Smooth Jazz Therapy

Mindi Abair At The 2008 Smooth Jazz Cruise

With a new CD due out on the Spring it was hardly surprising that Mindi Abair’s show at the 2008 Smooth Jazz Cruise was much about revisiting the best of her already extensive back and current catalogue. By no means intimidated by the fact she was playing the hour that preceded the eagerly anticipated arrival of Jeffrey Osborne to the main concert stage, she comprehensively confirmed herself as the leading female protagonist of instrumental smooth jazz. Indeed, perhaps honed in part by her recent success as part of the ‘Peter White Christmas’ tour, Abair’s stage presence seemed that much more confident and self assured than it had only twelve months earlier.

What's Smooth Jazz? - On My Way Home To You

We have all been in situations where we have brought up the subject of the music we love only to be asked ‘what’s smooth jazz?’ It is a question not always easy to answer and one that forms the motivation for this occasional feature unremarkably called ‘What’s Smooth Jazz?’ Designed to illustrate some of the most definitive examples of the genre, this latest track perhaps demonstrates better than any other the broad church from which smooth jazz draws its influences. In addition, it spotlights a remarkable artist who’s music is, in itself, sometimes difficult to categorize. That artist is Michael Franks and the song is ‘On My Way Home To You’.

Greg Adams Plus Lenny Williams Equals East Bay Soul

The brand new nine piece East Bay Soul is the brainchild of Grammy and Emmy nominated trumpeter Greg Adams and award winning vocalist Lenny Williams. With its tight horn filled rhythms and hugely talented line-up the band promises to ignite an R&B renaissance that has it’s roots firmly grounded in the uniquely soul based genre of San Francisco’s East Bay Area. Of course Adams is a founding member of the wonderful Tower of Power while Williams provided the bands vocals throughout a significant period of its considerable history. Here, as East Bay Soul, the duo is joined by another ex Tower of Power stalwart, trumpeter Lee Thornburg, who more recently has played on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. If that wasn’t enough, either the dynamic Tom Scott or the soulful Eric Marienthal will feature on saxophone. The decision as to who plays where and when will be dependant on scheduling. In fact, although twenty six cities have already been named for the bands extensive 2008 tour, all of East Bay Soul’s appearances will be predicated on each of the artists own solo commitments.

The East Bay Soul line-up is completed by Joey Navarro on keyboards, Evan Stone on drums, Brian Allen on bass, James Wirrick on guitar, Johnny Sandoval on percussion and Johnnie Bamont with flute plus alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. It’s without doubt that the timeless quality of the East Bay Soul sound will captivate audiences throughout the summer. Get your tickets early and for more information go to www.eastbaysoul.com

Chris Standring - Close Up And Personal With Steve Quirk

Catch smooth jazz pioneer Steve Quirk this Sunday, January 27, when from midnight and on into Monday morning he will bring a world exclusive to his Fusion Flavours radio show. Guitarist Chris Standring will be in the spotlight as Steve provides the first ever play of the brand new single 'Love and Paragraphs'. There will also be conversation from Chris as he talks about his recent experience on the Dave Koz cruise and on his success as co-writer of Richard Elliot & Rick Braun's #1 radio hit “R&R”. In addition, expect news of Standring's upcoming UK tour dates from 27th to 29th March at London's Pizza Express . So, to be ahead of the game, tune into 100.4 in the UK or check out www.smoothradio.com

The Smooth Jazz Cruise 2008

Fort Lauderdale FL, January 20, 2008 and the much anticipated Smooth Jazz Cruise 2008 is underway. For the next seven days and seven nights the Holland America cruise ship Westerdam will be home to almost two thousand of the most passionate smooth jazz fans in the universe as they immerse themselves in what has become one of the standout annual events on the smooth jazz calendar.

Back to host for a second year will be Wayman Tisdale and lined up to perform in a series of two and sometimes three shows a day are Mindi Abair, Lynne Fiddmont, Gerald Albright, George Duke, Regina Belle, Jonathon Butler, Rick Braun, Phillipe Saisse Trio, Kirk Whalum, Brian Simpson, Tom Braxton, Jeff Golub and Euge Groove. If that wasn’t enough, when the ship docks in the exotic port of Aruba, there will be a guest performance by the excellent Jeffrey Osborne.

As in 2007, Smooth Jazz Therapy will be there, not only to be intoxicated by the music but also to bring you reviews of the shows and news of the artists. If you can’t be there this year, or simply want to relive the memories when you return, be sure to check back often over the coming weeks for everything you need to know about the 2008 Smooth Jazz Cruise.

Neil Warden And Blue Soul Groove

When the likes of Steve Quirk are saying that Blue Soul Groove are the real deal then it’s time to sit up and listen. Fronted by Neil Warden who writes, arranges and plays both acoustic and electric guitars, the band is even more remarkable in its excellence for the fact that the players all have their roots in Scotland. Indeed not since the days of The Average White Band has a line-up from that country come along with the kind of music capable of pushing open the door on a genre that traditionally has been the province of US based bands. Yet the smooth jazz and cool groove that the aptly named Blue Soul Groove delivers is, in every respect, the genuine article. The bands self titled five track EP is now available on iTunes and is in advance of a full length CD that Warden hopes to release later this year.

