Michiyo Kitagawa – The Sun Still Smiles
Japanese saxophonist Michiyo Kitagawa performed in several bands like Dad Mam God and Rocket Punch. Her debut album was Theater`M in 1998. After her return to Tokyo she released her second album Tete in 2015. This album features Roberto Vally on bass. Her third album is KOOL (2018). KOOL is an intimate deep insight into the delicate emotional world of the Japanese artist Michiyo Kitagawa. Her next album Beautiful Green was released in December, 2020.
Her newest project is the EP The Sun Still Smiles (2022) produced by Roberto Vally. The album features Tom Schuman, Mark Etheredge, Morris O’ Connor, Leon Bisquera, Michael Sims, and Carlyle Bariteau.
Get the album here.
In 1998 I have bought Jim Adkins’ debut album Just Chillin and was deeply impressed by his guitar music. Twenty four years later I renew my knowledge about this guitar maestro with his album Soul Expression (2022).
LA based jazz guitarist Nils belongs to the first guard of top guitarists of the smooth jazz genre with albums like Blue Planet (1998), Pacific Coast Highway (2005), Ready To Play (2007), Up Close And Personal (2009), What The Funk (2010), City Groove (2012), Alley Cat (2015), and Play (2018). His album Caught In The Groove (2020) has met an audience in difficult times.
During the day, the American Victor Towle works as a social worker. He is also active as a songwriter and musician. He has already released 6 albums, and this is his third in the New Age genre.
Grant Geissman (born April 13, 1953) is a crossover jazz, smooth jazz and new age guitarist and an Emmy-nominated composer for network TV series and TV movies. An in-demand studio musician, he has recorded extensively for several labels since 1976, and he can be heard playing guitar on the theme for “Monk” and other TV series.
When 3 like-minded veterans of the music business put their heads together and decide to explore the cerebral, the exploratory and the connectivity between the chemistry, you arrive at this result.
In the 90’s, Atlanta was a melting pot for burgeoning soul music, house music DJ’s and an underground jazz scene. Khari Cabral Simmons stood at the point where all of these met, as an upcoming bassist and bandleader. It was in this creatively fertile environment that Khari made his start in music. He started playing bass for many of the artists in the scene, such as Bilal Sunni Ali (Sun Ra), Donnie (The Colored Section), Gaelle (Naked Music) and India Arie. He also started to do recording sessions, playing on house music recordings, including a remix for KD Lang. After a few years of recording dance and soul music, Khari started looking to make his own vehicle for upbeat soulful music. It was then that he created Jiva. Jiva would go on to play all over the Atlanta area, performing alongside artists like Roy Ayers and Incognito.
The American jazz singer Vicki Burns specializes in romantic music from the last century, but is therefore not tied to the Great American Songbook.
Internationally renowned musician 
The African-American jazz singer, songwriter, arranger and producer Sidney Jacobs is completely unknown to me. However, he is the newest member of the legendary group The 5th Dimension.
Smooth Jazz Daily 