Smooth Jazz Therapy

Bob James Trio - Feel Like Making Live

 

Four years after the release of ‘Espresso’ multi-Grammy award winning keyboard player Bob James returns to the trio format with the sensational ‘Feel Like Making Live’.  With Bob’s unique artistry immaculately on show ‘Feel Like Making Live’ reflects a storied career that stretches back fifty-nine years and reunites him with the piano trio format with which he began his professional music career in 1963.

Comprising bass player Michael Palazzolo and drummer Billy Kilson, this blend of youth and experience is an integral component of a collection that reaches back in time to embrace Bob’s musical roots.

Rick Braun - The Album

Due out February 11, 2022 and thirty years since his very first solo release, ‘Intimate Secrets’, hit the streets, Rick Braun’s self titled album finds this multi-faceted performer in full creative overdrive.  Sure, self-titled albums tend to be reserved for an artist’s debut outing but with ten brand new songs, all written or co-written by Braun, this is a musical event for which he is front back and center.

Maysa - A Very Maysa Christmas

Often described as the best-kept secret on the urban adult contemporary scene, the incredible Maysa scored a major success in 2014 with the splendid seasonal collection ‘A Very Maysa Christmas’.  This tight ten-track set delivers familiar Christmas music in a way that you have never heard before and in this respect there was none more so than the wonderful ‘This Christmas’ for which Maysa is found in a sublime duet with the always-excellent Will Downing.

Seven years on the album still sounds great and continues to be available on the Shanachie Entertainment label.

 

 

Kirk Whalum - How Does Christmas Sound

Congratulations go out to soulful sax-man Kirk Whalum who has just been awarded the USCT Humanitarian Award as recognition for being a hero of the community of Franklin, TN.

The USCT Humanitarian Award is given to recipients that have shown kindness and bravery, honouring African American heroes of the past and present and is presented during three days of celebration and educational events.

Whalum is currently riding high with his latest festive offering ‘How Does Christmas Sound’ which is out now on the Mack Avenue label.  This fine collection of seasonal songs taps into Whalum’s spiritual core yet in terms of personal favourites it is difficulty to look beyond the decidedly romantic ‘What Are You Doing New Years Eve’

Check it out and get your Christmas started right now.

 

 

Randy Brecker & Eric Marienthal - Double Dealin

It is that time of the year again, no, not Christmas but more significantly Grammy Season and right up there with the nomination for  ‘Best Contemporary Instrumental Album’ are Randy Brecker and Eric Marienthal with their project ‘Double Dealin’.

Throughout their various careers Brecker and Marienthal have always operated at what might be described as ‘the high end’ of contemporary jazz.  Indeed Randy Brecker has been a key figure in numerous ground-breaking fusion bands such as Blood, Sweat and Tears and Larry Coryell’s The Eleventh House whereas Marienthal has played with luminaries like Elton John, Patti Austin, Lee Ritenour and Billy Joel.

For  ‘Double Dealin’ this dynamic duo reconnects with producer and keyboard player George Whitty, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl for a collection that is very much a jazz aficionado’s jazz recording.

It’s out now on the always-excellent Shanachie Entertainment label so check it out.

 

 

Tower Of Power - 50 Years Of Funk & Soul Live

Also vying for honours at the upcoming Grammy Award ceremony will be those powerhouse performers we know and love as Tower Of Power.

The bands 2021 celebratory collection ‘50 Years Of Funk & Soul: Live At The Fox Theater’ captures, in two terrific volumes, the essence of this iconic collective who, in the company of a few thousand friends and a lifetime of memories, converged on the Fox Theater, Oakland CA in June 2018 to play two outstanding shows and in so doing make a little history along the way.

Founded in 1968 by saxophonists Emilio Castillo and Stephen ‘Doc’ Kupka the band had a string of hit albums through the seventies.  Going forward the renowned Tower Of Power horn section remained in high demand and can be heard on recordings by Otis Redding, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Santana, Jefferson Starship and many, many others.   Indeed, apart from the Muscle Shoals rhythm section, they were the must-have session band of the era yet Tower Of Power never lost its appetite for touring.