Kenny G's Rhythm & Romance Set For Maximum Exposure

Kenny G's much anticipated new CD of Latin love songs, ‘Rhythm & Romance’, will hit record stores across the USA on February 5 and is all set for some big time pre-release exposure. On the weekend of February 2, KTWV 94.7 (The Wave) in Los Angeles will present the world premiere of the album and Kenny will introduce the tracks on air. However, if you can’t wait that long, Kenny G will be in San Diego on January 18 when he will headline the first night of the All Star Smooth Cruise ‘pre-cruise’ land based festival at the Town & Country Resort. He is sure to provide some snippets from ‘Rhythm & Romance’ so, as it’s possible to book Festival and Cruise tickets separately, go to www.allstarmusicfestival.com or call 1-888-695-0888 for more details.

Check back here soon for a complete review of Kenny’s San Diego performance.

Remember that KTWV 94.7 (The Wave) in Los Angeles streams live right around the world. Just log in at www.947wave.com and follow the simple links to get a piece of the Kenny G action.

Chris Geith - Timeless World

The music of keyboard player Chris Geith (pronounced "guy-t") is amongst the most streamed or downloaded of all time. His staggering 1,400,000 plus downloads from www.mp3.com have made headlines in the "New York Times" and, with internet sales in 23 countries, his album ‘Prime Time’ has proved to be a top seller. Chris currently attracts in excess of 5,000 visitors a week to his Myspace sites and now is giving his fans even more to be excited about. ‘Waves Of Life’, the first radio single from his much anticipated new CD ‘Timeless World’, has hit the airwaves world wide and offers an enticing glimpse of an album that is replete with smooth melodies, sophisticated chord progressions and elaborate arrangements.

Eric Bolvin - The Night, The Rain And You

Eric Bolvin is a popular Bay Area jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player who as a solo artist has played with Greg Adams, Russell Ferrante and Dave Weckl. His group Quorum has performed extensively throughout Northern California and now he is back with his latest CD release ‘The Night, The Rain And You’. The album’s six original compositions sit well with five quality covers and although billed as being ‘all about the funk’ Bolvin, often shows a happy knack of being able to turn things down. In fact he is often at his excellent best when exploring the more tranquil areas of his musical terrain.

Mark Hollingsworth Plays Spaghettini's

When reviewing the CD ‘Chasing The Sun’ from sax-man Mark Hollingsworth I described it as possessing a level of intelligence way above the norm. Now, on January 18, as part of NAMM convention week, Hollingsworth will be at Spaghettini's in Seal Beach, CA to perform selected tracks from this and his earlier but equally good album ‘On The Mark’. Spaghettini's is one of the coolest jazz club and restaurants around. At less than a minute from I-405 it is only a few miles from Anaheim, CA where this years NAMM, the largest music products trade show in the USA, is being held. On stage with Hollingsworth will be the line-up that played with him on both recordings, namely James Wirrick on guitar, Curtis Brengel on keys, Bart Samolis on bass and Sinclair Lott on drums.

Admission is free and for more details contact Spaghettini's at 3005 Old Ranch Parkway, Seal Beach, CA, 90740. (Telephone 562-596-2199).

The Intimate Patti Austin

One of the Smooth Jazz Therapy highlights of 2007 was the advent of Mosaic Contemporary and its flagship ‘Ultimate’ collections. This simple yet stunningly effective concept recognized the fact that nearly every important artist in contemporary jazz has recorded seminal material for more than one label. Consequently, any resultant ‘best of’ collections were always, at best, narrow and selective snapshots of an artists overall work. By licensing the most important tracks from various labels and then arranging them into chronological compilations Mosaic Contemporary began to deliver definitive career highlights of artists which currently include George Duke, Earl Klugh and Alex Bugnon. In addition, the boundaries were extended to include the complementary ‘Intimate’ collections that contain some of the more sexy and romantic offerings from the selected discographies of significant artists. ‘The Intimate Patti Austin’ is one such example.

Gemini Soul - The Liquid Soul Tour

Andre Marcel Ajamu Akinyele, Jon O’Bergh and Andrew Foster are, together, Gemini Soul. With their album ‘The Liquid Soul Tour’, which was recorded live at various venues during April of 2007, they have produced a groove driven, retro tinged, piece of work that shuns current contemporary jazz formula in favour of something altogether edgier. With the bass of Akinyele often evoking images of Stanley Clarke, some other influences that the trio share are crystallized in the form of Sade’s ‘Hang On To Your Love’, which serves as an ideal vehicle for the bands tight brand of jazz funk, and with Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take 5’. Actually Gemini Soul take a little longer than ‘5’, eight whole minutes in fact, to expand their special interpretation of this enduring classic and, in doing so, demonstrate a penchant for allowing a track to build over time.

The Cates Fomin Project - Journey With Us

When in 2005 I reviewed the album ‘Smooth – Try Something New’ by singer and sax man Demo Cates I described his musical style as an amalgam of Kim Waters blended with Jackie Wilson and a little bit of Smokey Robinson too. His enticing brand of fusion which sits mid way between soul and smooth jazz deserves to be noticed and now he is back in the company of classically trained jazz musician Stan Fomin for the CD ‘Journey With Us’. Both Cates and Fomin have worked extensively in the areas of film and television but here, performing as The Cates Fomin Project, they demonstrate a shared knack for producing ultra accessible contemporary jazz that is extremely easy on the ear. An added bonus for those who missed out on Cates’ ‘Smooth – Try Something New’ is the fact that three of the tracks from that album make it across to ‘Journey With Us’.