THE CRANEY PROJECT
“A Tribute To Mark Craney”
BROTHER TO BROTHER 
Featuring:
Jimmy Haslip – Bass
Joe Vannelli – Keyboards
Mark Slaughter – Guitar &Vocals
Giorgia Vanni – Vocals
Daniel de los Reyes – Percussion
Karl Eagan – Strings
Joshua Seth Eagan - Drums
John Cranfield - Engineer
Produced by – Joshua Seth Eagan 
​

​the craney project
Our Mission


​
Mark Craney has touched so many lives with his undeniable talent, sense of humor, infectious laugh and dry wit!  The passion and joy he possessed every day were never overshadowed by his illness. He lived every day to the fullest and always felt grateful and brought this happiness to those around him. It is with his own words "Life is a celebration... Expect good things & make the connection" that we bring this project to life in is honor.  The remaking of Brother To Brother was a labor of love from many incredible artists that lent their hearts and talents to this project, showing their respect and admiration for Mark. 
To Jimmy Haslip, Joe Vannelli, Mark Slaughter, Daniel de los Reyes, Giorgia Vanni and Karl Eagan... there are no words that can even begin to express my appreciation and gratitude for making this dream come true. Likewise, to all the incredible artists that have so graciously donated their amazing talents to The Craney Project through their music and performances, I truly thank you as well. My love, respect and admiration goes out to you all. I am humbled and honored to be part of this project with you! 

The Craney Project will continue forward and will feature many more incredible artists joining together in more musical celebrations of Mark's life, love and philosophy.  All proceeds of The Craney Project will be donated to the American Diabetes Association in Mark's name.
FOR DONATIONS OF $25 OR MORE, YOU WILL RECEIVE ALL THIS INCREDIBLE MUSIC FROM THE CRANEY PROJECT AS A GIFT FROM US IN LOVING MEMORY OF MARK! 
DONATE HERE: http://main.diabetes.org/goto/thecraneyproject
Once your donation has been made, please send your donation receipt to thecraneyproject@gmail.com and you will receive a downloadable zip file of the music from The Craney Project. 
​Thank you and God Bless! 
Joshua Eagan

THE PINE MARTEN'S JIG
Featuring
Marco Minnemann - Jimmy Haslip - Mike Miller
Scarlet Rivera - Katisse Buckingham - Kyle Gordon - Karl Eagan

THE MUSIC OF
THE CRANEY PROJECT​

Thank you to the incredible artists that graciously donated the following songs and performances.
BROTHER TO BROTHER - A TRIBUTE TO MARK CRANEY
Jimmy Haslip 
Joe Vannelli 
Mark Slaughter 
Giorgia Vanni 
Daniel de los Reyes 
Joshua Seth Eagan ​
​ Karl Eagan

Mars
Written by Matt and Gregg Bissonette
Matt Bissonette - Bass
George Bernhardt - Guitars - 1st solo
Doug Bossi - Guitars - 2nd solo
Gregg Bissonette - Drums and Vocal

The Call 
from the "Soul Of The Bass" recording
John Patitucci - Bass
Nate Smith - Drums
Future Pilot
​Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
​Brian Auger - Hammond B3 & Fender Rhodes
Alex Ligertwood - Vox
Les King - Bass
Yarone Levy - Guitar
Karma Auger - Drums

Three Quarter Molly
Peter Erskine
George Garzone, tenor saxophone
Alan Pasqua, piano
Darek Oles, bass
Peter Erskine, composer and drums 
Recorded “live” in Boise, Idaho at the Sapphire Room
Engineer: John Fransen
Mastered by Aaron Walk
Special Thanks to Michael Samball and the Boise Jazz Society

Memoirs
Yellowjackets
Bob Mintzer  tenor saxophone, EWI
Russell Ferrante  piano, synths
William Kennedy  drums
Jimmy Haslip  electric bass
 Engineer Mic Gazauski

Time Is A Magazine
Jing Chi
Jimmy Haslip - Vinnie Colaiuta - Robben Ford
​
Hearing Take Five
Michael Franks
Michael Franks - lead vocals, composer
Roger Burn - keyboards, vibraphone, arrangement
Vinnie Colaiuta - drums
Eric Marienthal - alto saxophone
Andy Suzuki - flutes, clarinets
Jimmy Haslip - electric bass, producer
Rich Breen - recording and mixing engineer

Joan Miró
Jimmy Haslip - Scott Kinsey - Gergo Borlai

Fuego
Mark Craney - Joe Vannelli - Jimmy Haslip

A Good Start
​ARC Trio
Jimmy Haslip - Otmaro Ruiz - Jimmy Branly
​
Will Kennedy
   “God Bless Mark Craney”   
Thanks to the Diabetes Foundation
 for their hard work in conquering this 
challenging disease.  
William Kennedy
4WD
Bob Goodman - Andy Rehfeldt
​
Something With Pulse - All-Star Mark Craney Benefit CD
Featuring rare live performances of Mark with Gino Vannelli, Jethro Tull and Tower Of Power. Artists also include:  James Taylor, Eric Burden, David Garibaldi, Joe Vannelli, Doane Perry, Terry Bozzio, Jimmy Haslip, Alex Ligertwood, Bill Champlin, Mike Miller, Mike Keneally and many others! 
​
Thank you to Doane Perry and Joe Vannelli for your gracious donation of this wonderful CD and support to this project! 

