Smooth Jazz Therapy

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band At Anthology

April 14 2012 – Hot on the heels of his success at the Grammy Awards (where he won the accolade of ‘Best Instrumental Arrangement’ for his version of ‘Rhapsody in Blue’) composer and arranger Gordon Goodwin, in the splendid company of his Big Phat Band, rolled into San Diego’s Anthology for a performance of high energy and outstanding quality.

Peter White Back In The North Of England

October 30, 2011. At the Cinnamon Club, in the southern suburbs of Manchester, it was the first night of Peter White’s now customary UK autumn tour. Scheduled to play fourteen shows at six different venues he was instantly at ease in the familiar surroundings of this intimate space yet, for the excellent band that supported him, this was far from being business as usual. Yes, Marc Parnell was there on drums and everyone’s favourite bass-player Frank Felix took his usual place but new to many was outstanding keyboardist Attila Molnar and, alongside him, the rapidly emerging sax-man Elan Trotman. Remarkably, this newly formed collective had rehearsed for the first time only hours before but the enthusiasts who packed this northern outpost of contemporary jazz could have been excused for thinking they had been together for years.

Brian Culbertson At Thornton Winery

October 1, 2011. It was just another day in Southern California. The setting of the Winery at twilight was magical; the champagne flowed like rivers and that ultimate showman, Brian Culbertson, beckoned in the final month of the Thornton Winery 2011 Champagne Jazz Series in Temecula CA with a performance of the highest order. It has been quite a year for Culbertson whose 2010 CD ‘Xll’ proved to be an outstanding success and here he delved into it generously while recalling some old favorites along the way. In all of this he was helped in no small measure by Eddie Miller on vocals and additional keyboards, Gerey Johnson on guitar, bass-player Nathaniel Kearney, Jr., drummer Chris Miskel, Jim Culbertson on trumpet and Marqueal Jordan with both sax and vocals. Collectively they showed themselves to be what is arguably the best touring band around and right from the opening bars of the ultra catchy ‘Back In The Day’, the scene was set for a energy packed evening. As the hits kept coming, first with ‘Go’ and then with the dazzling ‘Always Remember’ it was clear that Culbertson was up, running and in blistering form.

Euge Groove At Thornton Winery

June 26, 2011. It was in 2000 that sax superstar Euge Groove released his Paul Brown produced self titled debut CD. Since then, despite a leave of absence in 2008 when he toured the world with Tina Turner, Euge has occupied what at times has appeared to be an almost permanent place at the top of the contemporary jazz charts. His appearance as part of the latest chapter in the Thornton Winery 2011 Champagne Jazz Series in Temecula CA provided the perfect opportunity to showcase his latest (and seventh) album, the appropriately titled ‘S7ven Large’, which has already put him right back in the smooth jazz spotlight.

Nick Colionne At Thornton Winery

June 26, 2011. On a blistering afternoon in Temecula CA, everything, but everything, was hot. In the ninety degree temperatures of this corner of Southern California, smooth jazz superstar Nick Colionne opened up the latest installment of the Thornton Winery 2011 Champagne Jazz Series with a performance that typified the sheer energy this wonderful guitarist injects into every note of his music. It’s an element of his persona that comes right out of his home town of Chicago and he used his appearance to incorporate many of the influences that have touched his career to date.

Jonathan Fritzen At Spaghettini

June 24, 2011. Just a stones throw from the I-405 freeway in Seal Beach, Spaghettini Jazz Club & Grill has carved out a niche for itself as the place to be for contemporary jazz in Orange County. It continues to host some of the hottest acts the genre can provide and on making his debut at this lively venue, writer, producer and keyboard player Jonathan Fritzén demonstrated he is right up there with the best of them. Indeed despite his sojourn from the cool climes of Sweden (where he still calls Stockholm home) to the sunny disposition of Southern California, Fritzén, in the company of a tight five piece band, proved to be entirely on fire.

Brian Culbertson At The Cinnamon Club

May 13, 2011. It had been ten years since Brian Culbertson last appeared in the north west of England but when he arrived at the Cinnamon Club, Altrincham, for a show typified by the huge energy that he brings to everything he does, he blew the doors off with a performance that flashed by in what can accurately be described as a joyous and frenetic blur. Indeed, with Marc Parnell on drums, Otto Williams playing bass, Jim Culbertson on trumpet, additional keys in the capable hands of Mark Whitmore and the outstanding Derek Nash on sax, Culbertson rifled his considerable discography for a succession of outstanding tunes that will live long in the memory.

Peter White At The Pizza Express - April 2011

April 10, 2011. It was a case of standing room only at London’s Pizza Express as Peter White played his penultimate gig before jetting off to Turkey for two nights at JC’s Jazz Club and Restaurant in Istanbul. Outside summer had arrived early while in the basement jazz club ‘on-air’ personalities such as Solar Radio’s Bruce Nazarian, Rod Lucas from Best Smooth Jazz and Rich Edwards of the SmoothGroves Radio Show mingled with the likes of Renato Falschi, James Colah and a fervent fan following to witness a show that even by Peter White’s colossal standards was right out of the top drawer. Indeed in the stellar company of Mark Parnell on drums, everyone’s favourite bass-player Frank Felix, sax-man Jaared and the immaculate Greg Karukas on keys, White delivered an outstanding two hour set that, while showing signs of being tweaked for 2011, retained everything that makes him the best in the business.

