Smooth Jazz Therapy

Mike Arroyo - My Jazzy Mood

Jazz guitarist, composer and arranger Mike Arroyo hails from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico and is considered to be a pioneer of the Puerto Rican sacred music scene. Mikes first musical production was ‘Straight To Heaven’ in 2001. It used the jazz genre as an avenue to praise the word of God and his follow up ‘My Jazzy Mood’, that was released two years later, found a delightful blend between the sacred and the secular. Recorded in Brooklyn New York ‘My Jazzy Mood’ is now on re-release and, beyond the confines of sacred music, is worthy of some attention.

Jeff Bradshaw - Bone Deep

The story of Hidden Beach recording artist Jeff Bradshaw is one of how struggle can pave the way to stardom. Growing up in Philadelphia, and learning his music through a church where brass bands were the main attraction, he first tried the snare drum before moving on to the baritone horn, sousaphone and finally the instrument with which he has made his name, the trombone. Even so it took until 1994, and seven years of bouncing from job to job, before he finally started to connect with some of the leading musicians on the Philly scene. This in turn led to the real world of major recording where a stint working with Jill Scott on her debut album brought him the chance to sign for the then fledgling Hidden Beach Recordings. It was here that he made significant contributions to the ‘Unwrapped’ series of CD’s that helped redefine the soul of contemporary jazz. He has a brand new album in the works but, for now, its well worth taking a look back to 2003 and Bradshaw’s Hidden Beach solo debut, the exceptional ‘Bone Deep’.

Bar-Kays - House Party

When, on December 10, 1967, the plane carrying Otis Redding and his entourage to a gig in Madison, WI crashed into frozen Lake Monona it meant more than the death of one of soul’s true greats. Redding’s road manager and four members of his touring band also lost their lives. That band was the Bar-Kays and it was left to trumpeter Ben Cauley, who survived the crash, and bassist James Alexander, who was not on the flight, to take on the heavy task of rebuilding the group. However, rebuild they did and gradually the band moved from being the purely instrumental outfit that backed Isaac Hayes on his groundbreaking 1969 masterpiece ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ to a more rounded unit with, in 1971, the addition of their first-ever lead vocalist, Larry Dodson. Now, over thirty five years later and playing as a duo with some heavyweight helps from their friends, Alexander and Dodson are back to keep the music playing with the Bar-Kays brand new record ‘House Party’.

Melinda Doolittle - Where To Next?

American Idol was always someway from being Smooth Jazz Therapy’s cup of tea. Then of course came the sensational Melinda Doolittle and the prospect of a sure-fire Idol winner with all the talent and soul necessary to find a place on the contemporary jazz scene. Indeed she already had credits for background vocals on the 2005 CD ‘Kirk Whalum PerformsThe Babyface Songbook’ to her name and in addition had sung backup for Michael McDonald, Aaron Neville and CeCe Winans. Given the caliber of her Idol competition it seemed preordained that she would win the show and move on to solo stardom. Then last week she was inexplicably eliminated. Of course its not possible to second guess the American people who voted as to how that happened but, given the success of that other notable ‘looser’ Jennifer Hudson, it seems certain that with or without their support Melinda Doolittle will go on to find her own niche in the music industry. Let’s hope that the place she finds is within smooth jazz and that the next time Paul Brown or Brian Culbertson need a featured vocalist it’s to Melinda that they turn.

Poncho Sanchez - Raise Your Hand

It’s an indication of the high regard universally afforded to percussionist extraordinaire Poncho Sanchez that a welter of the best artists in the business have featured on his albums. From Tito Puente to Mongo Santamaria, Freddie Hubbard to Eddie Harris and Ray Charles to Tower of Power, at one time or another they have all been around to share in the magic of this conga maestro who is the leader of the most popular Latin jazz group in the world today. His latest release, ‘Raise Your Hand’ is brand new on Concorde and is built on the half century tradition of Latin music that was born when Afro-Cuban rhythms merged with bebop. It’s a vibe that has fuelled the extensive discography of Poncho Sanchez but, in addition, ‘Raise Your Hand’ also demonstrates the love he has for soul music.

