Smooth Jazz Therapy

Alan Hewitt - Retroactive

The much anticipated new CD from keyboard maestro Alan Hewitt is out now. Titled ‘Retroactive’ it is entirely up to expectations and as well as following his magnificent 2006 release ‘Metropolis’ is also Hewitt’s first in collaboration with the consistently excellent nuGroove label. With the exception of one stunning cover (and a tasty reprise from ‘Metropolis’) Hewitt writes arranges and co-produces throughout while his trademark keys prove yet again the ability he has to reach to the very essence of smooth jazz. Not only that, the contributions made by regular band members Jervonny Collier, Chad Wright, Brian Price and Gerald Spikes bestow an overall tightness that is quite simply a joy to behold.

Bernie Williams Takes it Back To The Ball Game

One tune currently catching significant airplay is ‘Ritmo De Otono’ from baseball player turned guitarist Bernie Williams. Broadly translated to ‘Autumn Rhythm’ this sensuously grooving number, which features Dave Koz on sax, is the latest single to be lifted from Williams’ second CD ‘Moving Forward’. Although Williams is best known for the sixteen seasons he spent as centre fielder with the New York Yankees, he actually started playing guitar when aged eight in his home town of San Juan. Puerto Rico.

His debut release, ‘Journey Within’ was released in 2003, while he was still on the Yankees roster, and although his style is eclectically Latin, Williams has found considerable favour within the smooth jazz community.

‘Moving Forward’ is a great example of the variety that Williams packs into his music as, along side Latin tinged delights and smooth jazz grooves, he has found space for two duets with Jon Secada, another with the incomparable Bruce Springsteen and an evocatively tender rendition of ‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’ which comes complete with an intro from legendary Yankees announcer Bob Shepperd.

‘Moving Forward’ is a little different to the norm and worth checking out.

Dee Brown - A Little Elbowroom

Here at Smooth Jazz Therapy this is Dee Brown week. Not only are we reviewing his terrific new album, ‘A Little Elbowroom’, but also giving you the chance to listen to the first track to go to radio, the wonderful ‘True Reality’. Simply click the selection at ‘listen here’ and enjoy. ‘A Little Elbowroom’ follows Dee’s highly acclaimed nuGroove debut ‘No Time To Waste’ that proved to be one of the surprise packets of the time and included the track ‘El Spanyo’ which made it into the Smooth Jazz Therapy top twenty tunes of 2007. Packed full of Brown’s urban tinged grooves, a feature of the collection was the way in which he blended his own playing with the sax of Dezie McCullers Jr and the vocals of some of Detroit’s freshest new talent. Now with ‘A Little Elbowroom’ Brown has come up with a sound that is unashamedly more guitar based and which shows of a different dimension of his considerable virtuosity. With a vibe that at times invites comparisons with his great guitar hero George Benson, this is an album that represents a significant milestone in Brown’s quickly evolving musical maturity.

Chris Standring - Blue Bolero

Already described as extremely cinematic, ‘Blue Bolero’ by Chris Standring is sure to be one of the most talked about releases of 2010. Although the distinctive vibe that has marked out Standring as one of the most soulful smooth jazz guitarists around remains clearly discernable, for ‘Blue Bolero’ he adds to it with compositions, arrangements and choice of instruments that show off a different side to his musical persona. A case in point is the eight minute six second ‘Overture’. In the way striking string arrangements blend with enticing guitar and flashes of acoustic bass this is a tune that can be rightly regarded as a metaphor for the entire album while the title song, with acoustic bass from Larry Steen and violin by Barbra Porter, demonstrates, perhaps for the first time ever, how contemporary jazz can fuse with classical influences in the most perfect of ways.

Paul Thomas Yoder - Catalina Cool

Due out in March 2010, ‘Catalina Cool’ by trumpet and flugelhorn player Paul Thomas Yoder has the kind of star studded line-up that almost beggars belief. In fact, for this tasty blend of self penned grooves and pop orientated covers, Yoder calls upon a welter of smooth jazz A-listers to lend their magic to what is without doubt an extremely interesting piece of work.