Tizer At Anthology

March 12, 2011. Although originally billed as the ‘Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards Official After-Party’, the earlier and ignominious demise of the entire awards event meant that this late evening performance at San Diego’s Anthology by fusion band Tizer took on a very different complexion. The fact they carried it off with style and with class proved to be a tremendous boost to a weekend that through the efforts of a few special people turned out to be a wonderful musical alternative. Tizer is the brainchild of keyboard player Lao Tizer who has a discography that is nothing if not varied. Here, in the company of regular band members Jeff Kollman, Raul Pineda, the quirky Rufus Philpot and Steve Nieves (on percussion, sax and vocals), he delved generously into his back catalog while, in addition, providing some appetizers of what, as yet, remains in the works.

Greg Manning At Anthology

March 12, 2011. Born in Nigeria and brought up in Switzerland, composer producer and keyboard player Greg Manning moved to Los Angeles in the nineties. It was here that he found a musical niche as Jonathan Butler’s musical director (with whom he co-wrote the radio hit ‘Back To Love’) and began to forge a recording career in his own right. His latest release is the critically acclaimed ‘The Calling’ and At San Diego’s Anthology, as part of Bruce Nazarian’s Digital Guy Radio Show new music showcase he not only provided superb keyboard backing to the majority of artists performing there but also took the opportunity to share his own music with the knowledgeable crowd.

Art Sherrod Jr At Anthology

March 12, 2011. Smooth Jazz Therapy has been a huge advocate of sax-man Art Sherrod Jr since the release of his stunning album ‘Seasons’. At Anthology, in San Diego, as part of Bruce Nazarian’s four hour Digital Guy Radio Show new music showcase, Art blew the doors off with a performance that was not only the most soulful of the session but also of the highest quality imaginable.

Brad Rambur At Anthology

March 12, 2011. Amongst the artists and fans traveling many miles and crossing many time zones to be in San Diego for this special musical weekend, there was one performer who, although local to that sun soaked city, was taking a significant step on what is turning out to be an incredible musical journey. Indeed, since North County resident Brad Rambur first burst onto the contemporary jazz scene with his debut album ‘Can’t Put It Down’, his stock has been continuously rising. His performance at Anthology as part of Bruce Nazarian’s Digital Guy Radio Show new music showcase further enhanced his musical credibility and, in addition, introduced him to a whole new fan base.

Vincent Ingala At Anthology

March 12, 2011. In many genres of music, the term ‘next big thing’ can often be over used. However, those at San Diego’s Anthology to witness the west coast debut of saxophonist Vincent Ingala may in time come to reflect that they were there at the very beginning. In town as part of Bruce Nazarian’s fabulous four hour Digital Guy Radio Show new music showcase, Vincent used the opportunity to provide welcome exposure to his debut CD ‘North End Soul’.

Jaared's West Coast Adventure

March 12, 2011. On a rare visit to the west coast, accomplished saxophonist Jaared wasted little time in showing Californian fans of contemporary jazz just what they have been missing. Jaared was at San Diego’s Anthology where, as part of what proved to be a dazzling showcase of some of the best emerging talent around, he performed a five tune set of the highest order that was skilfully constructed around his sensational album ‘Manhattan Nights’ and delivered in his own unique powerhouse style. Indeed, with superb backing from keyboard player Greg Manning, San Diego’s own Evan Marks, bass-man Jervonny Collier, drummer Donnell Spencer Jr. and sensational percussionist Gary Stanionis, Jaared’s picture perfect playing checked every box imaginable and enthralled a crowd that really knew its music.

Peter White At The Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego

March 12, 2011. With the doomed Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards descending into an eleventh hour meltdown those who had made the journey in good faith may well have thought that their luck had completely ran out. Then something happened.

Through the ingenuity of a small number of special people, and a generosity of spirit that belied belief, guitarist Peter White traveled to San Diego for a unique ‘behind closed doors’ performance at the city’s Hard Rock Hotel. The beneficiaries were the fans who had already bought tickets to the cancelled Awards event and not only that, thanks to Peter, the genre also scored some much needed points.

CJazz - A Concert For Cancer

March 11, 2011. In the aftermath of the cancelled Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards, for those who kept the musical faith by continuing their intended pilgrimage to San Diego, it was good to finally listen to some music.

That opportunity came in the form of the CJazz Concert For Cancer which, in the atmospheric setting of the flight deck of the USS Midway, fulfilled its primary aim of raising cancer awareness while serving up a fine blend of contemporary jazz that appealed to aficionados and newcomers alike.

Paul Brown & Marc Antoine At The Pizza Express

February 3, 2011. As London finally began to shake free of one of the worst English winters on record, it was totally appropriate that, for the first Sky FM Smooth Jazz promotion of the new year, Soho’s famed Pizza Express Jazz Club should play host to the sunshine sounds of Paul Brown and Marc Antoine.

At first glance this is an unusual pairing and the fact it ever came about owes something to good fortune. Having performed together at ‘Paul Brown’s Guitar Night’ in 2008, two time Grammy winner Brown, who was in the early stages of producing a follow-up to his 2007 smash ‘White Sand’, invited Antoine to play on one of the songs. The initial session sparked a creative flow which developed into a dynamic new partnership and, in turn, the aptly titled ‘Foreign Exchange’. It was with the title track of this fine album that the duo opened the show and the musical empathy that they exquisitely share was immediately on view. Staying with ‘Foreign Exchange’, a relaxed interpretation of ‘Brother Earl’ worked to perfection and when Antoine turned to the title cut of his 2007 release ‘Hi-Lo Split’ the air crackled with luscious Latin tinged melodies.

Peter White - UK Tour, November 2010

November 11, 2010. With a fierce wind howling through London, Peter White blew into Dean Street’s Pizza Express for a two hour twenty minute musical marathon that defined what great smooth jazz should all be about. Indeed in the stellar company of Tony Mason on drums, the ubiquitous Frank Felix on bass, sax-man Jaared and the outstanding Greg Karukas on keys he plundered his considerable discography for a welter of gems that, for everyone who was there, will live long in the memory.