Smooth Jazz Therapy

Smile - Peter White At The Cinnamon Club

November 16, 2014: Those who flocked to Peter White’s early show at the Cinnamon Club, Altrincham were rationed to only one track from his new CD ‘Smile’.  However, having later purchased the album at the back of the room, they would quickly realize that here is a collection that returns the incomparable White to his roots of intense rhythm and sublime melody. 

This, the latest leg of an autumnal odyssey, that would find him playing shows in Maidstone, Milton Keynes, Southend On Sea and Eastleigh (as well as multiple nights at London’s Pizza Express) was immaculately supported by White’s now regular UK backing band of Frank Felix on bass, Marc Parnell on drums, the invariably excellent Oli Silk on keys and seriously soulful sax-man Carl Stanley.  Each of them played a part in aiding White’s whistle stop tour of a discography that grows more amazing with every passing release and which here was showcased not only by the tried and tested blending of ‘Bueno Funk’, the similarly smoking ‘San Diego’ and the superb ‘Bullseye’ but also by classics such as ‘Caravan Of Dreams’ and ‘Midnight In Manhattan’.  ‘Costa Rica’, his seminal ‘Who’s That Lady’ and the equally beguiling ‘Walk On By’ also scored hugely with the appreciative crowd and when the tempo eased just a little ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ and ‘Perfect Moment’ proved to be right on the money. 

Brian Culbertson's 20th Anniversary Tour At Thornton Winery

October 11, 2014 - There are things about the Thornton Winery in Temecula, CA that would drive a sane man crazy.  The lengthy lines at slow to open entrances; the stampede to secure unreserved seating; the genial owners relentlessly pushing wine sales.  Yet this stunning outdoor venue has an x factor that is undeniable and over what is now 26 seasons, its ability to attract top notch talent coupled with a very special ambience has ensured the fans keep coming back.

Of course when Brian Culbertson is topping the bill the magic is that bit easier to create and as he blew into town on the latest leg of his 20^th Anniversary Tour the scene was set for an evening to remember.

Peter White UK Tour November 2013

The incomparable Peter White has often been described as the hardest working performer in smooth jazz and with a recent schedule that has seen him in Africa, the Mediterranean (as part of the Dave Koz cruise), the Royal Albert Hall (with Al Stewart) and his usual crop of stopping off points in the USA, it is not difficult to understand why.  His appearances in the UK have, over the years, evolved into something of a twice yearly tradition but until recently have been limited to an extended residence at London’s Pizza Express plus one or two additional dates thrown in for good measure.  However, this time around, Peter took it to a whole new level with ten shows at the Pizza Express plus appearances in Maidstone, Milton Keynes, Altrincham, Southend On Sea and in Eastleigh on the south coast.

Smooth Jazz Cruise West Coast Edition - Final Reflections

There was something deliciously symmetrical about how, in the Ocean Bar,  rising star Selina Albright was taking her first tentative steps towards undoubted musical stardom while simultaneously, in a packed Vista Lounge, the tumultuous Tower Of Power were celebrating forty six years in the business.

Brian Culbertson At The Smooth Jazz Cruise West Coast Edition

October 18, 2013.  Seven nights earlier Boney James had opened up the Smooth Jazz Cruise West Coast Edition with a performance that at the time seemed impossible to beat.  In fact this remained the case for much of the week until a certain Brian Culbertson hit the stage with his special brand of showmanship, sublime talent, a backing band to die for and songs pulled from the length and breadth of his ever growing discography.  In fact supported by Eddie Miller on vocals and additional keyboards, Adam Holly on guitar, bass-player Maurice Ellis, drummer Chris Miskel, Marqueal Jordan with both sax and vocals plus the breathtaking Selina Albright, Culbertson took the appreciative audience on a tour of his recording career right back to the time in 1994 when he cut his debut album ‘Long Night Out’ in his Chicago apartment.

Candy Dulfer At The Smooth Jazz Cruise - West Coast Edition

October 14, 2013.  Sometimes it’s nice to be surprised and at others it’s equally good to know exactly what to expect.  In this respect sax player Candy Dulfer leaves her audience in no doubt.  Take for instance her 2009 CD ‘Funked Up’.  It was her tenth studio album and its title pretty much described exactly what was going on.  Her eleventh CD, ‘Crazy’, does very much the same so when she came to the main stage of the Smooth Jazz Cruise – West Coast Edition’ it wasn’t just the presence of serious funkster Chance Howard that let the crowd know it was time to party.

