Smooth Jazz Therapy

Pieces Of A Dream - We Got This

Ahead of ‘We Got This’ from perianal Smooth Jazz Therapy favourites Pieces Of A Dream comes the high-octane title cut that sure does blow the doors off and then some.

Now, as before, the duo of James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon is very much at the core of Pieces Of A Dream with a back-story that 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. ‘Fired Up’ came along in 2021.

 

Kim Waters - The Pacemaker

For more than three decades Kim Waters has reigned supreme as one of the premier exponents of contemporary jazz. Indeed Since 1989, and the release of his debut CD ‘Sweet & Saxy’, sax-man composer and producer Waters has been a constant on the urban-jazz landscape. With a reputation for being one of the most technically gifted players around, he has released twenty-four recordings as a leader and has just made that twenty-five with ‘Time 2 Groove’ on the always excellent Shanachie Entertainment label.

Check back here soon for a complete review of ‘Time 2 Groove’ but for now take some time out to soak up the jazziness of the latest track to be serviced to radio, ‘The Pacemaker’.

 

Richard Elliot - Straight Up Down

Titled ‘Straight Up Down’, Richard Elliot’s current project is a sumptuous nine-track collection replete with Elliot’s signature soulful sound. A case in point was the first single to be serviced to radio, the aptly named ‘Very Delicious’ and another is the mega smooth title cut that in every respect is an absolutely joy. Co-written by Elliot and genre heavyweights Jeff Carruthers and Paul Brown it finds Carruthers coming up big on keys, drums and guitar while Brown on drums and Roberto Vally on bass scatter their musical magic far and wide.

For Scottish-born, LA raised and San Diego based, sax man Richard Elliot ‘Straight Up Down’ is his twenty first album and is out now on the Shanachie Entertainment label.

 

Roberto Restuccia - Runnin Ronny

Although released in 2023, ‘Lounge Kats’ by UK guitarist and composer Roberto Restuccia has turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving.

The horn enriched ‘Stand Up’ was followed by the hard driving ‘Hip Jive’ that really hits the spot and now, with another studio album firmly in the works comes the very different sounding ‘Runnin Ronny’. Produced by UK keyboard player Oli Silk this one is worth looking out for.

 

Special EFX - Meant To Be

With a vibe that is classic Special EFX, Chilli Minucci is again working his magic with the outstanding single ‘Meant To Be’.

It was in 2022 that sophisticated super group Special EFX marked its forty years of music making with the album ‘Twenty Twenty 2’ and despite the frequent changes in personnel that have characterised the evolution of this cool collective the creative constant of Chilli Minucci remains front back and centre. In fact Minucci co-founded Special EFX thirty-eight years ago with the now deceased George Jinda and in so doing etched himself into the fabric of contemporary jazz history.

‘Meant To Be’ is a real gem and comes highly recommended.

 

Kim Scott - Like Butter

Flautist Kim Scott is no stranger to chart success. Having delivered multiple Billboard No. 1 singles, a Billboard No. 1 album and a Billboard Song of the Year she was named as Smooth Jazz Network’s Artist of the Year in 2024.

Now she is back with her latest project ‘Livin It Up’ and although a full review of this choice collection will follow later it is worth reflecting on the album’s opening track ‘Like Butter’ which, as the title suggests it might be, is as smooth as they come.

‘Like Butter’ features chart topping sax man Jeff Ryan, a Billboard chart-topper in his own right and includes producer Michael Broening on keys plus GRAMMY award winners Freddie Fox and Mel Brown on guitar and bass respectively.

 

Lin Rountree - So Naturally

After a zesty 2024 that found him coming up with one great single after another trumpeter Lin Rountree has started off 2025 in similar vein with the release of the excellent ‘So Naturally’.

Written and produced by Rountree with Trippin N Rhythm label-mate Ryan La Valette (who also featured on bass) this smooth, relaxed tour de force can only add to Rountree’s growing reputation.

Nice track

 

Brian Simpson - Under The Stars

‘Midnight Groove’ from keyboard player Brian Simpson will be his twelfth studio album and ahead of its release comes the hot new radio single ‘Under The Stars’ which even at this early stage seems destined to be one of the contemporary jazz tracks of the year.

This rhythmic gem is everything you would expect from an artist who enjoys status that might best be described as smooth jazz royalty. Not only that, the supporting musicians he routinely enlists for all his projects is a glowing tribute to the regard in which he is universally held.

‘Under The Stars’ is a case in point with Isaiah Collier on sax, Ray Fuller on guitars, ‘go to’ bass player Alex Al, drummer to the stars Michael White, the ubiquitous Ramon Yslas on percussion and Yarone Levy on acoustic guitar.

This is a track that is destined to be right up there in my Smooth Jazz Therapy Top Twenty of 2025.

 

Steve Cole - Without A Doubt

A little over a year ago smooth jazz ‘A-Lister’ Steve Cole released his latest high-octane blockbuster ‘Without A Doubt’. Out on the Mack Avenue label it marked the culmination of Cole’s partnership with rising smooth jazz star Adam Hawley as together they delivered an avalanche of high energy tracks that would not have been out of place in the genre’s golden age of times gone by.

Take for example ‘One Two!’ the storming title cut or the just as good ‘Its Like That’. Then again, what about when Steve turns down the tempo and comes up with the sultry ‘Dreaming Of You’?