Jeannie Norwine​

An Interview Remembering Her Brother Mark
​
 ​I first need to tell you a funny story about ping pong and Jethro Tull.
In Minneapolis this is around 1980, the family went there to see the Jethro Tull show. We were brought in the limo to the venue and while we were waiting backstage before they went on, we saw that they had a ping pong table. Ian and Martin were playing with each other and Mark said to me “You’re our ringer, let’s join them and see if they want to play doubles.” So we played them and killed them and needless to say they weren't happy at all.  Especially Ian, he didn’t like losing! (laughter)
Please tell us about your childhood together:
As far as our childhood goes, he was a great big brother! He was a pretty strict and serious guy even back then. He loved to hang out with his friends and get together and play music in the basement. I would try to go to sleep many nights, with the drums going on and on and on downstairs. (laughter)
Mark would always take me with his girlfriends when they'd go out on the town or whatever. He'd let me hang out with every band that ever graced our downstairs area, and there were many bands that went down there to play!
So I basically followed him. I was one of his groupies for many years, although I never saw him with Eric Burdon though, that's one band I never saw.
Within the family Mark was our star. He definitely took over that role which left my sister and I feeling like chopped liver. (laughter)
Anyway as far as Mark becoming a musician, my parents supported him from day one. They never thought “Oh my God what's going to happen now?” They just loved him and supported him. They were at every gig possible.
Both my parents were musicians and my dad was a decent drummer. He's the one that actually got Mark into drumming. However the drum set was set up backwards, as for a left-hander, even though Mark was right-handed. So that was kind of an odd thing to happen. I’ve always wondered if that contributed to his unique and definitive style.  My mom was a singer and a piano player, and they'd often jam in the house. 
Oddly enough, Mark was so talented, that he didn't have to be diligent about practicing. I'd have to remind him. We used to get on each other's case. I was an avid tennis player and practiced all the time.  Occasionally I would see him with his drum pad practicing, but he definitely could have been more diligent about practicing.
I do remember Mark’s first big step was with Jean-Luc Ponty. Being in high school concert choir, my choir director played the album for the group and I was so proud. I couldn't believe it.  I'm 17 and my big brother’s on the road with somebody famous and making albums… So it was TRULY a big deal!
About BROTHER TO BROTHER:
His recognition after BROTHER TO BROTHER blew us all away. We didn't really know what to think. We were all extremely excited and happy for him. We had no idea it was going to turn into such a big thing  and that BROTHER TO BROTHER was going to become such a legendary album!!
 
Memories of the Woodland Hills Drum Club:
The Woodland Hills Drum Club would get together regularly and usually over lunch. The night-time version usually meant people gathering in Mark's garage and taking to one of the three or four drum sets that were in there… and just basically have a drum off, that's what they did. It was a lot of fun to watch. I watched a lot of great drummers over the years. Dean Zimmer was there a lot, Gregg Bissonette, Myron Grombacher, Doane Perry, Barry Schneider and so many others that I don't remember their names.
The Love of Mark’s life:
Mark had a dog named Sandy. She was smart and they did pet assisted therapy together in hospitals and nursing homes. I just remember him being kind of hard on her though, even though he loved her so much, he expected certain things from her too behavior-wise… (laughter) I can remember her getting out and getting loose. That would just drive him nuts because he thought he had such control over her but in actuality he didn't.  Apparently Sandy had an independent mind much like Mark did!! She would just take off and come back when she felt like it. (laughter)  Mark also had a precious dog named Tess that he loved dearly.
 
Mark's illness:
Mark was extremely brave during his illness. I'd call him one of my heroes. He was always calm and collected and in control. I think he wanted everyone around him to be the same way too. He was always very caring about other people and his friendships especially. Seeing him in the nursing home for the end of his life was very tragic. It crushed his friends to see him like that.  The brain stem stroke was very devastating to him and left him despondent. Sadly we all know what happened after that.
 
If you could, what would you tell Mark right now:
I would tell him that I love him very much and that he'll always be my hero!
 
In closing:
If you could please donate to the American Diabetes Association in care of The Craney Project, that would be wonderful. Thank you

PHOTOS 

REMEMBERING MARK


Billy Amendola of Modern Drummer
leaves a heartfelt comment
in celebration of Mark Craney
​and "The Craney Project"

​Gregg Bissonette kindly donates
to "The Craney Project"
an original composition 
from he and Matt Bissonette 
called Mars.
Listen to Gregg share his thoughts about his hero and friend Mark Craney.