Marvin Gaye Meets Kool And The Gang

Not for the first time I am indebted to my musical friend and Jazz FM on-air personality Steve Quirk for news of an awesome mix of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ that samples Kool and the Gang’s classic song ‘Summer Madness’. Steve latched onto this wonderful piece through legendary soul DJ Robbie Vincent who delivers a stunningly good show on Jazz FM every Sunday morning. What makes the tune as surprising as it is delightful is the fact it was put together by two guys from the UK, Neil Thompson from Southport and Soul P from Luton. I understand that the prospects of the track being commercially released are good but until then there is a good chance of catching it either on Robbie’s show or on Steve’s slot that airs weekdays from two until four at www.jazzfm.com

Alternatively listen to it right here.

Mavis Staples At Anthology

Mavis Staples may be seventy years old but this soul and gospel icon, who also happens to be an inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, still has it all going on. This is her fifty ninth year in the business and the fact she blew into San Diego for two nights at Anthology on dates that coincided with the birthday of Martin Luther King made this, for her, a very personal performance. After opening the set with Stephen Still’s ‘For What Its Worth’ (which was a hit for the Staples Singers as far back as 1967) she asked the audience to respect the victims of Haiti with a few seconds silence before sharing with them some of her memories of being on the road with the Staple Singers and of meeting Dr King along the way.

Jacqui Naylor To Perform In The Bay Area

For those of you who are into good causes supported by great music there can be no better combination than the two upcoming performances from jazz singer-songwriter Jacqui Naylor that will benefit the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium.

She will be at the legendary Yoshi’s in Oakland, CA on Thursday, January 28th with show times at 8 p.m. ($20) and 10 p.m. ($15). Jacqui will be donating 50% of her proceeds from both shows to this excellent cause and more details can be obtained at http://yoshis.com/oakland/jazzclub/artist/show/614

Jacqui first caught my attention when I reported on her trademark skill of ‘smashing’ and just in case you are getting completely the wrong idea of what that might mean; it’s worth clarifying that smashing in this particular case means the blending of two separate songs into one seamless combination. Consequently she is sure to have some surprises in store.

For more on Jacqui and her music go to www.jacquinaylor.com

Dee Brown - In Conversation

Since the 2006 release of his excellent album ‘No Time To Waste’ silky smooth guitarist Dee Brown has been firmly on the Smooth Jazz Therapy radar screen. The track ‘El Spanyo’ made it into the Smooth Jazz Therapy top twenty tunes of 2007 and when the CD was subsequently re-released on nuGroove it became one of the surprise packets of 2008. Not only that, it signalled a relationship with the label that now looks even stronger with the launch of Dee’s latest project ‘A Little Elbowroom’. When recently Dee talked to me from his home in Detroit, MI I asked him about the creative process that underpins this outstanding piece of work. We also found time to reflect on his musical progression, the state of the economy, his major influences and an exciting new development that has taken him behind the microphone of smooth jazz radio.

Ken Navarro Back With New CD For 2010

When guitarist Ken Navarro released his 2007 album, ‘The Meeting Place’, it immediately became a personal favorite. However, accepting the fact that the follow up, ‘The Grace Of Summer Light’, was received to widespread critical acclaim, the recording inexplicably slipped the Smooth Jazz Therapy net. Consequently it is great to announce that Ken is back with his brand new project, ‘Dreaming of Trains’ that will be available in all good record stores from March 16. It will be Navarro's 19th CD release and includes such featured musicians as Jay Rowe from Special EFX and the Marion Meadows band, Tom Kennedy from the Al Dimeola band and Joel Rosenblatt of Spyro Gyra. Each of the nine original recordings are reported as being built around strong melodic themes with an accessibility that belies the complexity of what overall is a beautifully diverse group of songs.

Check back here soon for a complete review of ‘Dreaming of Trains’.

Kathy Sanborn - Small Galaxy

Now for a new release that is not due out until April 2010 but which is already being hailed as the ‘feel good album’ of the year. ‘Small Galaxy’ from keyboard player and vocalist Kathy Sanborn has a wonderful comforting quality that is exemplified by the silky title track and reinforced by the understatedly funky ‘Catch the Wave’ which features muted trumpet from Wayne Ricci. Elsewhere, songs such as Smooth Jazz Therapy favorite ‘Be Coolin’ and the equally exquisite ‘Got Me Runnin’ do nothing to spoil the mood. All things considered this is a collection that is sure to do well.

