Smooth Jazz Therapy

The Terry Disley Experience - London Underground

Since keyboard player Terry Disley first caught the attention of Smooth Jazz Therapy he has delivered a succession of totally compelling, utterly original CD releases that have added considerably to the overall landscape of contemporary jazz. London born and San Francisco based he is now very much part of the bay area music scene yet perhaps is best known for his time with Acoustic Alchemy with whom, from time to time, he still guests. His latest release, ‘London Underground’ is everything one would expect from someone never afraid to push the jazz envelope and with eleven great tracks that are as good as they are varied the term ‘something for everyone’ has never been more apt.

Gary Davis - Playing My Dues

When in 2005 Milwaukee’s own Gary Davis released the CD ‘Playing My Dues’ it somehow, inexplicably, slipped the Smooth Jazz Therapy net. However, three years on, it is tremendous to find that this heady amalgam of jazz, blues and soul is entirely relevant to the direction in which urban jazz is now moving. The six original compositions that Davis provides fit wonderfully with three exceptional covers but the real value is in the combination that they together provide. This, in every respect, is a ‘complete album’ and it is evident from the first note of the bluesy yet rhythmic opening (title) track that Davis is all about contemporary jazz with an edge.

Jim Adkins - City Streets

Guitarist Jim Adkins is one of the smoothest players around. His credits as a composer include the tune ‘Wind Dancing’ for which he claimed second prize in the 1999 Billboard Song Contest yet the fact that this song went on to be included on MP3s ‘103 of the Best Songs You've Never Heard’ speaks volumes. Indeed, although his music is as accessible as any around today he remains something of a buried treasure and for Smooth Jazz Therapy his brand new album ‘City Streets’ has been a wonderful discovery. It is the latest in a sequence of CD releases that started back in 1998 with the appropriately titled ‘Just Chillin’ and continued with the 2001 ‘Turning Point’. ‘License To Play’ followed in 2004. Now with ‘City Streets’ he is back with nine original compositions and one choice cover that can only serve to enhance his kudos as a purveyor of ‘in the pocket’ smooth jazz.

Mick Hucknall - Tribute To Bobby

In the main, artists tend to be products of the music that shape them. Certainly this belief is reinforced by the current proliferation of new releases that can be loosely classed as ‘tributes’. However, although Gerald Albright (with his homage to the music of Stax) and Brian Culbertson (who is single handedly ‘bringing back the funk’) are both rekindling the influences of their formative years, Simply Red front man Mick Hucknall has chosen to tread a different route. His ‘Tribute To Bobby’ doffs a cap to R & B pioneer Bobby Bland who first sprang to musical prominence in the latter part of the fifties, before in fact Hucknall was born. Consequently his is a story of discovery made possible in part by the rare grooves of the sort typically showcased in the clubs of North West England around the time that Hucknall was starting out as a performer. It’s likely that it was in such a setting that he first heard Bland’s 1957 breakthrough hit ‘Farther Down The Road’ which is the first track from ‘Tribute To Bobby’ to be selected for radio play and, despite its hard driving bluesy feel, is finding favor on smooth jazz radio across the USA.

Robert Harris - City Lights

As a studio musician and sideman Detroit native Robert Harris has spent much of his career making other people sound good. Now, after relocating from Los Angeles, and happily settled in central Florida, this most talented of guitarists is forging a solo career with his remarkably assured sophomore release ‘City Lights’. This very special collection of seven original compositions and three wonderful covers speaks to the very heart of what contemporary jazz should be all about. Its rich mix of rhythm, melody and feel good vibes is at times intoxicating, invariably pleasing and without a weak link in sight.

Travis Vega - Smooth Urban Night

Sometimes, as if out of nowhere, a CD comes along that both surprises and delights. ‘Smooth Urban Night’ by Northern California based guitarist Travis Vega is such a recording. With a title that sums up to perfection the mellow and sensual groove that permeates much of the album, this independently produced release, for which Vega writes and produces throughout, is, in its entirety, a chilled out delight.

David Benoit - Heroes

David Benoit’s brand new CD ‘Heroes’ is his tribute to some of the artists and composers who he regards as his musical greats. The style in which he interprets music from the likes of Dave Brubeck, The Doors, The Beatles, Dave Grusin, Sergio Mendes and Horace Silver is totally indicative of this most sophisticated of pianists who possesses a virtuosity that transcends genres. Benoit has never been afraid to push the boundaries of his musical talents and the diversity of this contemporary jazz icon has recently been demonstrated with the debut of his latest concert work, ‘Dolores Del Carmen’ for Spanish Guitar and Orchestra which he performed with the Asia America Symphony Orchestra. In fact, for ‘Heroes’, Benoit calls on members of this orchestra to provide the string quartet on his faithfully spine chilling rendition of Lennon and McCartney’s ‘She’s Leaving Home’ Indeed, throughout ‘Heroes’, his ethos has been to keep this collection of stunning classics true to the originals. It’s an approach that works to perfection and, with the bonus of a new Benoit composition, the end product is of the highest quality imaginable.

Nick Colionne - No Limits

When, in 2006, Nick Colionne released ‘Keepin It Cool’ it proved to be something of a watershed in his already blossoming career. The first single from the album, ‘Always Thinking of You’, monopolized the R&R charts for most of that year while parallel with this success his reputation as a sensational live performer grew and grew. Those who have seen him play live will have been blown away by the sheer energy that Colionne injects into his music. It’s an element of his persona comes right out of his home town of Chicago and he brings all this and more to his excellent up coming release ‘No Limits’.

Gail Jhonson - Pearls

When I reviewed the CD ‘Keep the Music Playing’ by keyboard player Gail Jhonson I described it as a wonderful collection of edgy smooth jazz tunes that deserves to make her stand out from the crowd.  Now, as well as dividing her time between her staff position at the Musician's Institute in Hollywood, CA, and her role as musical director and touring keyboard playing for smooth jazz superstar Norman Brown, she is back with her debut release on Nu-Groove, the superb ‘Pearls’.

Global Noize

‘Global Noize’, the exciting new album from Jason Miles and his friend DJ Logic, is set to hit record stores across the USA on April 29. The project is one that had brewed in the mind of contemporary jazz innovator Jason Miles for some time but finally solidified when he got a call from DJ Logic with an invitation to join him for a performance at the Blue Note in New York. It was through this collaboration that Miles realized he and Logic had a special connection and the opportunity which later arose for the pair to work together in Morocco at The Casablanca Jazz Festival (and to venture off to Marrakech) convinced them both that they had to make ‘Global Noize’ happen.