Consequently, with 2018 marking its 50th anniversary, there was no better place to be than Oakland, CA, the city where it all began.

 

 

Marion Meadows - Twice As Nice

‘Twice As Nice’, the sixteenth solo recording from sultry saxman Marion Meadows, was released April 23 on the Shanachie Entertainment label.  It includes a veritable who’s who of contemporary jazz talent such as Paul Brown, Joey Sommerville, Jeff Lorber, David Mann, Steve Oliver and Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis.  The first single to be serviced to radio was the decidedly jazzy and blues infused title cut that Meadows co-wrote with long time collaborator Davis.

Another track on the jazzy side is ‘Lunchbox’.  With Jeff Lorber on keys and a top notch horn arrangement from the always reliable David Mann it is hardly surprising that it has now also hit the airwaves yet it is fair to say that this is an album with ‘radio ready’ written all over it.

 

Take for example the easy grooving ‘On The Uptown’ that was co-written and features bass player Robert Vally, keyboard player Leon Bisquera and the one and only Paul Brown.  With Meadows doubling on tenor and soprano plus Joey Sommerville weighing in on trumpet this one checks all the right boxes and when the tempo eases the result is ‘Yesterday Is Gone’ that showcases the penchant Meadows has for sublimely blending R&B and contemporary jazz. With fabulous vocals from Donnelly Smallwood this is another number co-written by Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis as is the laid back ‘The Thrill Of Rain’ that Meadows uses to close out the collection.

Arguably Meadows is at his soulful best when traveling a more sensuous route and this is particularly so with the sumptuously hypnotic ‘Don’t Wait Up’ and again with the understatedly Latin ‘Kaleidoscope’.  Here Meadows’ interplay with both ‘Big Dog’ on keys and Steve Oliver on guitar is nothing short of magical while the album’s only cover is a steamy rendition of the Read and Shamblin penned ‘I Can't Make You Love Me’ that can be found on Bonnie Raitt’s 1991 CD ‘Luck Of The Draw.

In terms of personal favourites the Paul Brown, Lew Laing, Marion Meadows composition ‘Step To This’ is where smooth jazz meets ‘steppin’ in the most wonderful of ways yet all things considered the Smooth Jazz Therapy top track is ‘Pandora’.  Written by Meadows, Paul Brown and keyboard player Gerald McCauley, this is a near perfect example of what smooth jazz circa 2021 should be all about.

Norman Brown - Heart To Heart

Released on August 7, 2020, ‘Heart To Heart’ was Norman Brown’s twelfth album and his third on the Shanachie Entertainment label.  Now, with the servicing to radio of the exquisite title cut, it seems totally appropriate to revisit what, over the fourteen months since its release, has turned out to be an extremely understated gem.

 

Pieces Of A Dream - Fired Up

 

With the duo of James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon very much at its core, the story of Pieces Of A Dream is nothing short of remarkable.  It is well chronicled how Lloyd and Harmon at age 16 and 18 respectively released their first recording in 1981. Not long after that they hit the road performing in Grover Washington Jr.’s rhythm section and opening for him as Pieces Of A Dream.  Washington Jr. took Lloyd and Harmon under his wing and signed the band as the first group with his brand new production company.  They released three albums in quick succession, ‘Pieces Of A Dream’ (1981), ‘We Are One’ (1982) and ‘Imagine This’ (1983).  Those recordings included some of their biggest early hits, including ‘Warm Weather’, ‘Mount Airy Groove’ and ‘Fo Fi Fo’.  The band recorded its Shanachie debut, ‘In The Moment’, in 2013, followed by 2015’s ‘All In’, ‘Just Funkin Around’ from 2017 and ‘On Another Note’ in 2019.

Brian Culbertson - The Trilogy Part 1: Red

When, in the midst of lockdown and using his weekly YouTube Live ‘The Hang’ sessions as ‘fan feedback’, Brian Culbertson began creating a collection of songs that he quickly found arranged themselves into three distinct groups.

Some were clearly all about passion and love. Others were melancholy, sad and really made the listener think introspection. The third group of songs was more fun, happy and hopeful.  It was a trilogy and one that mirrored the arc of a typical relationship, the steamy beginning, the often-rocky middle and finally the transition to living happily ever after.

