Smooth Jazz Therapy

Chris Standring - Dont Talk, Dance!

Amongst the current crop of contemporary jazz artists, guitarist Chris Standring has a sound that is arguably the most distinctive.  Indeed the trademark groove that he cultivated with recordings such as ‘Soul Express’ and Love & Paragraphs’ and which he enhanced by the innovative use of a string quartet for the albums ‘Blue Bolero’ and ‘Electric Wonderland’, has served to define Standring as a performer.  Now he is back with the entirely spellbinding ‘Don’t Talk. Dance!’  Of course Standring being Standring, the name doesn’t tell you the half of it yet in the company of band members Rodney Lee on keys, bass player Andre Berry and drummer Dave Karasony, plus the welcome return of sumptuous string backing from Nikki Garcia, Barbra Porter, Tom Tally and Cameron Stone, he has delivered a body of work for which the word ‘masterpiece’ would not be out of place.

Althea Rene - Sunday Cruise

Courtesy of its zesty title cut, ‘In The Flow’ by smooth jazz flautist Althea Rene has already been making some waves.  Now Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm has returned to this choice collection for yet another radio single, the dazzling ‘Sunday Cruise’. 

Of course regular readers of these pages will know that before becoming a full time musician Althea spent more than 10 years as a Wayne County Deputy Sheriff in Detroit, MI.  With perhaps the exception of Cagney & Lacey, she is certainly my favorite ex-cop of all time and with ‘In The Flow’ is all set become the favorite of many more.

Brian Culbertson - Fullerton Ave.

Already publicized as one of the highlights of the smooth jazz year, ‘Another Long Night Out’ from Brian Culbertson will be available, in stores and online, February 25^th.  Its Culbertson’s reimagining of the eleven songs he wrote and produced for his debut disc, ‘Long Night Out’ in 1994 but this time around he is in the company of some of the most accomplished musicians in contemporary jazz. 

A complete review of ‘Another Long Night Out’ will be on these pages soon but for now check out the track ‘Fullerton Ave’ that not only includes backing from Paul Jackson Jr., Michael “Patches” Stewart, Eric Marienthal, Jimmy Haslip and Will Kennedy but also a features Chuck Loeb on guitar.

 

Trevor Lawrence - I Just Can't Get Enough

A performer who has played live on tour with The Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, John Lennon, The Pointer Sisters, Etta James, Roberta Flack and many more clearly cannot be overlooked and that is certainty the case with sax-man Trevor Lawrence.  He enjoys an artistry that has generated a lifetime of musical vision and this is perfectly exemplified by the single ‘I Just Cant Get Enough’ from his CD ‘Smile’ that is a recent newcomer of smooth jazz radio.

Paolo Rustichelli - Med Groove

Already described elsewhere as being sunny, sexy and invigorating, the excellent ‘Med Groove’ from Italian keyboard player and composer Paolo Rustichelli is a fabulously cool cut that I encourage you to make part of your 2014 music collection.

Despite its mid-tempo disposition this is a tune that betrays Rustichelli’s penchant for blending smooth jazz with chill and electronica, a style that previously was exemplified by Paolo’s hit recording ‘Paisa’ which you can check out here right now.

 

Najee - Tokyo Blue

Smooth Jazz Archive is an occasional series that reflects on genre defining albums from the last forty years and one such release was Najee’s 1990 project ‘Tokyo Blue’.  The way it blended jazz with R & B, placed him right at the top of his urban jazz game and his judicious use of featured vocalists was starting a trend in smooth jazz which has endured to this day.

Ronny Jordan - After Hours

With the news from earlier this week that acid jazz guitarist Ronny Jordan has died at age 51 there is no finer way to celebrate his life than with a snippet of his music.  Although to be found on his 1992 debut CD ‘The Antidote’, the track ‘After Hours’ was in fact released as a single sometime before that.  It is an early example of how he effortlessly blended elements of soul, disco, hip-hop and funk into what became known as acid jazz although the fact Jordan himself referred to his music as urban jazz was another factor that placed him ahead of his time.

Other memorable Jordan tracks include his distinctive cover of the Miles Davis classic ‘So What’ and also his 1993 song ‘The Jackal’ that was famously lip-synched by actress Allison Janney on the ‘Six Meetings Before Lunch’ episode of ‘The West Wing’ in 2000.

