jordan. They formed the band Geggy Tah. Their eclectic musical sound caught the ear of David Byrne of Talking Heads. Byrne signed the band to his Luaka Bop label. ^[5] They released three records, which he co-produced with Tommy Jordan and Susan Rogers. Their first record, Grand Opening appeared in 1994. Their 1996 release, Sacred Cow, spawned the hit single, "Whoever Your Are" which peaked at #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. Kurstin continued to perform jazz and played with the likes of Bobby Hutcherson, George Coleman and Charles McPherson ^[6].

[edit] Multi-instrumental work

Kurstin has played and performed with Beck, Red Hot Chili Peppers^[7], Yusef Islam^[8], Jane's Addiction, Ben Harper, Rilo Kiley, Bob Moog, among many others. He was also the musical director for Gwen Stefani's live and television performances.^[9] Kurstin played for Marlon Brando during his lunch breaks from Tony Kaye's infamous Marlon Brando documentary. Kaye's documentary was eventually pulled from London's Raindance Film Festival^[10]. His multi-instrumental work appears on many albums.

[edit] Appears on

2008: Sia - Some People Have Real Problems – Hear Music
2007: Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Catch You – Polydor UK
2007: The Bird and the Bee - Please Clap Your Hands EP – Blue Note
2007: Dead Disco - You're Out-Single –679 Recordings
2007: Kylie Minogue - X –Parlophone
2007: Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight – Warner Bros. Records
2006: All Saints - Rock Steady – Parlophone
2006: Beck - The Information – Interscope Records
2006: The Bird and the Bee - S/T – Blue Note
2006: Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics – Warner Bros. Records
2006: Jamelia - Beware Of The Dog – Parlophone
2006: Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat – Team Love
2006: The Elected – Sun, Sun, Sun – Sub Pop
2006: Nelly Furtado - Loose – Geffen
2006: Belinda - Utopia –EMI
2006: Peaches - Impeach My Bush –XL Recordings
2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh)-Maxi Single – Warner Bros. Records
2006: Stefy - The Orange Album – Wind-Up
2005: Lily Allen - Alright, Still – Parlophone
2005: Inara George - All Rise – Everloving
2005: Marion Raven - Here I Am – Atlantic
2004: Juanes - Mi Sangre – Universal Latino
2003: Ben Harper - Diamonds On The Inside – Virgin Records
2003: The New Folk Implosion - s/t –BMG
2002: Terri Lyne Carrington - Jazz Is A Spirit – Act Music
2002: Willie Waldman - Trumpet Ride – Rhombus Records
2002: Jason Mraz - Waiting For My Rocket To Come – Elektra
2001: Darren Hayes - Spin – Columbia
2001: Sugar Ray- S/T – Atlantic
1999: Action Figure Party - S/T – Blue Thumb Records
1999 Robben Ford - Supernatural – Blue Thumb
1999 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication – Warner Bros. Records
1994: John Hassell & Bluescreen - Dressing For Pleasure – Warner Bros. Records
1982: Dweezil Zappa - My Mother Is A Space Cadet 7" – Barking Pumpkin

[edit] The Bird and the Bee

In 2005, Mike Andrews introduced Kurstin to Inara George. Kurstin and George found themselves spending hours in the studio together where they discovered their mutual interest in jazz and '60s Tropicalia^[11]. They began to explore new sounds and textures while working in the studio. This resulted in their debut EP, Again and Again and Again, released in October 2006. The Bird and the Bee's self-titled LP was released the following year by Blue Note. It spawned a number one hit on the U.S. Hot Dance Club chart with a remix of "Fcking Boyfriend"^[12]

The pair also released a five-song EP entitled Please Clap Your Hands which featured a cover of the Bee Gees' ‘How Deep Is Your Love’. Their songs “Again & Again” and “Please Clap Your Hands” were featured in the TV show, Grey’s Anatomy. In 2007, the song “La La La” was used for the iPod touch commercial, however it never aired on television. In honor of the holidays, The Bird and The Bee released Carol of The Bells on November 27, 2007 and iTunes featured it as the Free Single Of The Week. The same year they hit the road and joined indie pop act Rilo Kiley on their fall tour. Comedian, Eric Wareheim from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! directed their video for “Polite Dance Song”.^[13] On Valentine’s Day 2008, they released their EP, One Too Many Hearts as a gift to their fans^[14].

[edit] The Bird and the Bee Discography

2008 February: One Too Many Hearts, Blue Note Records (EP)
2007 January: The Bird and the Bee, Blue Note Records(LP)
2007 September: Please Clap Your Hands, Blue Note Records (EP)
2006 October: Again and Again and Again and Again (EP)

[edit] Producer and songwriter

Kurstin's work is influenced by his collaborative experiences with a wide range people from Beck to visionary keyboard inventor Bob Moog. His production and songwriting is found on a wide range of albums. Kurstin has written and produced with Lily Allen^[15], Kylie Minogue, Peaches^[16], Flaming Lips^[17], Karen O, All Saints^[18], Sia, Pink, Natasha Bedingfield and Donna Summer. Kurstin is known to take experimental or avant-garde sounds and incorporate them into his songwriting and production. He also weaves complex musical passages with the simplest of melodies.