Smooth Jazz Therapy

Dave Koz To Host Mediterranean Smooth Jazz Cruise

Although 2011 will find Dave Koz and Friends ‘all at sea’ as they embark upon the August 26 –September 2 smooth jazz cruise from Seattle to Alaska, in 2012 Dave will be considerably widening his horizons.

It has just been announced that, in September of 2012, Koz will be cruising the Italian and French Riviera. With an itinerary starting in Barcelona, Spain and continuing on to Naples, Florence, Nice and Toulon the tour will take in three countries and six ports during seven unforgettable days aboard the Royal Caribbean Line's Brilliance of the Seas.

It is sure to be the smooth jazz cruise to top all smooth jazz cruises so check back here often for emerging news as it happens.

Hart Ramsey - Charge It To My Heart

2010 has provided some wonderful contemporary jazz surprises and none more so than the stunning debut recording from producer, keyboardist, engineer, and songwriter Hart Ramsey. Titled ‘Charge It to My Heart’ and featuring guest performances from Eric Essix, Phil Davis, Kelley O'Neal and Rick Watford, it’s emergence as one of the hottest releases of the year is perhaps all the more surprising for the fact that Ramsey has a Doctorate in Pastoral Ministry. In fact when not making music he teaches weekly services at Northview Christian Church in Alabama. However, although the collection does have a slight gospel tinge, it differentiates itself not with any sacred element but by the quality of the music which in terms of contemporary jazz is as good as anything currently on offer.

Mindi Abair Back With New Radio Single

Mindi Abair’s radio hit ‘Be Beautiful’ was characterised by a happy stride, Mindi’s distinctive sax and the husky singing tones of David Ryan Harris. It was the first single to be lifted from the excellent ‘In Hi-Fi Stereo’ that Abair uses to pay homage to the sounds of R & B, soul and funk so synonymous with the sixties and early seventies.

Now, hot on its heels, Mindi is again assaulting the airwaves with the just as good ‘Any Way You Wanna’. This swaggering mid tempo number includes contributions from both Randy Jacobs on guitar and Rex Rideout who is understatedly noteworthy on keys.

‘Any Way You Wanna’ should to be tailor made for Abair’s live performances so make plans to see her soon. For more information and a complete tour schedule go to www.mindiabair.com

Gabriel - Told Ya So

Horn player Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, aka Gabriel, has joined forces with Jeff Lorber, Paul Brown, Marc Antoine and Darren Rahn for his brand new release ‘Told Ya So’. Predictably, the result is something quite special. Gabriel co-writes twelve of the songs with Miles Black (who plays keyboards, bass and guitar on each of them) another with Lorber and the collection is rounded off by the addition of one superb cover. Indeed the project brims with understated magnificence and has already garnered a nomination in the category ‘Album of the Year’ at the upcoming Wave Awards that will be held on April 29, 2011 in Ontario Canada. In addition it has led to Gabriel being nominated as Instrumentalist of the Year at the same event but, awards ceremonies notwithstanding, the legacy of ‘Told Ya So’ will surely be in the quality of its music.

Paula Prophet - From Me To You

I first became acquainted with the music of Paula Prophet through her guest appearance on Bradley Leighton’s excellent 2007 release ‘Soul Collective’. Now this twenty year singing veteran, who has a style that has drawn comparisons with the likes of Randy Crawford, Chaka Kahn, Sade and Sarah Vaughn, is all set to step centre-stage. Her debut solo recording, ‘From Me To You’, will be released on the Pacific Coast Jazz label in January 2011 and if the current buzz surrounding its early digital distribution is anything to go by, Paula may well have an international smash on her hands.

Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards 2011 - Latest Update

The 2011 Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards are headed to San Diego and, with forty contemporary jazz artists scheduled to perform at five different venues, the four days of March 10th to 13th 2011 will undoubtedly prove to be entirely memorable. In fact over sixteen incredible events will take place at locations right across the downtown area. Included will be a concert on the flight deck of the historic USS Midway while the Saturday evening awards ceremony will take place at the San Diego Civic Center.

During the run-up to this stupendous occasion Smooth Jazz Therapy will be providing regular updates. Consequently check back here often and for more news on the 2011 Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards go to www.oasisjazzawards.com

Hart Ramsey Debuts With Charge It To My Heart

One to watch for 2011 is the debut release from producer, keyboardist, engineer, and songwriter Hart Ramsey. Titled ‘Charge It to My Heart’ and featuring guest performances from Eric Essix, Phil Davis, Kelley O'Neal and Rick Watford, it blends unconventional harmonies with some of the most beautiful melodies you will hear anywhere.

The first single to be serviced to radio is the sax driven ‘Centerpiece’ that has all the attributes necessary to do well yet right up there with it is the feisty groove drenched ‘What About Love’ (that features Kelly O’Neal) and the equally good ‘Something New’ where Phil Davis makes a massive contribution.

‘Charge It to My Heart’ is out now on N-Coded Music and comes highly recommended. Check back here soon for a complete review.