Dwayne 'Smitty' Smith Playing Live In LA

Funky bass man Dwayne "Smitty" Smith, who’s playing can be found on such standout CD’s as ‘My Heart & Soul’ by Michael Paulo, ‘Colors’ by Kirk Whalum and ‘Seduction’ by Boney James, will be performing his own music at La Ve Lee in Studio City on May 31.

Smith who is also featured on Will Downing’s current release ‘Emotions’ was born and raised in Washington DC. After relocating to Los Angeles he got his first big professional break when he backed Anita Baker on her ‘Rapture’ tour and from there quickly established himself as one of the most sought after bassists in LA. He has subsequently toured and recorded with a veritable who’s who of musical talent that includes Gerald Albright, Natalie Cole, George Howard, Jeff Lorber, Everett Harp, Maysa Leak, Norman Brown, Keith Washington, Sheena Easton, Teena Marie, Deniece Williams, Peter White, Ron Brown, Howard Hewitt, Tom Scott, Cherrelle, Bobby Lyle, Chante Moore, Doc Powell, Michael White, James Ingram, Tom Jones, Jeffery Osborne, Lee Ritenour and The Isley Brothers.

At the La Ve Lee Smitty will be featuring cuts from his debut solo CD ‘This Is Me’ and in his line up will have Chris Coleman on drums, Darryl Diaz and Kim Hanson on keys, and Zane Musa playing sax. Not only that the incredible Lynne Fiddmont, who’s recent CD ‘Flow’ was one of the sensations of 2006, will be providing guest vocals.

For more check out the La Ve Lee’s website at www.laveleejazzclub.com

Acoustic Alchemy At The Cinnamon Club

May 11, 2007: On route to the USA for the second leg of their 2007 stateside tour, Acoustic Alchemy blew into the Cinnamon Club, Altrincham for their only appearance in the north west of England this year. Here, in the southern suburbs of Manchester and with Smooth Radio 100.4 DJ Steve Quirk at the helm, the band was in tremendous form and provided the packed audience with surprises that they could not have anticipated. With the brand new CD ‘This Way’ not out in the USA until June 6 the Alchemy played selected tracks from it and also handed their fans the chance to purchase signed copies. Without doubt the album is destined to be one the most significant contemporary jazz releases of 2007 and marks yet another phase in the bands musical evolution. Their gradual metamorphosis from a seriously acoustic unit to today’s mix of melody and funk has been achieved in part by the astute introduction of guest saxophonists yet with ‘This Way’ the band has pushed the envelope one more time. The addition of trumpet, flugelhorn and even trombone, combined at times with sax to form a fully fledged horn section, has added another dimension. Yet fundamental to what Acoustic Alchemy is all about are the enduring performances of Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale. Their hallmark combination of steel and nylon stringed guitars is the platform for everything that follows and additionally allows the flexibility for the band to play with a variety of line-ups. Last year they successfully flirted with the trio format and at the Cinnamon Club, with Julian Crampton on bass, US natives Greg Grainger on drums, Yorkshire boy Fred White on keyboards and without a horn player in sight, the stage was set for a selection of their more acoustic driven gems.

Jessy J - The One To Watch

Pamela Williams and Mindi Abair watch out. Jessy J, whose playing first grabbed the attention of Smooth Jazz Therapy when she guest performed on the mellow and atmospheric title track of Paul Brown’s current smash CD ‘White Sand’, is the brand new female sax star on the scene. She is currently on tour across the USA with Michael Bolton where she can be found playing sax and singing backup vocals. In fact at age 26 she has already worked with an A list of artists that include Jessica Simpson, Michael Buble, Burt Bacharach and the Temptations. A musical prodigy in every respect, by age 15 she was already enjoying a successful saxophone career and had been named as Piano State Champion at the Bela Bartok Festival in California. She is also fluent in Spanish and it was around that time her Latin routes were awakened by the Samba rhythms of Cannonball Adderley's collaborations with Sergio Mendez. Jessy J’s love affair with jazz really began when, as a teen, she studied Adderley’s recordings and now her extreme desire, ambition and talent look set to fast track her to contemporary jazz stardom.