David Sanborn & Marcus Miller At The Smooth Jazz Cruise West Coast Edition

October 13, 2013.  Contemporary jazz is going through a rough time.  Starved of originality and disenfranchised by radio one is compelled to wonder what the future holds yet sometimes it only takes a spark to rekindle our passion in the music that we truly love.  At the Smooth Jazz Cruise – West Coast Edition Earl Klugh was one such spark.  Two more were David Sanborn and Marcus Miller.  Sanborn and Miller shared the stage in the main auditorium and together demonstrated how they have shaped the genre and set the agenda since 1979.  It was then that they were playing together as part of the Saturday Night Live band and the then nineteen year old Miller handed Sanborn a demo tape of his music.  The result was Sanborn’s 1980 project ‘Voyeur’ and the rest, as they say, is history.  Thirty three years on, in a show that was more about the overall effect than the sum of the parts, the audience were treated to some wonderful snippets from the sensational careers of these two sensational players.

Boney James At The Smooth Jazz Cruise West Coast Edition

October 12, 2013. Nominated for three Grammy awards and a Soul Train winner for Best Jazz Album, Boney James is one of only a few contemporary jazz artists who can accurately be described as having superstar status.  Nine of his albums have reached number 1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz listing while two of them have reached the top 10 on the R&B albums chart.  In fact it is perhaps the way Boney seamlessly fuses jazz with R & B that really makes him stand out from the crowd and stand out he certainly did when opening the Smooth Jazz Cruise – West Coast Edition with a performance that will live long in the memory.

Althea Renee Signs With Trippin 'N' Rhythm

Although smooth jazz flautist Althea Renee is a full-time performer and recording artist, for more than 10 years she actually worked as a Wayne County Deputy Sheriff in Detroit, MI.  Now, rapidly emerging as one of the nation's most exciting improvisational players, she has signed with Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm from where she will release her label debut in the first quarter of 2013.

It follows her previous effort ‘No Restrictions’, which has been described elsewhere as an urban contemporary masterpiece and included production credits from the likes of the Grammy winning Michael Broening and Grammy nominated Rex Rideout.  With stunning remakes of classic tunes such as ‘Wishing on a Star’ and ‘I Love Your Smile’ the collection also benefitted from guest performances from Candy Dulfer and Rhonda Smith.

This time around it is rumored that Broening will again be in charge of production and there appears little doubt that, for Althea Renee, 2013 is likely to be quite a year.

Euge Groove At The Cinnamon Club

December 9, 2012. It was in 2000 that sax superstar Euge Groove released his Paul Brown produced self titled debut CD. Since then, despite a leave of absence in 2008 when he toured the world with Tina Turner, Euge has occupied what at times has appeared to be an almost permanent place at the top of the contemporary jazz charts. His appearance (as part of an nine night, four city, UK tour) at the Cinnamon Club on the southern fringes of Manchester provided the perfect opportunity to showcase his latest (and eighth) release, the excellent ‘House Of Groove’, which has already put him right back in the smooth jazz spotlight.

Peter White At The Pizza Express - November 2012

November 7, 2012; A new look line-up, a revamped set list and that same old Peter White magic all combined to produce what proved to be another memorable night at London’s Pizza Express. In the fine company of Frank Felix on bass, Marc Parnell on drums, the invariably excellent Oli Silk on keys and seriously soulful sax-man Carl Stanley, White plundered his extensive discography for an evening that will live long in the memory. In fact from the opening bars of the wonderfully familiar ‘Promenade’ the audience (that included those who had traveled from Ireland, the USA and all over England to be there) knew they were in for a special treat and with White very much ‘in the mood’ he delivered on every level imaginable with a captivating choice of music that spanned well over two hours.

Paul Brown & Jackiem Joyner At Anthology

October 19, 2012. They may have never played together before but, when contemporary jazz icon Paul Brown took the stage with Jackiem Joyner at San Diego’s Anthology, these sublimely talented individuals delivered what quite simply was the best live performance I have witnessed this year. They were there in support of local radio personality Kelly Cole who, with her weekly ‘Lites Out’ show at KPRi 102.1, is doing her best to re-engage a smooth jazz audience that through the demise of KIFM has become entirely disenfranchised. The good news is that with the fabulous pairing of Brown and Joyner checking almost every box imaginable this ‘Listener Appreciation’ event went some way to doing just that.

