Smooth Jazz Therapy

Catch Darryl Williams At Humphreys By The Bay

Bass player Darryl Williams has spent the last 25 years performing with the likes of Chaka Khan, Tevin Campbell, Howard Hewitt, Angela Bofill, Evan Marks, Patrick Yandall and Hollis Gentry. He is an integral part of Euge Groove’s excellent touring band has just been confirmed as being in the line-up for the 2009 ‘Guitars And Saxes’. But that’s not all. His current solo CD, ‘That Was Then’, bears testimony to the fact he is very much the real contemporary jazz deal and includes the track ‘When It Rains’ that effortlessly made it into the Smooth Jazz Therapy top twenty of 2008. With ten of Williams own compositions it’s a collection bursting with the distinctive vibe synonymous with San Diego, the city that Williams is proud to call home.

On February 1, with a show-time of 8-00 pm, Darryl and his band will be in the Back Stage Lounge at Humphreys By The Bay, San Diego for a performance that really will be too good to miss. The line-up for Humphreys will be Tony Moore on drums, Mark Stephens on keys, the outstanding Evan Marks on guitar and sax man Steve Nieves.

Sunday evenings in the Backstage Lounge are always a blast and this is sure to be no exception. For more go to www.humphreysbythebay.com

KIFM 98.1 - CD Sampler 2009

The brand new smooth jazz ‘CD sampler’ from San Diego’s KIFM 98.1 is one of its best yet. In addition, given all net profits from the album’s sales will be donated to the ‘All That Jazz’ grant (set up to ensure music education programs in the city’s public schools remain alive) then the reasons for purchasing this excellent collection seem even more compelling. However, despite the consistently wonderful tracks that the CD includes, the rationale, in this particular year, for making it part of your collection may best be grounded in history and sentiment.

Quite simply the ‘radio station CD sampler’ is a consequential product. Without the radio station the sampler cannot exist. Not so long ago almost every smooth jazz station across the USA made the release of its annual sampler the subject of much hype and publicity. Now those radio stations are dwindling fast. The consequences of this have been debated widely both here and elsewhere. No doubt they will be again. Yet, this is not to say that KIFM is under threat. It clearly isn’t. But, if the passing of time is going to render the CD sampler redundant then there has never been a better time to go out and buy one, either in San Diego or elsewhere.

To buy KIFM’s 2009 CD Sampler go to www.kifm.com

Roger Smith - Sittin In

‘Just Enough’ from Tower of Power keyboard player Roger Smith was one of the best contemporary jazz albums of 2004. It perfectly fulfilled his intention to cross over into a more overtly urban adult-contemporary market and in doing so delivered some memorable tunes. Now after four years, and following his battle to overcome prostate cancer, Smith is back with his 2008 offering ‘Sittin In’.

Warren Hill - La Dolce Vita

Of the many attributes with which sax-man Warren Hill has been blessed, perhaps the most significant is adaptability. A glittering career as a performer throughout the nineties transitioned, remarkably, into him being officially recognized as the pioneer of the now prolific concept of smooth jazz cruising. The role he played as host of the Warren Hill Smooth Jazz Cruise in the three years from 2004 set the scene for everything that followed and, with the CD ‘Pop Jazz’, helped to re-launch him as a recording artist. It garnered the long standing radio hit ‘Still In Love’ and now he is back with the 2008 released ‘La Dolce Vita’.

PBS To Showcase The 1967 Stax European Tour

Motown may be fifty years old this year but in those formative years of soul, there was another musical dynasty taking shape 700 miles to the south. Raw and hardworking, yet dapper too with influences rooted deeply in gospel and blues, the brash Southerners at Stax Records that forged Memphis soul were song-and-dance men who knew how to bring an audience to its feet. Stax stars like Otis Reading oozed sensuality while the band that backed them (Booker T. and the MG’s plus the horns of the Mar-Keys) was racially integrated and musically unstoppable. The shock waves that this new sound transmitted were felt far beyond the shores of the USA and when in 1967 the Stax / Volt Revue tour headed for Europe the event was captured on film. The black-and-white concert footage of ‘Sweet Soul Music: Stax Live in Europe 1967’ which was videotaped for television in Oslo, Norway on April 7, 1967 will be shown across the USA on PBS in March of this year. (Check www.pbs.org for listings). It will provide a welcome opportunity to see the Stax soul men at their youthful peak as, although things were destined to rapidly change; this for Stax was truly a golden era.

