Smooth Jazz Therapy

Lemek - Lets Get Down

Lifted from his debut album, the appropriately titled ‘Emergence’, comes ‘Lets Get Down’ from jazz guitarist Lemek. This easygoing gem follows on the heels of his previous single, the hugely infectious ‘Groove Central’ that featured label mate Ryan La Valette on sax and talking of sax Lemek is the son of sax-man Quentin Gerard W, aka FnkySax.

‘Emergence’ is an outstanding piece of work and well worth checking out.

 

 

Herb Alpert - Slow Down

Legendary trumpeter and record label executive Herb Alpert may be eighty-eight years old but is showing no sign of slowing down. His latest album ‘Wish Upon A Star’ was released August 15, an eclectic fourteen track collection of songs written in different eras of pop music history, great American Songbook standards and jazz infused gems. The track catching the attention of Smooth Jazz Therapy is the luscious ‘Slow Down’ that Herb wrote with long-time collaborator, and keyboard player Jeff Lorber. Truth to tell it fits Alpert’s style of playing like a glove and with Lorber delivering ‘Lorber-esque’ touches on both piano and organ this is certainly one to watch.

 

Chris Standring - The Lovers Remix Collection

Out now for just a couple of months, ‘The Lovers Remix Collection’ from contemporary jazz guitarist Chris Standring is proving to be an outstanding way to commemorate his 25^th anniversary as a solo recording artist.

Indeed although Standring’s back catalogue is replete with a variety of tones, tempos and textures his considerable fan base has always demonstrated a love for his more chilled creations and with this in mind ‘The Lovers Remix Collection’ was born. Standring uses it to revisits ten tunes from his original songbook along with one new addition and he gets the show on the road with a trip back to 2008 and his seminal ‘Blue Bolero’ from which he not only selects the spine tingling ‘Sensual Overload’ but also the ultra chilled ‘Contemplation’.

Spotlight On - The Jazz Holdouts

Keyboard player Alan Palanker and sax-man Louis Cortelezzi, (aka ‘The Jazz Holdouts’) are a contemporary jazz super-duo that operate exclusively at the high end of the genre. Often bolstered by featured artists such as Michael Thompson and Nathan East the collective boasts extensive personal discographies of the kind that most artists could only ever dream of. The second single from them this year is the beautifully edgy ‘Ya Never Know’ that is out now. It follows the easy grooving ‘Piermont Nights’ that was mixed by the in demand Darren Rahn and signals a welcome increase in output following the band’s 2014 debut album ‘Intuition’ and ‘Summer Nights’ that followed four years later.

The title cut from ‘Summer Nights’ went No. 1 on the Billboard charts. It has the kind of mesmeric vibe that is present in all the very best smooth jazz tracks and in this respect it is in the good company of another number from the same album, ‘Morning Breeze’.

 

Shawn Raiford - Vallejo

Ahead of the release of his new album ‘The Next Step’ comes the intensely rhythmic ‘Vallejo’ from sax-man Shawn Raiford. There’s no place like home and as if to prove it Raiford has teamed with Grammy winning producer Derek ‘DOA’ Allen to create this musical homage to the city Raiford calls home.

As Raiford himself explains, “the only place that felt like home, the only place I felt like I belonged was in Vallejo”. Indeed he was raised by his grandmother in this Bay Area city (just thirty miles north of San Francisco) and is the place he talks about wherever he goes.

What has turned out to be a yearlong build up to ‘The Next Step’ began last January when Raiford released the sensual single ‘Forever’. Momentum built in May when his version of the four-time Grammy-winning hit, ‘Leave The Door Open’ hit the airwaves but at every show he has played this year, during every interview he has given Raiford has talked about ‘Vallejo’.

Here it is.

 

 

Paul Brown - Da Spot

Complete with a barrage of velvety horns ‘Da Spot’ by guitarist and ace producer Paul Brown is the latest single to be lifted from his 2022 CD ‘Promised Land’. His ninth solo project and the first (not counting his 2021 collaboration with Larry Carlton) since 2020, it is a tight ten-track collection of original compositions embellished as usual with contributions from his inner circle of backing musicians plus input from some of the biggest names in smooth jazz. ‘Da Spot’, which is of one of six tunes written or co-written by multi instrumentalist Shane Theriot, certainly does hit ‘da’ smooth jazz ‘spot’.

 

 

Roberto Vally - Last Flight Home

Bass player Roberto Vally is one of those guys. At first glance you may not think you have heard of him but there is little chance you have not heard him play. From back in the eighties with Spyro Gyra to his status as a constant in Bobby Caldwell’s band to being the ‘go-to’ bass player for the two time GRAMMY^®-winning producer and performer Paul Brown, Vally has been and remains everywhere.

His discography glistens with album releases such as his 2013 ‘Boom Boom Boom’, ‘Pure Lines’ from 2017 and ‘Tranquila’ that followed three years later while as of now he is right back on the scene with the wonderful single ‘Last Flight Home’. His co-writers for the venture are Jeff Carruthers and twice Grammy nominated pianist David Benoit. Vally produced the track that is further embellished by the lush tenor sax tones of Jeff Ryan and an acoustic piano solo from Benoit. Another long time collaborator, two-time Grammy winner Paul Brown, mixed the track which is just about the best smooth jazz number you will hear all year.

 

 

Merlon Devine - Shimmer

Fresh off the back of his latest CD ‘Soul Jazz’ sax-man Merlon Devine is back with his brand new single ‘Shimmer’ that he wrote with multi Grammy nominated producer and saxophonist Darren Rahn. Shimmer by name and shimmer by nature this colossal track glistens with a sparkling melody, an R&B groove and a jazzy soprano sax lead which is as good as anything that, currently, the genre has to offer. With Rahn on keyboards, synths, synth bass and programming plus Randy Jacobs on guitar and Tarell Martin on drums this one is the real smooth jazz

As Merlon explains it, “’Shimmer’ is about the positive force that lives in each of us to help others. That force acts like a light shining out of us. That light can bring warmth, direction, hope, calm fears and give peace. Hopefully, this song will encourage those who hear it to do and be something positive in the life of someone else”.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas Devine now calls the Washington, DC area home. He has worked with Ben Tankard and performed with Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson Jr., Tom Braxton and Michael Manson.