She has recently finished a smooth jazz project produced by Paul Brown and is booked to appear at this year’s Catalina Island Jazz Festival. Check back here soon for a complete review of Jessy J’s new CD and for more go to www.jessyj.com

Rupert Leighton - Take The Sidewalk

Rupert Leighton was born in Guildford England in 1986 and plays some of the funkiest keyboards you will hear anywhere. His 2005 debut release 'Beyond Reflection' combined acoustic and electric music with jazzy piano and the funky grooves that it generated opened the door to radio airplay across the U.S.A, Europe and Australia. Now he is back with his brand new ‘Take the Sidewalk’. It’s a fresh collection of fusion flavored jazz that is sure to get him noticed.

The Super Groovers - Supergroovin

Sax man Frank Villafranca and keyboard / guitar player Andrew D Gordon, aka The Super Groovers, have just released their aptly named debut album ‘Supergroovin’. Its a tight collection of eight expansive tracks that delivers exactly what the title suggests it should and for which Villafranca and Gordon also take the writing and production credits. Although, for them, ‘Supergroovin’ is something of a watershed they have in fact been part of the LA music scene for over twenty five years and, as well as recording with numerous musicians, have also carved out parallel careers in the field of musical education.

Baby Soul - In Record Stores This Week

‘Baby Soul’, the new CD from sax-man Jackiem Joyner, hits record stores across the USA on May 8. Produced by Joyner, who also writes ten of the eleven choice cuts, this accomplished collection signals an association between Joyner and ARTizen that could well have been made in heaven. Indeed ARTizen’s own Rick Braun executive produces, mixes and variously plays trumpet and flugelhorn on three of the tracks. Together they achieve commendable balance and this is perfectly exemplified with the mellow ‘Unforgiven’. Right in the pocket from the get-go this slice of retro tinged late night jazz features wonderful flugelhorn from Braun and excellent electric guitar courtesy of Iouri Ionidi. In an album covering an array of moods and emotions that is stacked with standouts this one is right up there.

A complete review of ‘Baby Soul’ can be found in the February 2007 archives. For more on the great music available from ARTizen and latest news on Jackiem Joyner go to www.artizenmusic.com

Jill Scott - Collaborations

Jill Scott is, without doubt, one of the best R&B singers around today. Her joyously powerful yet refined voice is pretty much unmistakable and she is also someone that other artists just love to work with. In fact even before she had released her first solo album Scott was coming to be known as someone who always turns in great guest performances. Consequently, as the world of neo soul holds its collective breath in anticipation of Scott’s eagerly awaited new CD, its worth taking a glance at her January 2007 release on Hidden Beach that cleverly packages a selection of some of her best known duets into one neat 14 track compilation. Through its very nature‘ Collaborations’ is an album that pretty much has something to please everyone yet such an attribute can, at times, be a double edged sword. However, its likely for example that fans of smooth jazz, who have been turned onto Scott through her sumptuous vocal on Chris Botti’s ‘Good Morning Heartache’ or her performance with George Benson and Al Jarreau on ‘God Bless The Child’, will go away more attracted to the other genres with which she is associated.

Lamb & Meyer - Don't Get No Better

Saxophonist Patrick Lamb and percussionist Patsy Meyer spent much of 2006 on separate tours backing, among others, Bobby Caldwell and Norman Brown. Now, as one of the very few smooth jazz duos, they are side by side and in the spotlight with their debut album ‘Don’t Get No Better’. It’s a wonderful permutation of vocal and instrumental tracks that is produced by nine time Emmy award winner John Henry Kreitler and which features some of the hottest names on the contemporary jazz scene. In fact it was in 2004, when Kreitler was searching for players to accompany Meyer on her second CD, that he got the opportunity to bring Lamb and Meyer together. They found an instant musical fit yet because of conflicting and hectic schedules it took almost two years to complete the album. Finally released in February 2007 the result is a noteworthy showcase for both the individual and collective creativity of these multi talented performers.