Smooth Jazz Therapy

Peter White Headed To Radio With Here We Go

Ahead of the release of his brand new CD ‘Here We Go’ much acclaimed smooth jazz guitarist Peter White is taking the title cut from this fine album to radio.

The track features David Sanborn on saxophone and in fact White composed this infectious tune with Sanborn in mind. As White explains, “It came to me one day while I was driving. I kept thinking, 'this has to be something outstanding. I can't go to David Sanborn with anything less!' The excitement about having him play on my record inspired an up-tempo rhythm, so I took it in that direction."

Some of the energy fueling this record is the realization of White's longtime dream to collaborate with Sanborn. White has been a fan of the saxophonist for decades. "David is someone whom I've wanted to play with for the longest time," he explains. "This is someone who played at Woodstock and recorded with David Bowie. His sound has become the inspiration for many of my contemporaries. He's a legend to me and to just about every musician I know."

‘Here We Go’ will be released March 13 on the Heads Up label, a division of Concord Music Group.

Dave McMurray - I Know About Love

Whether as sideman for the likes of Bob James or contributor to albums such as Dylan’s ‘Under The Red Sky’ or the Rolling Stones ‘Voodoo Lounge’ fusion player Dave McMurray can always be relied upon to deliver the goods. This Detroit-based saxophonist made his solo debut in 1995 with ‘The Dave McMurray Show’ and since then has gone on to release four more CDs with the latest being the excellent ‘I Know About Love’.

John Carey - Spicy

Guitarist John Carey recently enjoyed success on the UK soul charts with the album ‘New Beginnings’ and the follow-up, ‘Smooth and Funky’, will be independently released on March 1, 2012. It incudes the appropriately titled ‘Spicy’ which has a terrific Latin groove and features rising sax star Will Donato.

Check out ‘Spicy’ right here right now and to buy the album go to iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon or, in the UK, Soul Brother Records.

Ken Navarro - The Test Of Time

Since 2008 and the release of ‘The Grace of Summer Light’ guitarist Ken Navarro has been exploring the possibilities created by combining his distinctly melodic music with sophisticated harmony, fresh rhythms and long form compositions. The 2010 project ‘Dreaming Of Trains’ found Navarro continuing this genre bending journey but now with ‘The Test Of Time’, which is due out on March 20, he is taking on a whole different challenge. Billed as “solo guitar like you never imaged it” this ten track collection of some of the most memorable songs ever written delivers melodies, bass lines, harmonies and percussion all played simultaneously on one single guitar, without a single overdub in sight. As a consequence ‘The Test Of Time’ serves not only as a sublime showcase for some truly memorable music but also as a glowing tribute to Navarro’s undisputed artistry.

Chico & Rita

Chico & Rita is an animated film directed by Spanish Oscar-winner Fernando Trueba with Javier Mariscal and Tono Errando. An exquisitely drawn story of love, it was inspired by the life of Cuban maestro Bebo Valdés and takes the audience on a spicy Latin adventure from the famous Tropicana club in Havana to the Salle Pleyel Club in Paris and on to famed New York venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Village Vanguard and the Palladium Ballroom. The movie has been nominated for a 2012 Academy Award in the category of Best Animated Feature Film, and after premiering at Angelika Film Center in New York on February 10 became an instant box office hit.

The extraordinary soundtrack, which is a musical journey into the best of Latin music, was recorded with Bebo Valdés who also played piano and lead some of the wonderful collaborations that are a feature of the best that the film has to offer.

Sample a taste of Chico & Rita right here right now.

Chico & Rita - Official US Trailer from GKIDS on Vimeo.

Paul Brown - The Funky Joint

Since 2004 and the release of his debut album, ‘Up Front’, Paul Brown has been balancing his career as a solo performer with that of being perhaps the most influential producer in the history of contemporary jazz. Over the years Brown has either worked or played with some of the hottest artists that the genre has to offer and his latest CD features performances from many of them. Titled ‘The Funky Joint’ it is his sixth solo recording and will be released March 6 on the rapidly emerging Woodward Avenue Records. Replete with that special ‘Paul Brown sound’ which lays somewhere between rock, smooth jazz and chill, the collection is also notable for the way it brings together some of the finest smooth jazz talent of the past thirty plus years.

Chris Standring - Electric Wonderland

‘Blue Bolero’ by Chris Standring was one of the most talked about releases of 2010. Its innovative use of a string quartet demonstrated, perhaps for the first time, how contemporary jazz could fuse with classical influences in the most perfect of ways. Consequently for his latest CD, ‘Electric Wonderland’ (which is due to hit the streets on March 20) he has for the most part retained the string section but, in so doing, gone for a vibe that is more dreamy, romantic, joyful and hopeful than anything he has previously produced. The result is magical in the extreme and even at this early stage seems destined to be one the album’s of the year.