 

Arthur Thompson - I'm Free

‘I’m Free’ is the fourth single from drummer and vocalist Arthur Thompson’s up coming debut release ‘Arthurized Volume 1’ which is due out later this year.

Written by Thompson, Fred Smith, and Jaconell Mouton, ‘I’m Free’ is a feel good number that, in addition to Thompson’s drums and percussion, includes Kamaal Malak on bass, Tom Braxton on tenor sax, David John on guitar and a standout horn section comprising Rod Clark on trombone, Dave Johnson on trumpet, and Victor Anderson on sax.

 ‘I’m Free’ follows the singles ‘Smile’ (for which Mindi Abair plays a part), ‘We Can BEAT Cancer’ (featuring Dave Koz) and a cool reimagining of the Roberta Flack hit ‘Oasis’

 

Kim Scott - Freedom

Ahead of the February 28 release of her latest CD ‘Livin It Up’ flautist Kim Scott is back on radio with the single ‘Freedom’ that finds her making a foray into the rhythms of South Africa for the very first time.

The idea for the song came from producer Greg Manning and the decision to push the musical boundaries of contemporary jazz was arrived at jointly and from an intent to make music unlike anything currently on the radio.

To make this a reality a style incorporating house, jazz, and kwaito rhythms (known as South African Amapiano) was employed with the opening chant being in Swahil. Very different, very liberating and one to look out for.

 

Gumbo - Citrus Soup

Hidden away in the seductive shadows of top-notch contemporary jazz is a project named ‘Gumbo’, the brainchild of producer, composer and keyboard player Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis. Through 2024 the label Trippin N Rhythm has been drip feeding a selection of their tracks to streaming platforms that include ‘Shakedown’, ‘Downtown’ and ‘Thrill Me’ which in addition were all destined for the 2024 album ‘Vertigo’.

Well make that one more as out now is another track from the ‘Vertigo’ collection, ‘Citrus Soup’, has hit the airwaves and in so doing started up the Gumbo conversation all over again.

 

Peter White - Catalonia

With a touring schedule that could well be described as insane guitarist Peter White might well be described as the hardest working artist in smooth jazz. His latest venture is the album ‘Light Of Day’, his first since 2019 and the ‘Music for STARLUX Airlines’ project that found him composing six tracks that primarily were intended to be played on the airline’s onboard entertainment systems.

‘Light Of Day’ sees him returning to the sounds and vibes with which he has built a truly illustrious career and none more so that the first radio single, the zesty, hugely evocative ‘Catalonia’.

Check it out and check back here soon for a complete review of ‘Light Of Day’.

 

Vincent Ingala - Lets Get To It

First there was the wonderfully funky ‘Movin And Shakin’. Then came the even better title cut that proved to be a mid tempo gem of the highest order which came complete with a vibe to die for and a nod from me declaring it as one of the best smooth jazz tracks of 2024.

Yes that’s right I am talking about the delicious ‘Escape With Me’, the current hot CD from multi instrumentalist Vincent Ingala and those two choice tracks are now being joined by the album’s latest radio single ‘Lets Get To It’.

Fabulous track.

 

Jazz In Pink - Expansions

In 1974, before his collaborations with Miles Davis and Pharoah Sanders, the legendary jazz-fusion pioneer, Lonnie Liston Smith recorded the classic jam, ‘Expansions’. It became an inspiration to generations of musicians to follow and now, half a century later, the founder, leader and keyboard player of super group Jazz In Pink, the wonderful Gail Jhonson, picks up the torch and blazes a new trail with her inspired re-imagining of this classic track.

Gail Jhonson, Althea Rene and promoter Kyna Hubbard founded Jazz In Pink over fifteen years ago. Since then the collective has established itself as a veritable revolving door of female musical excellence. Indeed, over that time over fifty women have graced the stage with them, both as headline artists or side musicians.

Very nice track

 

JoAnna Lee - Put That Record On

Out now on the Cutmore Entertainment label is the sensational ‘Put That Record On’ from soulful vocalist JoAnna Lee. It was six years ago that JoAnna moved from the small town environs of her long time home of Bend, Oregon to Austin Texas from where she has been able to build on the success she enjoyed with her 2017 project ‘So Free’.

Within the corridors of contemporary jazz there has long been a gap just begging to be filled by a coherent vocalist such as JoAnna and, indeed, if ‘Put That Record On’ is anything to go by that gap is about to be conclusively filled.

 

 

Paul Taylor - Forever More

Ahead of Paul Taylor’s thirteenth studio album, ‘It’s A Brand New Day’, come the tight, in the pocket, ‘Forever More’ that was written by Taylor along with legendary producer Barry Eastmond.

Showcasing nine original tracks plus one well-crafted cover ‘It’s A Brand New Day’ marks Taylor’s debut on the Shanachie label. He is joined on ‘Forever More’ by ‘go to’ drummer Michael White, bass player Freddie Washington plus Randy Bowland on guitars. The result is a number of the calibre we have come to expect from an artist who has enjoyed a string of Billboard #1 hits and collaborations including those with Regina Belle, Maxi Priest, Peabo Bryson, Keiko Matsui, The Rippingtons, Peter White, Euge Groove, Michael Lington and Marion Meadows.

Check it out.

 

Castella - Nights Over Egypt

Featuring contemporary jazz flutist Ragan Whiteside, the latest single from the rapidly emerging R & B vocalist Castella is a cool cover of the 1981 classic from the Jones Girls ‘Nights Over Egypt’.

Old School but with a modern twist this one really has it all going on.