Luba Mason - Krazy Love

With the soon to be released ‘Krazy Love’ vocalist Luba Mason is all set to continue her foray into the world of sophisticated contemporary cross-over jazz. Eight of her own compositions serve to create a distinctive and fiercely personal sound that is anchored in melody and further enhanced by an incredible line-up of backing musicians which include Yellowjackets bass player Jimmy Haslip. In fact the sultry title cut says everything about this sumptuous ten track collection that takes the complexities of modern day relationships as its theme and presents them with a tantalizingly cool Brazilian mood. The feeling of being wrapped in a warm comforting blanket is never far away yet the Latin buzz that permeates every song brings with it a sun drenched satisfaction.

Vibes Alive Release New Radio Single

Those of you who have not yet had the chance to discover the music of Vibes Alive will be delighted to know that the title track from the CD ‘After Hours’ was issued to radio on January 12. In fact Vibes Alive is the collaboration of Dirk Richter and Randall Crissman. Deliciously onomatopoeic, it’s a name that not only describes the bands intoxicating sound but also signals the fact that at its heart is the vibraphone of Dirk Richter. ‘After Hours’ is a sophisticated amalgam of contemporary jazz ‘vibes’ while the brand new radio single considerably benefits from the cool sax of Gary Meek. It’s languidly shuffling beat is enchanting and the wonderful Jeff Lorber on keyboards is predictably top-notch. With smooth jazz heavyweights Luis Conte and Vinnie Colaiuta providing percussion and drums respectively the term ‘all star line up’ has never been more apt.

For more go to www.vibesalivemusic.com

Will WJZZ 107.5 In Atlanta Be The Next To Fall?

As yet it’s only a rumor but it now appears likely that WJZZ 107.5 in Atlanta will be the next in a long line of radio stations to pull the plug on smooth jazz.

If the format does fall in Atlanta it will be the 10th such occurrence since WQCD 101.9 in New York stopped playing smooth jazz in early 2008. It is no exaggeration to say that, in the form it’s been known for more than 20 years, terrestrial smooth jazz on the East Coast is no more.

RIP smooth jazz radio.

Airborne's Winds Of Change Going For Adds

When, in August of 2008, I reviewed Airborne’s latest release ‘Winds of Change’ I described it’s ‘feel good’ motif as being beautifully demonstrated by the optimistic happy vibe of the title cut. Reminiscent in part of Bob James’ ‘Sign Of The Times’ it features the sort of high quality backing vocals from Elizabeth Dellinger that fans of the band have routinely come to expect. Now, to coincide with Dr. Martin Luther King Day and the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, news is that over the days of January 19 and 20 this very track is to be issued to radio.

Steve Oliver - Radiant

It’s been ten years since Steve Oliver first hit the contemporary jazz scene with his debut solo release, ‘First View’. It was nominated for an AFIM award for best smooth jazz recording and Oliver found similar success with his 2002 follow up ‘Positive Energy’. The radio hit ‘High Noon’ which came from it provided a reference point for his growing fan base and when ‘3D’ was released in 2004 it further added to his already impressive body of work. His seasonal album, ‘Snowfall’, followed in 2005 yet his 2006 project, ‘Radiant’ although receiving widespread critical acclaim somehow slipped the Smooth Jazz Therapy net. Despite the fact that Oliver’s two disc DVD –CD set ‘One Night Live’ has been out since June 2008 its not too late to revisit the joys of ‘Radiant’. In fact, given Steve will be setting sail from Miami on January 31 as part of this year’s line-up for the All Star Cruise, there has never been a better opportunity to rediscover his music.