Darren Rahn - Magnetic

Piece by piece, Darren Rahn has been assembling the jigsaw of what is becoming an ever more complete career. Having variously written or produced for the likes of Dave Koz, Tim Bowman and the late Wayman Tisdale, his prowess as a solo saxophonist has led to three critically acclaimed albums, ‘Once In A Lifetime’, ‘Soulful’ and most recently ‘Talk Of The Town’. This latter collection garnered the horn driven, Billboard chart topping, title cut which proved to be everything that edgy contemporary jazz should be and now he is back with the soon to be released ‘Speechless’.

It is his first recording on Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records and the label has just announced that the first single from it to be serviced to radio will the easy grooving ‘Magnetic’. With an urban swagger, which is infectious in the extreme, this is a track that is sure to dominate the airwaves for some considerable time.

‘Speechless’ will feature smooth jazz heavyweights such as Dave Koz, Paul Brown, Najee, and Nate Harasim. Not only that, the much anticipated title track will include vocals from the up and coming Maxine Hardcastle.

The CD will hit the streets on March 27th so check back here soon for a complete review.

East Bay Soul 2.0

Much of the early buzz surrounding the release of ‘East Bay Soul 2.0’ has been about how a sensational campaign to raise the $25,000 necessary to record the album hit its target. However, now it’s all about the music. Make no mistake, this is a collection of the highest order and everything (plus a little bit more) that one would expect from the creative genius of its creator Greg Adams. Of course Adams was the founding member of Tower of Power where his signature sound as performer and arranger made the TOP horn section a sought out entity all it's own. Now, factor in Darryl Walker's powerful soul drenched vocals, add eight other world class artists and the result is a singular vision of instrumental funk, jazz and soul music brought to audiences in a fresh new way. This is new a movement in Urban Jazz; this is ‘East Bay Soul 2.0’.

Michael Lington - Pure

Due out February 14th on the Trippin N' Rhythm label, the latest release from sax-man Michael Lington is titled ‘Pure’. In part it was recorded live with Rickey Minor and the Tonight Show Band while guest performers include heavy hitters such as Michael Bolton, Lee Ritenour, Jonathan Butler, Brian Culbertson, Ray Parker Jr, Jeff Golub and Paul Jackson Jr. The first single, ‘Road Trip’, which features Ritenour on guitar is full of the gutsy ‘in your face’ playing for which Lington is best known and is already making considerable waves at contemporary jazz radio. Even at this early stage the indications are that, with ‘Pure’, Michael Lington is taking his burgeoning career to a whole new level.

Chris Standring - Oliver's Twist

Hot news from guitarist Chris Standing is that he has just released a new video in support of the single ‘Oliver’s Twist’. The vibe of the song is all in the title and is beautifully conveyed in what I consider to be the best smooth jazz video for some considerable time. All will become apparent when you watch so check it out, right here, right now.

If that wasn’t enough Chris’s fans in the United Kingdom should be in for a real treat when he performs the Pizza Express Jazz Club in the heart of London’s Soho district on February 24-25. Chris is a ‘must see’ live act so get your tickets now.

Patrick Yandall - Acoustic Dreamscape

Smooth Jazz Therapy has followed the career of guitarist Patrick Yandall since 2006 and the release of his excellent CD ‘Samoa Soul’. In fact this San Diego resident has been a solo artist since 1994 when he made his debut with ‘That Feels Nice’ and now, eighteen years later, he is back with his fourteenth album, the terrific ‘Acoustic Dreamscape’. Produced and engineered by Yandall (who also writes nine of the eleven tracks) this is very much his own project and, given he also plays all instruments, there is little doubt that ‘Acoustic Dreamscape’serves as a resounding showcase for his abundant talents.

Ken Navarro - Message In A Bottle

Due out on March 20, the exciting new CD from guitar maestro Ken Navarro is titled ‘The Test Of Time’ and, much like the publicity describes,this collection of twelve timeless tunes is “solo guitar like you never imagined it.” With no overdubs whatsoever and melodies, bass lines, harmonies and percussion all played simultaneously on just one guitar this is a very special piece of work. To get an inkling of how Navarro does it check this clip of him playing a track from the album, Sting’s ‘Message In A Bottle’.

Check back here soon for a complete review of ‘The Test Of Time’

Peter White - Here We Go

There is something about the music of Peter White. It has a way of creeping into the psyche of those who listen in a way that stays with them for ever but in so doing remains completely fresh. Consequently, despite the fact White’s last CD, ‘Good Day’, was released in 2009, the event seems as if it were yesterday. Now he is back with the equally good ‘Here We Go’. Scheduled for release March 13 on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, this eleven song collection has been co-produced by White and his long term collaborator DC. With a range of original material drawn from both the recent and distant past, plus some stellar guest appearances thrown in for good measure, ‘Here We Go’ is destined to be one of the outstanding albums of 2012.