Not only that, Culbertson began to identify the parts of the Trilogy by color and, as a consequence, ‘Red’, ‘Blue’ and ‘White’ were born.

Larry Carlton & Paul Brown - Soul Searchin'

What do you get when two giants of the genre go head to head in the most sensational of ways?  The answer is ‘Soul Searchin’ the exciting new release from guitar greats Larry Carlton and Paul Brown that hit the streets September 24 on the Shanachie Entertainment label.

Carlton, who was a member of both The Crusaders and Fourplay is also a successful composer for television and film.  His writing credits include the theme music for ‘Hill Street Blues’ (with Mike Post), ‘Who’s The Boss’ and the film ‘Against All Odds’.  He first partnered with Paul Brown in 2000 when Brown produced several tracks for his ‘Fingerprints’ CD and although it has taken a while the idea of making an album together has been in the works for some time.

Collectively, Carlton and Brown have collaborated with everyone from Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan and Quincy Jones to George Benson, Patti Austin and Norman Brown, to name but a few.   It is a track record that cannot be denied and which with ‘Soul Searchin’ has just rocketed to another level.

Dee Brown - Deep Secrets

 

Those who have been with him for the long haul will recall Dee Brown’s 2007 debut recording ‘No Time To Waste’.  The follow-up, ‘A Little Elbow Room’ came along two years later while his 2014 project, the delicious ‘Brown Sugar, Honey-Coated Love’, included ‘I’m Here For You’ that he co-wrote with his then fiancée Shaunia who sadly passed away in 2016.   In fact he dedicated his appropriately titled 2018 outing ‘Remembering You’ to her but now, with an eye on the future, he is back with his third release for Innervision Records, the silky smooth ‘Deep Secrets’.

‘Deep Secrets’ has already tallied up a string of hit radio singles including the foot tapping ‘Tie The Knot’ that features trumpeter Lin Rowntree who here is in his best Tom Browne ‘Funking For Jamaica’ mode.  Just as good and also on radio is the extremely easy grooving ‘Smooth Talk’ that has Mike Partlett on sax and Valdez Brantley on keys.  Brantley also happens to co-write (with Brown) nine of the eleven choice tunes while the third track to be lifted from ‘Deep Secrets’ is the epitome of smooth jazz, ‘The Prize’.  Elsewhere Brown gives a nod to his spiritual roots with the uplifting ‘Praise Is What I Do’ and although ‘Surrender’ proves to be yet another easy on the ear cut it is ‘Make Up Your Mind’ (with Darryl Willams on bass and Tony Moore on drums) that takes center stage as a triumph of rhythm and melody.

Williams and Moore are also around to lend a hand with the funky yet rhythmic ‘Love You Too’ and it is Merlon Devine on soprano sax and flute who adds his own magic to the decidedly dreamy ‘Controlled Passion’.

Throughout ‘Deep Secrets’ Brown confirms himself as the perfect purveyor of a feel good vibe and this is particularly so with the breezy ‘Wake Up’.  When he ups the tempo for the dazzling title cut the result is just as good and talking of results that’s exactly what Brown gets with the sumptuous ‘Pretty Girl’ which, with Nate Harasim on keys, is right up there with the best that ‘Deep Secrets’ has to offer.

Brown recorded ‘Deep Secrets’ remotely during COVID-19 quarantine with his band and collaborators sending their tracks to him and Brantley by email. Production and mixing assistance was provided courtesy of heavy hitters Blake Aaron, Darren Rahn and Nate Harasim with the overall outcome being a high quality addition to the discography of Dee Brown.

Chris Standring - Wonderful World

As far back as 2010, and his genre busting tour de force ‘Blue Bolero’, guitarist, composer, and arranger Chris Standring has flirted with blending sumptuous string arrangements with his own impeccable style of contemporary jazz.  Yet in doing so he has always stopped short of employing a full orchestra.  That is up until now because on September 3 he will release his thirteenth studio album, ‘Wonderful World’ that, with a 19-piece orchestra, assistance from some of the world’s best jazz musicians and a set of sublime arrangements by Geoff Gascoyne, takes the listener on a guided tour of the Great American Songbook.

