Smooth Jazz Therapy

Paul Hardcastle - Welcome To The Beach

When, in mid 2020, ‘Hardcastle IX’ from Paul Hardcastle hit the streets it found him in a decidedly chilled mood.  Jam packed with all the stuff Hardcastle routinely does so well the collection found instant favour with his legion of fans around the world and has now received a timely boost with the release to radio of the track ‘Welcome To The Beach’.

As light and airy as the title suggests it might be ‘Welcome To The Beach’ possesses the usual Hardcastle elements of smoky sax and seductive rhythm.

Check it out, right here right now.

 

 

Oli Silk - Hurry Up And Wait

With a string of choice albums to his name and a profile that makes him the United Kingdom’s favorite smooth jazz keyboard player, the superb Oli Silk had an excellent 2020 with his sixth solo project, the appropriately titled ‘6’.  With eleven new compositions plus one carefully crafted cover this cool twelve-track collection not only found Silk in top form but also in the company of some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz.

The first single to be serviced to radio was the ultra smooth ‘New Bounce’ that featured the always-excellent Vincent Ingala on sax while now Trippin & Rhythm is sending the extremely hip ‘Hurry Up And Wait’ to the airwaves.

Check it out.

 

 

Brian Simpson & Steve Oliver - The Road Never Ends

‘Unified’ from Brian Simpson and Steve Oliver turned out to be one of the surprise packages of 2020.  Originally envisaged as being built around an electronic music concept, over time it evolved into a contemporary jazz project that retained elements of electronica.

It made such an impression that the spine tingling ‘Last Summer’ made it into the Smooth Jazz Therapy top twenty tracks of the year while now, and to get 2021 up and running, ‘The Road Never Ends’ is being released to radio.   This deliciously mid tempo cut proves to be a fine showcase for Oliver’s great work on guitar and is well worth checking out.

 

 

Marcus Adams Featuring Selina Albright - Someone

Smooth Jazz Therapy has followed the career of the sensational Selina Albright since 2013 when she rocked the world of contemporary jazz with the five track EP ‘Brighter’.  At the time I described it as a sensational collection that marked her out as one of the brightest new stars in that crossover galaxy somewhere between contemporary jazz and R & B.

Since then Selina has gone from strength to strength and made some waves in 2017 with her single ‘Eat Something’ that proved to be a shimmering slice of vocal urban jazz with the bonus of a featured performance by guitarist Kay-Ta.

Now another cool collaboration finds her teaming with the excellent Marcus Adams.  Titled ‘Someone’ it is everything we have come to expect from this soulful songstress.

Check it out

 

 

Dreaming In Colour - Panacea

Since 2012 and the release of the band’s debut album, ‘The Dream Merchant’, Smooth Jazz Therapy has followed with interest the fortunes of the excellent instrumental jazz group Dreaming In Colour.  Constructed around the band’s core members of Kevin Ellis, Chris Noonan and Joe Calandrino, the line-up has often, over the years, been complemented by some of the genre’s top artists.  This is particularly so with the current single, ‘Panacea’ thatfeatures Ken Navarro on nylon string guitar who is complimented in no small measure by the melodious free flowing sax exchanges of Jeff Kashiwa. 

Written by Ellis and Navarro, this mellow cut is well worth watching out for.

 

 

Patrick Yandall - Son Light

Prolific guitarist, composer and producer Patrick Yandall hails from San Diego and has been on the Smooth Jazz Therapy radar since 2006 and the release of his excellent CD ‘Samoa Soul’.

His music is the heartbeat of the sunshine city he calls home and this is particularly so with his latest album ‘Rouge River’ which, replete with enticing melodies and attention grabbing vibes includes the wonderfully easy grooving ‘Son Light’ that is the first single to be offered to radio.

Lovely track.

 

 

25th Street Band - Maybe By Christmas

Another festive cut in a season absolutely bursting with them is ‘Maybe By Christmas’ from crossover jazz recording project 25th Street Band.  Based in London, England and featuring guest session artists from around the world, this cool collective is very much the creation of leaders Russ Klinger and Dave Radnor.

In fact ‘Maybe By Christmas’ was written, performed and produced by Klinger with vocals from Joel Kibble who as a member of the world's premier jazz-gospel acapella band, Take 6, has earned ten Grammy and ten Dove Awards.

Kibble's vocals have been described as combining the warmth of Nat King Cole with the emotional power of Johnny Mathis and as well as taking lead vocals for ‘Maybe This Christmas’ he also arranged and provided backing vocals from his base in Tennessee.

 

 

Justin Lee Shultz - This Christmas

So, you are thirteen years old.  You have just released your debut album, ‘Espresso’, that features heavy hitters such as Bob James, Harvey Mason, Najee, Jonathan Butler, Gerald Albright, and Pieces Of A Dream.  What do you do next?

Well, if you are multi-instrumentalist Justin Lee Schultz what you do is release a Christmas single, a keyboard driven reworking of the classic ‘This Christmas’.  With a little help from his sister Jamie on drums and horns from the one and only David Mann this excellent track is just what you will need to get into the festive spirit.

 

 

Chris Jasper - Have I Told You Lately

 

It takes a brave man to select the Van Morrison blockbuster ‘Have I Told You Lately’ and re-imagine it into something fresh bright and lovely. Yet this is exactly what the always-excellent Chris Jasper has done.  It is the latest single from Jasper’s current CD  ‘For The Love Of You’, a covers album that breaths new life into some of the biggest pop and R & B classics of all time as well as revisiting three songs that he co-wrote while with the Isley Brothers.

