Smooth Jazz Therapy

Spotlight On DW3

Chances are, unless you are locked onto the LA music scene or a frequent traveler aboard The Smooth Jazz Cruise, you will not, as yet, have discovered the triple delights of high octane ‘party band’ DW3. 

Complemented by some of the best musicians around, DW3 (short for ‘Down With 3’) is led by Eric Mondragon, Billy Mondragon and Damon Reel.  They specialize in sumptuously crafted covers of some of the best R & B hits of the last forty or so years but now, newly signed to Woodward Avenue Records and with a new CD scheduled for early in 2015, these long-time regulars at Spaghettini in Seal Beach, CA (and perennial centerpiece of the late night poolside parties that have become such a feature of smooth jazz cruising) are all set to step it up a notch.

Spotlight On Michael Haggins

To gain cult status from the audience of a hugely successful television show will, for many, always remain a dream.  Yet for composer and bass player Michael Haggins that dream became a reality.  His song, ‘Daybreak’, featured on NBC’s Emmy award winning Community and in so doing became an immediate social media sensation.  Indeed, this particular sensation turned out not to be of the overnight variety as in May 2014, when Community favorite Ken Jeong appeared on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, both Jimmy and Ken had some fun while dancing around to a rendition from Fallon’s house-band of, yes you guessed it, ‘Daybreak’.

In fact Michael has been around awhile and although ‘Daybreak’ was lifted from his 2004 debut recording of the same name, both that and ‘Traffic’ (which followed four years later) marked him out as a consummate craftsman of smooth jazz tinged with old school R & B.

Spotlight On Nathan East

Careers characterized by longevity often point to an artist’s propensity for reinvention.  However, in the case of bass player Nathan East, his burgeoning success can, in part, be explained by the way he has embraced differing genres and in doing so established touch points with different audiences that are united by a common appreciation of his playing.

 

Take for instance the ‘soulsters’ who discovered East, still in his teens, playing his part in Barry White’s powerhouse Love Unlimited Orchestra.  They weren’t the only ones as writer and arranger Gene Page (which whom East had worked on White’s recording sessions) quickly spotted his talent and used him on numerous projects, including those for Dionne Warwick and Johnny Mathis.

Spotlight On Vel Lewis

Hammond organist Vel Lewis is yet another fine example of the synergy that sizzles between contemporary jazz and soul music from the golden age of Philadelphia.  His new radio single, the ultra smooth ‘Song For My Love’, is grabbing some attention ahead of the June release of the EP ‘Colors Of Soul’ and the fact the collection was mixed by rising star Greg Manning (and features none other than Lenny Castro on percussion) will do its chances of success no harm at all.

The Lemonade Weekend 2.0 - The Jazz Festival with a Heart

 

 

 

Hollywood - December 2013 – Musician, producer and radio personality Bruce Nazarian has announced the Lemonade Weekend 2.0 and Citrus Music Awards will be held March 27-30, 2014 in Hollywood, CA. 

This celebration of all that is good in contemporary jazz promises not only to be a wonderful showcase for the genre as a whole, but also a coming together of all those who wish to channel their love of this music into an event intended to do charitable good.

Spotlight On Dwayne 'Smitty' Smith

Despite being a hugely sought after session and touring musician, bass player Dwayne ‘Smitty’ Smith waited until 2005 to release his debut solo album.  Titled ‘This Is Me’ it was an expression of his own musical personality and now he is back with his latest offering, the eclectically jazzy ‘Stories’.  Not only is it a measure of how much his music has evolved but also provides a back-story that chronicles his life and career.  The CD includes contributions from Kirk Whalum, Oli Silk, Oscar Seaton, Tim Gant and Darrell Crooks while much like ‘This Is Me’ (which contained signature tributes to Stevie Wonder) ‘Stories’ features an arrangement of ‘So What’ that Smith uses to honor the music of Miles Davis.

Spotlight On - Johnny Sandoval

‘Istanblu’ by percussionist Johnny Sandoval has a title that explains basically all you need to know about this funky, sometimes extravagantly jazzy track.  It reflects the experiences that Johnny's gained while touring in Istanbul, Turkey for three months and playing in Turkish Flamenco band Istwest.  Of course those in the know will make the connection between Sandoval and Greg Adams’ recent creation East Bay Soul, in which Johnny has a pivotal role.  His own band, @conga, provides music that has been described elsewhere as a blend of international rhythms, jazz, and melody.

Spotlight on - ZOE

A new band to me is the interestingly named ZOE that plays regularly in and around the Philadelphia area.  Having opened for the likes of Dave Koz, Sheila E. and Jonathan Butler these guys certainly know their way around the contemporary jazz scene and, with appearances at the Catalina JazzTrax Festival and the Spring Breeze Soul Jazz Cruise also on its resume, this is a group of musicians that are consummately comfortable in a live environment.  To experience what ZOE is all about check this out.

 

The band has just released its new CD, ‘Unstoppable’, on the NuGroove2 label from which the first single, ‘Always Thinking of You’ features, and was produced by, Jim Peterik who, in his time, composed that seminal song ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and several years ago also dipped a toe into the smooth jazz pool.

Spotlight On The Tony Rich Project

With the upcoming release of ‘Speak Me’ from the Tony Rich Project there has never been a better time to turn the Smooth Jazz Therapy spotlight on this undisputed tastemaker of R & B.  Born in Detroit and discovered by none other than L. A. Reid, Tony Rich first cut his musical teeth as a staff writer for Reid’s LaFace Records where he wrote songs for Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, TLC and Toni Braxton.  However Reid was rapidly discovering the potential Rich had to be a recording artist in his own right and in 1996, under the name of the Tony Rich Project, he made his debut with the hit single ‘Nobody Knows’, which climbed to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  In that same year his debut CD ‘Words’ hit the streets.  Both the album and the single went platinum and in 1997 Rich won the Grammy Award for the Best R&B Album.

