Personnel on "A Touch of the Culture" Don Hales - guitar Joe Hunter - piano Doug Richeson - bass Aaron Scott - drums Pete Mills, tenor sax Personnel on "A Walk to Mother Berrys": Don Hales - guitar Ed Moed - piano Andy Woodson - bass Mark Henderson - drums Joe Viers - recording engineer Mastering by Terry Douds. "A Touch of the Culture" was originally released in 1999, featuring legendary Columbus, OH guitarist Don Hales, along with some of Columbus' finest musicians. excerpted from the original liner notes by Mark Williams: It's reassuring to know some people still stand for something in this world. Don Hales has bravely and unfailingly stood for something all his life. Through periods of tragedy and moments of grace, Don has pursued the further refinement of his art. Don's relentless progression towards the eternally elusive goal of perfection has enabled him to pour all the fine qualities of his heart, mind and soul into his music. Don Hales' tone, ideas, attack, conception, phrasing, and all other tangible, as well as intangible attributes of his music are all his own. Although his is solidly rounded in the great American music tradition, not a note he plays can be mistaken for another player's. That's because Don has never been content to stand still, while yet still standing for something. Listen, and what you'll hear is the evidence of a fruitful life diligently spent studying, teaching, performing, arranging, and composing music. - Mark Williams C. Michael Bailey’s recent review from “All About Jazz” article on Don Hales’ “Unified String Theory” CD. (Chicken Coup Records, 2008 - available on iTunes and other music retailers. Guitarist Don Hales is one of those jazz musicians almost too good to be true, one who has had a lengthy local career who finally bobs to the surface with a head-turning release. The disc is Unified String Theory and Tony Monaco's presence is no accident. Hales grew up in a Toledo neighborhood where he was exposed to a wide variety of ethnic and regional music. He taught himself to play guitar, was tutored by Rusty Bryant and Bobby Shaw. Hales went on to tour with the great Eddie Harris and Bill Doggett before returning home to Columbus to work in the Monaco family Italian Restaurant. Talk about a well kept secret...Don Hales not only has chops, he is quite the funk master in composing. Six of the eight tunes presented are Hales originals. The two standards are "Feelings" and "Motivation," both dispatched with a Horace Silver soul-jazz sensibility. Hales' compositions all stretch the definition of the typical organ-guitar-tenor combo. Speaking of tenor, Kris Keith's tenor saxophone and flute fit into this quintet like a hand in a glove, a finely crafted glove. Check out "Breath of the Blues" and "Dance of the Zodiac."