The Isley Brothers actually date back to the fifties.  Originally a quartet, the Isley’s were reduced to a trio by the untimely death, in 1955, of Vernon Isley in a bicycling accident.  They scored a hit in 1959 with ‘Shout’ and UK music fans will remember the cover version of this track by Lulu.  They went on to spend two years with RCA, recorded four singles with Atlantic (where they worked with legendary producers Leiber and Stoller) and scored a hit with ‘Twist And Shout’ on the Wand label.  The Beatles subsequently experienced great chart success with their own cover version of the number.

With the reactivation of the T-Neck label in 1969 the three older brothers invited guitarist Ernie Isley and bass player Marvin Isley to join the group together with brother in law and keyboard player Chris Jasper.  After being a vocal trio for many years the band was now a self-contained unit and it was with this line-up that the Isley Brothers enjoyed the majority of their biggest hits.

Forty-five years on and Jasper is still sounding great.

Euge Groove - Gatito

 

Lifted from his current album ‘Sing My Song’, ‘Gatito’ is Euge Groove’s Latin infused tribute to the late great Leandro (aka Gato) Barbieri who through a lengthy career did much to further the cause of what back in the day was referred to as jazz-fusion.  Indeed what is often described as Barbieri’s highly emotional playing style not only helped expand the audience for Latin jazz but also influenced many contemporary jazz saxophonists of the seventies and eighties including Euge Groove.

Barbieri was born in Argentina in 1932. His music for the 1972 film ‘Last Tango in Paris’ won him a Grammy Award and as the decade rolled on and his music moved towards soul-jazz and jazz-pop he enjoyed some of his greatest commercial success with albums such as the 1976 ‘Caliente’ and ‘Ruby Ruby’ that followed a year later.

He died in New York in 2016 aged 83.

‘Gatito’ by Euge Groove will be released to radio on November 2.

Vincent Ingala - Supports Breast Cancer Charity

Sax-man Vincent Ingala has made his own special contribution to the Are You Dense, Inc. breast cancer foundation with a benefit concert, delivered as a socially distanced live-stream, that went out on August 27th, 2020.

This track taken from it, the silkily mid tempo ‘Maybe You Think’, can also be found on Vincent’s current CD, the excellent ‘Echoes Of The Heart’ that includes nine original compositions plus one carefully crafted cover.  With guest performances from David Benoit and Steve Oliver it is the sort of project that will continue Ingala’s fast track progress toward the upper echelons of smooth jazz.

 

 

Streetwize - Ocean Eyes

The urban jazz collective Streetwize is about to cement its position as an ace purveyor of understated but sophisticated urban smooth jazz with the October 16 release of the album ‘Ocean Eyes’.  This choice re-imaging of R&B and hip-hop chart-toppers is memorable on many counts but in particular for the title cut, a cool interpretation of the Billy Ellish smash hit, that is rendered even more beautiful by guest saxophone from Kim Waters and input from rising star Justin Lee Schultz.

Check it out, right here right now.

 

 

Cindy Bradley - Exhale

‘The Little Things’ by Trippin & Rhythm recording artist Cindy Bradley hit the streets in 2019 and with the sophisticated ‘Wind Chill Factor’ immediately captured the imagination of the smooth jazz listening public.  The latest single from the album to be serviced to radio is the ultra smooth mega chilled ‘Exhale’ that is as classy as they come and a timely reminder of just how good an album ‘The Little Things’ is.

 

 

Greg Manning - Grateful

With a flurry of catchy hit singles such as ‘Top Down’ and the zesty ‘Twinkle’ (that was written by Earl Klugh and featured Darrel Crooks on guitar), composer producer and keyboard player Greg Manning has been cementing his reputation as one of the brightest talents the genre has to offer.

Now he is back with the smoothly up-tempo ‘Grateful’ that features Judah Sealy on sax.

Nice track.

 

 

Special EFX - Mr Marzipan

The latest (and twenty first) offering from the Grammy nominated Special EFX is titled ‘All Stars’ and after a four month hiatus while quarantining from the virus the band has just released the latest single from it.  Titled ‘Mr Marzipan’ it is a dazzling dose of horn driven fusion where tasty electric guitar riffs from leader Chieli Minucci blend with the trumpet of Lin Rountree and sax from long time collaborator David Mann.

Good track

 

 

 

Adam Hawley - Escape

Hot on the heels of the hit single ‘To The Top’ that featured the fulsome sax of Jeff Ryan, guitarist Adam Hawley is back on radio with the title track from his current CD ‘Escape’.  It’s a moody mid tempo charmer that benefits in no small measure from the distinctive trumpet of Rick Braun and to Adam it represents yet another step along the road to smooth jazz stardom.

Indeed six of the seven singles lifted from his first two recordings blasted their way to No. 1 on the smooth jazz charts and there is no reason to think that ‘Escape’ will not do exactly the same.

 

 

Gino Rosaria - Sunday 3-00 pm

Something of a newcomer to smooth jazz, keyboard player Gino Rosaria released his first album in that genre in the summer of 2019. Titled ‘Still Waters Run Deep’ it featured several heavy hitters such as Marcus Anderson, Althea Rene, Elan Trotman and Adam Hawley while the first radio single, ‘Night Groove’, powered its way into the Billboard top 30 contemporary jazz charts.

Now he is back on the airwaves with the excellent ‘Sunday 3-00 pm’ that features sax man Elan Trotman.

Great track!

 

 

Boney James - Full Effect

Released in April of this year, ‘Solid’ is Boney James’ seventeenth solo album and follows his 2017 blockbuster ‘Honestly’ which became his eleventh #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Album chart.

All eleven tracks from ‘Solid’ were produced, written or co-written by the four-time GRAMMY nominated sax-man while three of them, ‘Full Effect’, ‘Tonic’ and the title cut, were constructed around licks played at sound-check by touring guitarist Kendall Gilder while on the road in support of the ‘Honestly’ project

Check out the result right here right now.