Spotlight On Alan Hewitt

That ultra talented singer, songwriter and keyboard player Alan Hewitt has combined writing music for Oprah Winfrey with playing keys for the Moody Blues but right now is grabbing some serious attention with his latest solo release ‘High Fidelity’.  The title track is the latest single to be serviced to radio and is everything one has come to expect from an artist with rhythm and melody to burn.  It’s a cool instrumental cut which stands out in a collection that, for Hewitt, represents a return to where he started out, as a singer-songwriter.

Spotlight On - The Cinnamon Club

With contemporary jazz superstar Euge Groove in the UK and headed for Manchester there has never been a better time to spotlight The Cinnamon Club where he will be playing this coming Sunday and which is widely regarded as the country’s northern outpost of smooth jazz. Indeed located in the suburbs, on the city’s affluent southern fringe, this small and very much multi functional venue seems an unlikely place to find music that, for the most part, has its roots in the USA. Yet over what is now eight years, the Cinnamon has become the place to be for lovers of what is often seen as something of a niche genre.

When I talked to Neil Hughes, the Director of the Bowden Rooms in which the Cinnamon is located, I started out by asking him about the health and well being of smooth jazz circa 2012.

Spotlight On - Rob White

Sax-man Rob White is currently making some waves with the CD ‘Just Kickin It’. It has already garnered the hit single ‘Should've Kissed You’ and is all set to do the same with the equally appealing title cut. What is not commonly known is that White is very much a product of Orpheus Enterprises, the Indianapolis based company that was responsible for the debut projects of Billboard-topping talent such as Najee, Freddie Jackson, Alex Bugnon and Andre Ward. In fact the president of Orpheus, Beau Huggins, took an early interest in White’s development and saw to it that his debut recording ‘Let It Ride’ stayed firmly under the control of seasoned producer Rahni Song who, as well as currently having a hit CD of his own, has also been part of the Orpheus family since the very beginning.

Spotlight On Kool & Klean

Originally from the Ukraine and now domiciled in Holland, saxophonist Konstantin Klashtorni first came to prominence in 2004 with his debut CD ‘Downtown’. Although three more smooth jazz albums followed, it was in 2010, when his project ‘Kool & Klean Volume l’ was released, that he began to move in a slightly different musical direction. Intended as the first in a series of accessible and commercially attractive collections that sat somewhere between smooth jazz, electronica and chill, what the CD actually did was to reclaim some of the ground which previously had been the sole domain of Paul Hardcastle. The year 2011 beckoned in the arrival of ‘Kool & Klean Volume ll’ and now ‘Kool & Klean Volume lll’ is available for download. It is quite possibly the best yet and to discover what I mean check out the sumptuous ‘Everywhere’. In common with much of ‘Kool & Klean Volume lll’ it is a sensation.

Spotlight On Pete Belasco

The release of the stunning new album ‘Lights On’ by the hugely soulful Pete Belasco has put the music of this vastly ignored performer firmly into the spotlight. In fact he first made his mark back in 2004 with the lusciously seductive ‘Deeper’ that at the time was described as tapping into classic, sexy R&B grooves while remaining entirely up to date. That said, fans of Belasco remain slavishly devoted to his 1997 debut album ‘Get It Together’ that Jazziz labeled as “a brilliant collection of R&B Jazz fusion”.

Spotlight On Greg Adams

Much of the early buzz surrounding the release of ‘East Bay Soul 2.0’ was about how a sensational campaign to raise the $25,000 necessary to record the album hit its target. However, now it’s all about the music and without doubt this is a collection of the highest order, in fact everything (plus a little bit more) that one would expect from the artistic genius of its creator Greg Adams. Of course Adams was the founding member of Tower of Power where his signature sound as performer and arranger made the TOP horn section a sought out entity all it's own. When recently I talked with Greg via Skype from his office in LA I was eager to discover more about the creative process behind ‘East Bay Soul 2.0’.

Spotlight On Dexter Wansel

Relatively unknown outside the United States, composer and keyboard player Dexter Wansel is credited with having had a significant influence on the genre that developed into new age soul and jazz funk. Although his most successful album was the 1976 release on Philadelphia International, ‘Life On Mars’, for those who admire the origins of edgy yet sensuous contemporary jazz the 1979 release ‘Time Is Slipping Away’ must arguably be Wansel’s finest moment. It contained the iconic track ‘The Sweetest Pain’ which featured vocals from Terri Wells and today still sounds just as fresh as on the day it was recorded.

Spotlight On Roan Soul

As if from no-where, the pairing of Robert Berry and Andi Schenck, aka Roan Soul, has burst onto the scene with not one but two brand new albums. Titled ‘Walk The World’ and ‘Redefining’ the collective twenty two self penned tracks are a fine blend of the rock, pop, R & B and influences that have shaped their respective careers yet, paradoxically, the outcome of this exquisite coming together is a wonderful example of what might be termed ‘blue eyed’ soul, all presented in the best traditions of bands such as Hall & Oates, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Ambrosia.

Spotlight On Reze Khan

One artist who is pushing the contemporary jazz envelope while drawing heavily on musical heroes such as Pat Metheny, the Rippingtons and Acoustic Alchemy is guitarist Reza Khan. ‘Language Of Love’, from his latest CD ‘A Simple Plan’, features the always excellent Andy Snitzer on sax and has just been serviced to radio.