Smooth Jazz Therapy

Art Porter - For Art's Sake

When, in November of 1996, saxophonist Art Porter was killed in a boating accident, smooth jazz was robbed of a talent that could never be replaced.  He was thirty five and had been journeying to a remote part of Thailand where he was booked to perform in a jazz festival.  Yet for someone so young his musical legacy was already considerable.

Elan Trotman - Smooth N' Saxy

No sooner has the dust settled on Elan Trotman’s ‘Tropicality’ CD (from which came the sparkling hits ‘Master Blaster (Jammin)’ and ‘Tradewinds’) than back he comes with a brand new project, ‘Live And Uncut’.  Recorded under the banner of the Elan Trotman Group, the album includes some of his best songwriting to date while the lead single, the aptly titled ‘Smooth N' Saxy’, is afforded a wonderfully tropical vibe by subtle use of the steel pan.

This one is top notch so check it out.

 

Tom Braxton - The Next Chapter

Anyone who has been anywhere near live smooth jazz will know the name of Tom Braxton.  He was Wayman Tisdale’s touring saxophonist for seventeen years and, after Tisdale’s untimely death in 2009, went on to perform similar roles with Kirk Whalum, Keiko Matsui and, more recently, Earl Klugh.  Yet throughout that time Braxton was patiently building his own discography.  Three albums of Christian based music, in 1992, 1998 and 1999, led to his 2001 Christmas collection, ‘Comfort & Joy’.  In 2005 his first fully fledged contemporary jazz CD, ‘Bounce’, hit the streets and was followed in 2007 by ‘Imagine This’.  The highly acclaimed ‘Endless Highway’ was released two years later and now, brand new for 2014, he is back with ‘The Next Chapter’.

Igor Gerzina - Summer Breeze

Croatian sax-man Igor Gerzina has been firmly on the Smooth Jazz Therapy radar since 2012 and the release of the wonderful ‘Metropolis’.  The follow up, ‘One Click World’, proved to be one of the hottest albums of 2013 and now Igor is back with the stand-alone single, ‘Summer Breeze’.

Not to be confused with the Isley Brothers classic of the same name this mellifluous yet hard driving cut benefits from vocals by Valerija and is sure to be a contender for my top tracks of 2014.

 

Bill Heller - Find The Way

Perhaps best known as keyboard player with smooth jazz super-group (the) Rippingtons, Bill Heller has just released his own solo collection, the excellent ‘Find The Way’.  It fuses together jazz of varying complexions through the combined talents of guest performers (and Rippingtons band-mates) Jeff Kashiwa, Rico Belled and Dave Karasony plus fine work from Eric Marienthal Ronnie Gutierrez, Joel Rosenblatt and Dave Anderson.  However, that said, this is very much Heller’s album.  He writes all twelve tracks, produces throughout and, with his mastery on keys, leaves listeners wondering why it has taken him so long to move center stage.

Brian Culbertson - Horizon

Marking a return to the rhythm and melody with which he originally made his name, ‘Another Long Night Out’ from smooth jazz superstar Brian Culbertson has been one of the album’s of the year so far.  It finds him revisiting (and completely reworking) his 1994 debut album, ‘Long Night Out’ and the latest single to be taken from it is the wonderfully streetwise ‘Horizon’.  Featuring the highly regarded Patches Stewart on trumpet this easy grooving cut finds Culbertson at the top of his game.

 

Cindy Bradley - Bliss

Back in 2007, as if from nowhere (but actually from Buffalo, NY), trumpeter Cindy Bradley burst onto the contemporary jazz scene with her independently released debut CD ‘Just A Little Bit’.  The recognition this fine eight track collection brought led to a touring engagement with the legendary Pieces of A Dream and a record deal with Trippin ‘n’ Rhythm that initially garnered the critically acclaimed ‘Bloom’ and then followed up with the equally good ‘Unscripted’.  Both were built around the basic constructs of Bradley’s velvety tones, stellar input as writer, performer and producer from Michael Broening and consistently excellent performances from Mel Brown on bass and Freddie Fox on guitars.  Now (with Brown again in the line-up and bass from Kip Sophos) Cindy has reunited with Broening for her latest Trippin ‘n’ Rhythm project, ‘Bliss’.

Rick Braun - Get Up And Dance

Rick Braun's latest CD, 'Can You Feel It' is threatening to take the world of smooth jazz by storm and with tracks such as the wonderful 'Get Up And Dance' it is easy to see why. Although on the album the track includes sax from Dave Koz here, for this studio version,it's Euge Groove taking the honors.