The story of the craney project

​How It All Started With A Letter...
Many of you probably do not know me, my name is Joshua Seth Eagan.
My life changed as a young boy when I first heard Gino Vannelli’s Brother To Brother. It opened my eyes to a magical musical world that spoke to me in a language that I desired to speak! Those musical conversations on this record continue to inspire and challenge me to this very day.
As a young drummer searching, my father Rudi who was a musician, would help me reach out to a few of my favorite drummers to ask them questions about how did you do this, or advice questions from a young drummer’s standpoint. I would send off a few letters as this was so far before the miracle of the internet, to which I never received a response to any of them until one day…
My dad came up to me and said, “you have a letter” and handed me this white envelope with Mark Craney’s name on it. My eyes became giant basketballs! I ran to my room, sat next to my drums, and proceeded to read the words that have touched my heart as to the man Mark Craney was. After some disappointment of not getting any replies to my letters, THIS was the one that I had hoped for a miracle. He was my hero and it felt like all my Christmases wrapped up in one simple white envelope.  
The letter contained a detailed explanation of the drums on the records, his approach to double bass and some very heartfelt advice about music and life... Oh, and one more thing, an autographed picture!
It’s funny that now I realized I have never actually framed these. I placed them safely inside the record sleeve of the Brother To Brother record, and that’s where they have stayed protected and locked away as one of my post prized possessions in the world.
As I grew as a musician, the letter became my benchmark that inspired me to push myself further.
Many years later in 1989, a terrible musicians strike happened in Las Vegas. After years of working in the orchestra at the Sands Copa Room as well as the strip, I finally realized that this is not where my heart truly was. It was time to make the giant leap to Los Angeles to see if I could measure up and pursue my dreams…
Once arriving in LA, I quickly realized the hard lessons and dues I was now about to pay. I had been recently clean from drug addiction and embracing sobriety was a daily struggle which I had kept hidden.
I had gotten an apartment in Van Nuys and was working every day job I could find just to survive, in between trying to establish myself as a new musician on the scene. On one fateful night, I returned from a gig. I parked and locked my truck in the underground garage. I ran upstairs for a second to say hi to my father who was visiting. When I came back down to unload the drums, they were all gone. Everything, the Yamaha Recording Customs, the Paiste cymbals… everything just cleaned out!  The truck had been broken into and all my equipment was stolen. Money was very scarce, and I began to fall into a deeper depression while still emotionally reeling from a very toxic relationship. I now literally had nothing… No money, no equipment, no gigs and obviously no future!
I went back to Las Vegas with my tail between my legs, utterly defeated, or so I thought!
After two weeks being back in my parents’ house, the depression and anxiety became too much to bear. I sat down and told them I had to go back to LA no matter what. They were scared but very supportive to follow my dreams, just as they had done. I packed up my truck once again, except much lighter this time, and made the trek back with $80 to my name. I now found myself homeless living in my truck with my little kitten Edison, working as a janitor at the musician’s union and desperately struggling to find a reason to wake up every day.
A fateful turn of event led me to meet my dear friend Jim Abell, who was Mark’s roommate. So, one day here I am knocking at Mark Craney’s door to take my first lesson. I cannot even begin to express how emotionally empty I was. Living every day had become a daily fight not to end it all with a final exclamation point! That all changed from the time I spent with Mark. I am ashamed to say I would talk to him in his kitchen about how bad everything was and not wanting to go on. We’d sit and have coffee much more than we would play drums. A few hour lesson would turn into 1:45 of soul searching, talking about life, playing with Sandy while listening to Mishka growl at me... and then 15 minutes of playing drums. This was the exact recipe I needed to heal.
I was musically crippled, which seemed fitting as it matched my emotional being. In this time, I ended up at Mark's house many days of the week, over the course of a few years just talking and hanging out. I learned so much about life from Mark and he would call me out with his dry wit and silent stare that every one of his friends knew and loved. He would lecture me about taking care of myself as he watched me light another cigarette and say: "Why the hell are you doing that? You’ve got to take care of yourself!"
I wish I could go back and smack myself for my selfishness! He took the time to care, listen and extend his wisdom and love to someone who desperately needed it, while he was fighting every day to stay alive.
He taught me how to be a fighter, how to survive and win against all odds because anything is possible. His strength and tenacity showed me what it takes to keep my sobriety through even the darkest times, which is now well over 30 years.  I learned how to appreciate every day as the precious gift it is and most importantly, how to take time to care about those around you, no matter what you’re going through… He truly was a mentor and a friend.
So back to that letter…
One day much later, I came for a lesson and as we sat behind the drums. "Mark" I said, "I have something to ask you. Do you remember this? " I pulled out the envelope… Silently his eyes became giant basketballs and the face that I always saw with a grin turned quiet with a giant smile. Breaking the silence, I said: "I’m that little kid!"
This is for you Mark!
​​DONATE HERE: http://main.diabetes.org/goto/thecraneyproject