Get Free Download Of Gordon Goodwin's Jazz Police Remix

When, recently, I reviewed the album ‘Act Your Age’ from Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band I described it has delivering (in terms of big band expectations) exactly ‘what it says on the tin’. Yet due to the production influence of Lee Ritenour, and the presence of crossover jazz artists such as Eric Marienthal and Wayne Bergeron, I also discovered several gems with a distinctly contemporary leaning.

Now Gordon is offering a free download of the newly remixed ‘Jazz Police’ from his 2003 album ‘Property Of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band XXL’. To get yours simply send an e-mail to [email protected] and mention that you heard about it here at Smooth Jazz Therapy.

Back to ‘Act Your Age’ and it’s also worth knowing that the track ‘Chance Encounters’ is going to be featured on the ABC television show ‘Brothers and Sisters’ this Sunday, January 11, 2009. Check it out if you can.

Al Conti - Scheherazade

In seeking inspiration from other genres, contemporary jazz is undoubtedly on its firmest ground when sampling the moods and motivations of R & B. However, of late, artists from the distinctly left field of New Age music have begun to make themselves heard and, although they have not always found an easy fit with the rhythm and melody that typifies all that is good in smooth jazz, one performer who has something to bring to the party is instrumentalist Al Conti. His latest CD ‘Scheherazade’ is a compelling and seductive blend of Middle Eastern and world influences so strong that the listener could be excused for almost smelling the sweet scent of incense in the air.

Smooth Jazz Shown The Door In Miami

As far as smooth jazz radio is concerned 2008 went out much like it started. Beginning the day after Christmas, Clear Channel’s WLVE (Love 94) in Miami switched from Smooth Jazz to what it is calling Rhythmic AC. What that really means is the station, now dubbed 93.9-FM MIA, ‘Move to the Music’, will be playing inoffensive and semi-current hits from the likes of Leona Lewis and Rihanna plus a clutch of instantly forgettable oldies from Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez. Frighteningly the word is that Rick Astley's ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ has already been heard.

Although the Smooth Jazz format will soon be available on the station’s HD2 sub-channel the move is entirely consistent with the genre’s ‘on air’ demise. Following on from the loss of smooth jazz radio in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia Washington DC and Jacksonville, the closure is just one more in a sequence that has decimated the market right down the I-95 corridor. There is little doubt that, when the casualties in Houston and Denver are added in, the prognosis is indeed dire.

David Foster - Hit Man

Producer and songwriter David Foster is perhaps best known for his score for the film ‘St. Elmo's Fire’. It included the single ‘Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire’ that made number 15 on the US pop charts and now, in the best traditions of show business celebrity, Foster’s four decades in music has been honored in Las Vegas where an all star line-up paid their respects to him with a concert of some his greatest tunes. The result is the combined CD and DVD package ‘Hit Man – David Foster And Friends’ which is out now on the 143/ Reprise label and offers, if nothing else, the opportunity to revisit some of the biggest pop hits of the past thirty years.

Sexto Sentido - Mi Feeling

With its ultra sophisticated and hugely mellow second album, ‘Mi Feeling’, Sexto Sentido (Spanish for sixth sense) is following in the best traditions of Cuban vocal quartets. The group was formed in 1997 when four female students from the prestigious Amadeo Roldan Music Conservatory in Havana got together to sing R & B. This collaboration quickly strengthened into what is now recognised as a major force in Cuban Latin jazz and the debut album, ‘Bossa Cubana’ (a collection of classic Brazilian songs with a Cuban twist) was released in 2005. It drew favourable comment from Gary Hines of Sounds Of Blackness and led to work on projects with major contemporary producers such as Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) and Guy Sigsworth who, among many achievements, produced the hit record ‘Crazy’ for Seal. Now, with ‘Mi Feeling’, this sensuous quartet of Melvis Santa Estevez Guzman, Ariety Valdes Cana, Yudelkis Lafuente Acea and Eliene Castillo Borrero have set their sights on the lucrative North American market and have already picked up radio play on the excellent NPR network.