Euge can also be found on tracks three and eleven, 'Take me To The River' and 'Dr. Funkenstein', providing two more reasons among many why 'Can You Feel It' should be part of your collection. 

 

d.Mills - Still Waters

2013 was a big year for multi-instrumentalist and vocalist d.Mills.  Not only did he release his debut CD, ‘On The Table’, but also retired after many years as a NYPD detective.  Now residing in Florida, and with attention firmly fixed on his recording career, his latest single, ‘Still Waters’, is on its way to radio.  Edgy and streetwise, this groove laden cut offers something beyond the norm and is worth checking out.

Spotlight On Nathan East

Careers characterized by longevity often point to an artist’s propensity for reinvention.  However, in the case of bass player Nathan East, his burgeoning success can, in part, be explained by the way he has embraced differing genres and in doing so established touch points with different audiences that are united by a common appreciation of his playing.

 

Take for instance the ‘soulsters’ who discovered East, still in his teens, playing his part in Barry White’s powerhouse Love Unlimited Orchestra.  They weren’t the only ones as writer and arranger Gene Page (which whom East had worked on White’s recording sessions) quickly spotted his talent and used him on numerous projects, including those for Dionne Warwick and Johnny Mathis.

Pete Gitlin - Summer Of Love

Guitarist Pete Gitlin has been a Smooth Jazz Therapy favorite since 2008 and the release of his debut CD ‘Full Circle And The Great Temptation’.  Produced by John Herrera it marked him out as a star in the making and now his latest song is the warmly inviting ‘Summer Of Love’ that, complete with a totally appropriate ‘psychedelic’ intro and outro, serves to celebrate the mood of that original summer of love.

Paul Hardcastle - Jazzmasters VII

With an array of related vehicles Paul Hardcastle has been captivating his considerable audience since 1983 and the seminal ‘19’.  The track subsequently marked him out as having the ability to innovate around a common theme and allow this innovation to extend over years and sometimes over decades.  One such vehicle and one such opportunity for innovation is his Jazzmasters series that was first introduced in 1991 with ‘Jazzmasters 1’.  It included the outstanding ‘Lost Summer’ and the series kept on delivering the goods right up to 2010 with ‘Cloud Watching’ from ‘Jazzmasters VI’. 

Now, with ‘Jazzmasters VII’, Hardcastle is about to take the venture to new heights.

Doc Powell - Love On Top

The all embracing easy grooving style that Grammy-nominated guitarist Doc Powell has made his own marks him out as someone whose music totally exemplifies what contemporary jazz should be all about.  A case in point is the sumptuous ‘Let Go’ that he co-wrote with Barry Eastmond and which can be found on his 2006 self-titled CD.  It is right up there with the best the genre has ever produced yet, truth to tell, Powell’s artistry can be found both far and wide.  As musical director to the legendary Wilson Pickett, to a stint with Luther Vandross and his group, the B. B. &Q, Powell has rubbed shoulders with the best.  He has leant his distinctive guitar sound to recordings from artists such as Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Teddy Pendergrass, Vanessa Williams, Chaka Khan and Smokey Robinson while as a solo artist he is all set to release his twelfth album, ‘This Is Soul’.

Doctorfunk - Second Opinion

With big, horn driven jazz funk enjoying something of a resurgence I was particularly interested to come across the band Doctorfunk that for almost twenty years has been entertaining crowds across the north west with it’s modern take on this classic sound.  Simply think Tower of Power and you are just about up to speed with what this high-octane collective is all about.  However, the Tower of Power connection does not end there.

Jeff Lorber - Chuck Loeb - Everette Harp - Jazz Funk Soul

Although the title of the new recording from impromptu trio Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb and Everette Harp is ‘Jazz Funk Soul’, what it actually provides is top-notch jazz-fusion of the sort that aficionados had despaired of ever experiencing again.  Make no mistake this is contemporary jazz of the highest order and certainly the most interesting release of the year so far.  However, considering the pedigree of those involved this is hardly surprising.  The wealth of music 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 while Chuck Loeb, through a sparkling solo career and now as integral member of smooth jazz super group Fourplay, has become a true heavyweight of the genre.  Equally, sax-man Everette Harp is known for his sublime ability to merge jazz and R & B in a way that captivates the listener and ‘Jazz Funk Soul’ gives these three A-List performers the platform to do just that.