The Dream Tour At Thornton Winery

July 15, 2012. With a brand new album titled ‘Dreams’ just out, one could have been forgiven for thinking that Brian Culbertson’s ‘The Dream’ tour might just have been a timely showcase for what is already proving to be a fantastic collection. In fact nothing could have been further from the truth as in the user friendly confines of the Thornton Winery in Temecula, CA, Culbertson shared the stage with the legendary David Sanborn to enthrall a packed gathering with some memorable moments from their combined discographies. In fact Sanborn also has a new recording all set for release. This two-disc retrospective, ‘Then Again: The David Sanborn Anthology’ celebrates Sanborn’s first two decades as a recording artist and in the heat of a Southern Californian Sunday afternoon he dipped frequently into it as he and Culbertson traded hits in the way that only true musical icons can. With a heavyweight backing band that included both Eddie Miller and Ricky Peterson on keys, drummer Chris Miskel, Nicky Moroch on guitar and Richard Patterson on bass this was an immaculately presented show performed to the highest standard imaginable. In fact there was something there for everyone and as Culbertson got things moving with his seminal ‘Back In the Day’ the stage was set for a tremendous event.

Dave Koz At The Cinnamon Club

June 9, 2012 – At the end of what in the United Kingdom had been a Jubilee week, it was appropriate that smooth jazz royalty was on hand to add to the proceedings. Closing out his nine-night UK mini-tour, the king of contemporary jazz, aka Dave Koz, hit the stage of the Cinnamon Club, in the southern suburbs of Manchester, with the sort of energy that exemplified his unrivalled reputation, not only as one of the finest sax players around but also as the consummate showman. The fact that Koz was in the company of long-time Musical Director (and now a hit recording artist in his own right) Brian Simpson only added to this truly regal occasion and with a full English backing line-up of Frank Felix on bass, Marc Parnell on drums and Mark James on guitar it was clear from the opening note of the opening tune that the band were stoked and ready to go.

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band At Anthology

April 14 2012 – Hot on the heels of his success at the Grammy Awards (where he won the accolade of ‘Best Instrumental Arrangement’ for his version of ‘Rhapsody in Blue’) composer and arranger Gordon Goodwin, in the splendid company of his Big Phat Band, rolled into San Diego’s Anthology for a performance of high energy and outstanding quality.

Peter White Back In The North Of England

October 30, 2011. At the Cinnamon Club, in the southern suburbs of Manchester, it was the first night of Peter White’s now customary UK autumn tour. Scheduled to play fourteen shows at six different venues he was instantly at ease in the familiar surroundings of this intimate space yet, for the excellent band that supported him, this was far from being business as usual. Yes, Marc Parnell was there on drums and everyone’s favourite bass-player Frank Felix took his usual place but new to many was outstanding keyboardist Attila Molnar and, alongside him, the rapidly emerging sax-man Elan Trotman. Remarkably, this newly formed collective had rehearsed for the first time only hours before but the enthusiasts who packed this northern outpost of contemporary jazz could have been excused for thinking they had been together for years.

Brian Culbertson At Thornton Winery

October 1, 2011. It was just another day in Southern California. The setting of the Winery at twilight was magical; the champagne flowed like rivers and that ultimate showman, Brian Culbertson, beckoned in the final month of the Thornton Winery 2011 Champagne Jazz Series in Temecula CA with a performance of the highest order. It has been quite a year for Culbertson whose 2010 CD ‘Xll’ proved to be an outstanding success and here he delved into it generously while recalling some old favorites along the way. In all of this he was helped in no small measure by Eddie Miller on vocals and additional keyboards, Gerey Johnson on guitar, bass-player Nathaniel Kearney, Jr., drummer Chris Miskel, Jim Culbertson on trumpet and Marqueal Jordan with both sax and vocals. Collectively they showed themselves to be what is arguably the best touring band around and right from the opening bars of the ultra catchy ‘Back In The Day’, the scene was set for a energy packed evening. As the hits kept coming, first with ‘Go’ and then with the dazzling ‘Always Remember’ it was clear that Culbertson was up, running and in blistering form.

Euge Groove At Thornton Winery

June 26, 2011. It was in 2000 that sax superstar Euge Groove released his Paul Brown produced self titled debut CD. Since then, despite a leave of absence in 2008 when he toured the world with Tina Turner, Euge has occupied what at times has appeared to be an almost permanent place at the top of the contemporary jazz charts. His appearance as part of the latest chapter in the Thornton Winery 2011 Champagne Jazz Series in Temecula CA provided the perfect opportunity to showcase his latest (and seventh) album, the appropriately titled ‘S7ven Large’, which has already put him right back in the smooth jazz spotlight.