 

Jeff Lorber Fusion - Hacienda

The wealth of music Jeff Lorber created on the six albums he recorded between 1979 and 1985 marked him out as a significant player in the development of the R&B-jazz amalgam that was otherwise known as jazz fusion.  Indeed his own ‘fusion project’, the conveniently titled Jeff Lorber Fusion, made its self-titled debut in 1977 and although he dropped the name ‘Fusion’ after the group’s 1981 ‘Galaxian’ CD he was, by then, very much on a roll.  In fact his fusion focus stretched all the way to 2010 and the album ‘Now Is The Time’ for which the Jeff Lorber Fusion trio was restored by the addition of Eric Marienthal and Jimmy Haslip.  Not only that, the critical acclaim which with the collection was received spawned live performances and a follow up CD, ‘Galaxy’, which was released in 2011.  A feature of these twenty first century recordings was the caliber of the artists who lent there support with Lenny Castro, Paul Jackson Jr., Larry Koonse, Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl all being involved.  Now this classy collective are together again for ‘Hacienda’.

Tony Saunders - Sandy Shores Of Monterey

Two-time Emmy Award winner and bass player Tony Saunders has recorded and performed with artists such as Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr, Joe Sample, Randy Crawford and Herbie Hancock.  His latest solo release, ‘Appaloosa’, is out now on San Francisco Records and has been described elsewhere as a romantic contemporary jazz and R&B journey.  It includes the smooth jazz single ‘Sandy Shores of Monterey’ which is an original Saunders' composition that was inspired by a visit there.  With winter weather all around us the opportunity to be transported to the sand, surf and beauty of this beautiful area may well be just too good to miss.

Najee - The Morning After

Although 2014 is already well underway it would be remiss not to comment on an album from 2013 that, for whatever reason, we missed out upon the first time around.  It’s the current recording from Najee and since the release of ‘Najee’s Theme’ in 1986; this fine saxophonist has been putting down a marker for his own brand of sophisticated ‘high end’ contemporary jazz.  As one of the pioneers of jazz fusion he helped shape the blending of R & B with jazz in a way that today has become common place yet as other artists have, to a certain extent, copied what Najee invented, he has recalibrated his own musical centre of gravity to include more straight ahead elements that reach back to his formative (Berklee College) years.  This hasn’t always found favour with an audience whose penchant is for covers and who have been conditioned by what makes it to radio, yet paradoxically this subtle change of style has opened him up to a whole new fan base.  Consequently it is brilliant to report that his new collection, ‘The Morning After’ combines what he is best known for with the straight ahead jazz he is easing toward.

Funkee Boy - Let It Flow

The brand new CD from smooth jazz keyboard player Bobbi "Funkee Boy" Tammaro is titled ‘Soul Purpose’ and features guest performances from luminaries of the genre such as Bob Baldwin, Najee, Nick Colionne and Cindy Bradley.  The first single to be serviced to radio is ‘Let It Flow’ which finds Funkee Boy in collaboration with none other than Warren Hill who in his time has made some significant contributions to the way contemporary jazz looks today.  Not only is ‘Let It Flow’ a great way to get 2014 started, this vibrant and hugely catchy tune also promises much for Funkee Boy as a star of the future.  Check it out.

Earl Klugh - Midnight In San Juan

By 1990, when Earl Klugh’s wonderful ‘Midnight In San Juan’ was released, he already had twenty albums to his name.  Yet, this collection, leaning heavily as it does on Latin and Caribbean influences, was right up there with his best.  Indeed no-one, but no-one, does melodic contemporary jazz the way Earl Klugh does melodic contemporary jazz and this is as true today as it was when ‘Midnight In San Juan’ first hit the streets.

Brandon Willis - Stay With Me

Well, with the dust hardly settled on my Smooth Jazz Therapy Top Twenty of 2013, one of the selections, the fabulous ‘Stay With Me’ from 21-year-old saxophonist Brandon Willis, has been re-released to radio.  It’s from Brandon’s debut CD ‘First Time’ and, with a vibe reminiscent of Euge Groove at his very best, is well worth checking out.

Four80East - Biblioteca

With a unique blend of electronica, acid jazz and chill, the music of Four80East isn’t all that easy to categorize.  Without doubt the band has given smooth jazz a much needed shot in the arm yet it would be paying a disservice to founder members Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace to describe them as simply smooth jazz performers.  They are so much more than that and since 1998, with the CD ‘The Album’; they have been consistently pushing out the boundaries.  By just how far is ably demonstrated by their excellent new ‘best of’ release, ‘Biblioteca’, which is a ‘digital-only’ offering targeted exclusively at Europe and containing ten choice cuts harvested from their considerable discography.  Not only that, the recording also includes a brand-new remix of the classic ‘Je Pense A Toi’.

Paul Hardcastle - Boogie Down

The incomparable Paul Hardcastle is currently working on a new project for 2014 with a mission to bring back the golden age of disco.  It's titled 'Back In Time' and if this snippet is anything to go by he is about to deliver a winner.