Irene With Her Latin Jazz Band - A Hot & Spicy Christmas

With the holiday season rapidly approaching there has never been a better time to comment on a very different kind of Christmas release. ‘A Hot & Spicy Christmas’ from Irene with Her Latin Jazz Band is collection that uses infectious Latin rhythms to interpret an eclectic section of seasonal music. Irene is in fact vocalist and pianist Irene Nachreiner who was born in East Los Angeles at the heart of California’s Latin culture. She grew up listening to the Latin jazz, bossa novas, sambas and rumbas that were staples of her local radio station and became totally captivated by the passionate and seductive rhythms that typify what the best of Latin music is all about. For ‘A Hot & Spicy Christmas’ she has sought out some familiar gems plus others previously lost in the mists of time. To these Irene has added three of her own compositions with the outcome that this is Christmas music the like of which you will not have heard before.

Ronald Isley To Release Solo Album

By any standards The Isley Brothers have done more to impact the confluence of R & B and smooth contemporary jazz than arguably anyone else around. This iconic line-up has the distinction of placing hit singles on the pop and R&B charts in every decade from the 1950’s right up until the present and their enduring yet unique sound owes much to the soulful tones of leader Ronal Isley. Now, belatedly, and after fully 50 years in the recording business, the great man is all set to release his very first solo album. Titled ‘Mr. I’, it will be released November 30 on the Def Jam label and follows in the Isley tradition of collaborating with some of the hottest young producers of the current era.

Headlined by the sumptuously silky new single ‘No More’ the album is executive produced by Ronald Isley and Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid while artists putting in guest appearances include T.I. on the track ‘Put Your Money On Me’ and the Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin, on the climactic closing version of Carole King’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend’.

It promises to be something very special so check back here soon for a complete review of ‘Mr. I’.

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.

Darryl Williams Goes From Strength To Strength

Although 2010 is winding down and bass player Darryl Williams can rightly reflect on what, for him, has been an amazing year, there still remains a few more opportunities to catch him playing live.

In fact he will be at Simply Sharon’s, Temecula's finest Louisiana style restaurant, every Wednesday from 8-00 PM until midnight when in the company of Kevin Flournoy on keys, Tony Moore on drums and well known LA and Temecula jazz vocalist Kim Horn he will be serving up some great live jazz. He is also scheduled to appear at Humphries Backstage Lounge on Sunday November 28th where, as well as performing songs from his 2008 solo release ‘That Was Then’, he will also be playing some of your favourite smooth jazz and funk tunes.

Shilts - Going Underground

Bringing back the funk has been a common theme for a whole crop of recent contemporary jazz releases but in the case of high octane sax player Shilts the funk has never really gone away. With a style which in the most part has been characterized by the big funky sound of Down To The Bone (with whom he enjoyed a long and successful association) he has been painstakingly building a solo career which started out in 2001 with ‘See What Happens’ and gained momentum in 2006 with ‘Head Boppin’. The added sophistication that came courtesy of his 2008 project, ‘Jigsaw Life’ clearly demonstrated his rapidly growing musical maturity and now he is back with the excellent ‘Going Underground’. As with previous ventures Shilts calls upon some of the best musicians around to lend a hand and is variously backed by the powerhouse combination of Bill Steinway, Randy Jacobs, Nate Phillips, Jon Gilutin and Jervonny Collier.

Take 6 - The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

It might be the parties and then again maybe it is the roasting of the chestnuts. Perhaps it’s even the caroling out in the snow. What ever the reason most people consider the holiday season to be the most wonderful time of the year and consequently it is fitting that a cappella jazz group Take 6 have chosen ‘The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year’ as the title of their brand new Christmas offering.

This beautifully structured and wonderfully performed collection is Christmas music very much in its traditional sense and every one of the tracks, from the nostalgic title cut to the classic ‘It Came Upon A Midnight Clear’, have that magical ability to put the listener entirely into the festive spirit.

Dee Brown's Sonny Headed To Radio

When, earlier in 2010, jazz guitarist Dee Brown released the terrific album, ‘A Little Elbowroom’, it wasn’t long before the wonderful track ‘True Reality’ was tearing up the airwaves. In fact the entire collection was something of a sensation and had a title that clearly articulated Brown’s new found sense of musical freedom. This had much to do with his then fledgling partnership with NuGroove Records so it is no surprise that the label is now following up by servicing the distinctly Benson-esque, ‘Sonny’ to radio. This bright, perky tune really allows Brown to show off his velvety guitar skills and is well worth looking out for.

For more go to www.deebrownmusic.com

A Night At The American Smooth Jazz Awards

October 29, 2010. It had been a long time coming but despite venue changes and line-up adjustments the inaugural American Smooth Jazz Awards finally got under way at the theatre for the performing arts in Chicago’s DuSable Museum of African American History. Tucked away in Washington Park on the south side of the ‘windy city’ it proved to be an ideal setting for the sell out crowd who were treated to almost four hours of excellent music interspersed with the giving of awards and the honoring of some of the genre’s finest. The show was anchored in part by WLFM 87.7 on-air personality Rick O’Dell who was helped in no small measure by Chicago’s own Nick Colionne whose magnetic personality ensured that, whenever he was around, there was barely a dull moment. Indeed it was Colionne’s solo performance that opened the proceedings and in an evening that included appearances by Marc Antoine, Darren Rahn and Jackiem Joyner there were some truly memorable moments.