Vincent Ingala - Fire & Desire

Former Billboard Smooth Jazz Artist Of The Year Vincent Ingala knows all about making hit records. With eighteen top 10 smooth jazz radio singles and ten number one radio hits his stature simply goes from strength to strength and on September 17 will take another giant leap forward with the release of the highly anticipated ‘Fire & Desire’.

It will be Vincent’s seventh solo album, his third on the Shanachie Entertainment label, and the follow up to his excellent 2020 CD ‘Echoes Of The Heart’ which at the time I described as “being the sort of project that will continue Ingala’s fast track progress toward the upper echelons of the genre”.  This time around he plays every instrument, from saxophones and keyboards to drums, guitar and bass.  He also produces, records and mixes the entire set as well as writing all but one of the ten tasty tracks.

Greg Chambers - No Looking Back

Brand new from sax man Greg Chambers is the excellent ‘No Looking Back’.  With seven songs that place it somewhere between an EP and an LP, Chambers is revisiting a format that he last employed in 2013 with the seven track ‘After Hours’.  In doing so he is building on a discography that has been in the making since 2007 and his debut recording ‘City Lights’.

His quest for quality over quantity has often found him harnessing the talents of regular collaborators Matt Godina and Paul Brown while from time to time he has also tapped into a plethora of smooth jazz talent which this time around includes guitarists Adam Hawley, Nils, and Matthew Parris, bass players Mel Brown, Alex Al and Tyrone Coley, percussionist Ramon Ysalas, keyboard players Lew Laing Jr., Carnell Harrell and Judah Sealy, drummers Eric Valentine and Levi Bennett plus Russell Zimmer on muted trumpet.

Mark Jaimes - Hear At Last

 

Out now on Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm, ‘Hear At Last’ from UK based guitarist Mark Jaimes is a project that has been very much worth the wait.   In fact it was Rick Braun who originally suggested that Jaimes should record a solo album so now, several years later, it is appropriate that a nice ‘closing of the circle’ has occurred with Jaimes inviting Braun to appear on one of the collection’s outstanding tunes, the horn-drenched track ‘Heads Up’.  It is a real winner and much the same can be said of the first single to be serviced to radio, the mid tempo  ‘Evenin’ that includes a piano solo from Oli Silk and bass from Dwayne Smitty Smith.

Lin Rountree - Fluid

Following on from the success he enjoyed in 2018 with the album ‘Stronger Still’, trumpet and flugelhorn player Lin Rountree is back with his latest Trippin N Rhythm release ‘Fluid’. 

‘Fluid’ is quickly up and running with the sultry ‘Release’ that incidentally was the first single to be released to the airwaves and another track that has enjoyed early radio success is the extremely easy on the ear title cut that marks Rountree out as a leading purveyor of groove drenched urban jazz.

 

Brian Simpson - All That Matters

Pianist, composer and producer Brian Simpson is back and on fire with his latest CD, ‘All That Matters’, that was released June 25 on the Shanachie record label.

In every respect ‘All That Matters’ is a milestone recording.  Not only is it Simpson’s tenth album as a solo artist but is also heavily influenced by the global pandemic.   Forced into quarantine and without the musician’s lifeblood of touring and performing Simpson chose instead to focus solely on the creative process.

With Steve Oliver, Nicholas Cole and Oliver Wendell also on board this cool collective began by working virtually before, as restrictions eased, moving to ‘face to face’ collaborations.  The result is ten original choice tunes that find Simpson at the very top of his musical game.

 

‘All That Matters’ is also notable for the quality of the backing musicians that Simpson has assembled for the project.  Sax players Jim Pisano and Steve Alanis, flautist Najee, trumpeter Ron King, drummers Michael White and Tony Moore, bass players Dwayne “Smitty” Smith, Alex Al and Roberto Vally, percussionist Brain Kilgore and guitarists Ray Fuller and Yarone Levy are all variously around to lend a hand and it is White, Kilgore, Al and Fuller who support Simpson on the sumptuous ‘So Many Ways’ that also happens to be the first single to be selected for radio.