‘Small Galaxy’ is Kathy’s debut with the excellent label Pacific Coast Jazz label and tracks from it can be sampled at http://pacificcoastjazz.com/k_sanborn.htm

Smooth Jazz Therapy - Readers Top Tracks

The dust had barely settled on another new year when a flurry of Smooth Jazz Therapy readers came forward with their own opinions on what were the ‘Top Twenty Tracks’ of 2009. It is a tribute to the musical savvy of those who check out this site (and of the great music currently out there) that although duplications with my own selections did occur some really innovative suggestions were also proffered.

In this respect there is none more so that friend of Smooth Jazz Therapy Max Hill from Austin, Texas who dug deep for gems such as ‘Living in High Definition’ by George Benson’ from his CD ‘Songs And Stories’. As Max rightly points out, with a wonderful feel good vibe and an incredible horn section it’s a tune to lift the spirits. Max also includes songs from Najee, Cindy Bradley and Jeff Kashiwa in his ‘top five’ and although he concurs with my choice of the new Peter White album he picks ‘Bright’ as his favorite track.

Thanks to Max and to everyone else who took the time to share their favorite music of the year with me.

Nocy - Rise

Somewhere in the hinterland between contemporary jazz and world music is a sub-genre that might best be described as Latin guitar. In its purest form the music takes in influences from many countries and many styles including where Spanish blends with Mediterranean and where North African and South American can both find a place. Perhaps today’s leading exponent of these frenetic sounds is Jesse Cook. Another is Los Angeles based Nocy whose 2009 ‘best of’ collection is entitled ‘Rise’.

Brian Simpson's Closer Still Now Available Via Download

It was in early 2007, during his performance at the Smooth Jazz Cruise, that Brian Simpson provided a reminder of his very first solo project, the largely forgotten ‘Closer Still’. In fact, after tempting his audience with ‘Brazilia’ (which he composed during his first tour in Brazil with George Duke) and his sensational cover of the Janet Jackson hit ‘Because Of Love’, all available copies of the album sold out within hours. The limited stocks available onboard ship masked the fact that, commercially, ‘Closer Still’ had not been obtainable for many years and the buzz surrounding this sumptuous piece of buried treasure led to copies being sold online for in excess of $100. Released in 1995 the collection is an almost definitive example of what great smooth jazz should be and the wonderful news is each of its twelve choice tracks are now available for download in mp3 format at both www.cdbaby.com and www.amazon.com

These original cuts include guest appearances by Jonathan Butler on ‘Brazilia’ and by sax man Everette Harp on the easy grooving ‘Lake Shore Drive’. Quite simply this is a chance way too good to miss and comes massively recommended.

Euge Groove - Sunday Morning

Those at the very top of their chosen profession share the trait of being able to make the incredibly difficult seem unbelievably simple. This applies to actors, sportsmen and, of course, musicians where a case in point is smooth jazz superstar Euge Groove whose latest album, ‘Sunday Morning’, is a masterpiece of understated accomplishment. Out now on Shanachie, ‘Sunday Morning’ is Euge Groove’s sixth CD and those who have watched his evolution since 2000, and the release of his self titled debut, cannot have failed to be impressed by the growing maturity that each subsequent recording has brought. Now, with a generous proportion of self penned tunes and re-united with production genius Paul Brown, Euge has reached new heights with a collection with which he unashamedly demonstrates a more sensitive side of his musical persona.

Cleveland And Las Vegas - The Latest To Loose Smooth Jazz Radio

I am indebted to my associate and friend Christine Clark for the unfortunate news that Cleveland and Las Vegas are the latest cities to loose terrestrial smooth jazz radio. KOAS 105.7 in Vegas flipped from smooth jazz to adult contemporary over the Christmas weekend while, effective from December 28, Cleveland’s WNWV 107.3 The Wave switched to rock.

The demise of smooth jazz radio, both on the east coast and in the mid west has, over the past eighteen months, been relentless. Up until now it had seemed that the format was more resilient in what could be termed as ‘the warm weather states’. However, the arrival of the grim reaper in the relatively intense heat of the Nevada desert must start alarm bells ringing in cities such as San Diego and Los Angeles where smooth jazz radio still attracts a significant audience. Chances are that the excellent stations which serve these conurbations will remain unscathed. For the rest, and for the genre as a whole, the Internet is now clearly the way forward.