« April 2018 | Main | June 2018 »
With an eye on a powerhouse fusion of smooth jazz and blues, producer and hit maker Paul Brown is about to shake the genre to its core. His soon to be released CD ‘Uptown Blues’ boasts lavish horn sections in the best traditions of bands such as Tower Of Power or, more recently, East Bay Soul and if the first single is anything to go by the collection will be ‘party ready’ and then some.
Titled ‘Boogaloo’, this high energy cut is well worth checking out.
It was in the summer of 2013 that Grammy-Nominated saxophonist Dave Koz, backed by an extensive itinerary of live performances, came up with the ‘Summer Horns’ project featuring himself, Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot. A must for those who grew up listening to bands such as Tower of Power and retain a hankering for the ‘horn-centric’ blockbusters of their youth this array of beautifully delivered array of everyone’s favorite songs was perfect for summer and just about every other season besides.
Now, five years on, Koz and his friends are back with ‘Summer Horns II From A to Z’ that will be released June 22 on Concord Records. It is a stunning set of eleven timeless tunes for which Koz is joined by returnees Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot plus new additions trumpeter Rick Braun and trombone player and vocalist Aubrey Logan. Not only that, Dave has enlisted the input of a who’s who of arrangers including the legendary Tom Scott, Greg Adams and the GRAMMY award winning Gordon Goodwin.
Showcasing the collection is the new single ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ that was a top ten hit for Natalie Cole in 1975 and which here is sung as a duet by R&B star Kenny Lattimore and young vocalist Sheléa.
Mixed by hit maker Paul Brown and featuring Ray Parker Jr. on guitar plus Darryl Williams on bass, the new single from the ubiquitous Michael Paulo is the appropriately titled ‘Who You Gonna Call’. It comes from his new CD ‘Beautiful Day’ a collection of familiar favourites, jazz classics and original compositions that, not surprisingly for an artist who has been on the scene for almost thirty five years, includes stellar performances by many of his smooth jazz friends.
The upbeat ‘Who You Gonna Call’ is a funky delight and certainly one not to miss.
Wow, where did those ten years go? It was back in 2008 that sax-tress extraordinaire Jessy J made her explosive debut with the hit album ‘Tequila Moon’ and to celebrate the occasion she has just released ‘Live at Yoshi's - 10 Year Anniversary Special’. Recorded at the legendary Oakland venue it is a collection of some of her best-loved tracks blended with fresh new music and in this latter category comes the wonderful ‘All I Want’.
Check it out.
I first became acquainted with the artistry of Rocco Ventrella back in 2007 through his recording ‘Give Me The Groove’. It owed much to my good friend, the late, great, LA based producer and arranger Bruce Nazarian who played keyboards throughout. Since then Ventrella has remained inexorably linked with the smooth jazz scene and his 2015 project ‘Another Time’ was a timely reminder that he had lost none of his edge. Now, ahead of his latest album that is slated for release later this year, comes the charmingly mellow ‘Precious Of Life’ that Rocco dedicates to his daughters Delilah and Margherita.