Greg Adams – East Bay Soul
Former Tower of Power mastermind Greg Adams has created a new project called East Bay Soul. Members of the band are Greg Adams (trumpet), Brian Allen (bass), Johnnie Bamont (sax and flute), Michael Paulo (sax), Joey Navarro (keyboards), Johnny Sandoval (percussion), Evan Stone (drums), Lee Thomburg (trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone) and James Wirrick (guitar). But don’t await an instrumental-only band. On the new album East Bay Soul are also a lot of vocals.
Nevertheless the band stands in the tradition of Tower of Power with a strong emphasis on the horns. East Bay Soul is entitled after the San Francisco East Bay Area. The group presents contemporary jazz with a big dose of R&B, just the right mixture to let you dance and groove.
The album starts with Survival Of The Hippest, a horn driven tune featuring Greg Adams on solo trumpet. Tom Bowes adds a short rap sequence which doesn’t change the brass laden character of the song.
Bop Drop is more or less a jazz interlude, a symbolic fig leaf for the jazz purists. Reading Lips features Tom Bowes, former lead singer of Tower of Power and today’s a member of the groups Funk Filharmonik. He puts his heart blood into melody and emotion.
Jump, Shout & Holler presents a further singer, Sean Holt. He recently appeared on Richard Smith’s L.A. Chillharmonic. His singing is very trenchant and unique. The cool is back on the mid-tempo What’s It Gonna Be?, Greg Adams and his muted trumpet.
Listening to saxophonist Tom Braxton on his latest release, Endless Highway, one cannot help being filled with a sense of joy as his music swirls through your soul and leaves you spellbound as he cleverly caresses each note of his lyrical melodies. A seasoned performer, who knows how to charm audiences of all ages, Braxton has his own distinctive and recognizable sound which incorporates elements of Jazz, Latin, Funk and R&B. This new disc highlights Braxton as a composer, producer and arranger along with six of his original compositions that feature his effortless transition from soprano, alto and tenor saxophones to showcasing his versatility on piano, keyboards and flute.
Jazz Artist Aaron Bing is a master musician of the soprano and alto saxophones- not to mention 20 other instruments (18 of which are self-taught). He has dedicated over 15 years of his life perfecting his musical talent. He has stayed focused and disciplined in giving himself to producing and promoting his craft.
After a 6 years hiatus from In And Out Steve Baxter’s first solo CD , it got airplay on mostly independent radio but they really got behind it, they kept asking him when was something new coming out, he started brain storming on trying to put together something hip for trombone but still musically strong.
Welcome To The Party is a whole album of original, satisfying and luscious jazz, smooth jazz and lounge tracks with strong melodic themes, relaxed grooves and solid roots in traditional jazz that will carry you off to your own personal paradise, but without harmful side effects.
When we have to define the term entrepreneur in the smooth jazz genre, comes one person immediately in mind. Marcus Johnson is the musician with the greatest need and field of activity. He founded with businessman Robert L. Johnson the label Three Keys Music signing artists like Bobby Lyle, Jaared, Michael Lington, Joey Summerville, Nick Colionne and others.
Don Diego is a contemporary jazz fusion saxophonist, vocalist and keyboard player who mixes instrumental covers of modern and classic R&B with rap and pop vocals. His music is divinely focused and undoubtedly appeals to the tastes of smooth jazz lovers. However, the urban flavor of Don Diego’s music is unmistakable. While the Kenny G and David Sandborn will be obvious, one will discover the underlying influences of modern gospel and classic Detroit soul.
The Sax Pack is a class act consisting of three signature sax players; Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters and Steve Cole. Backed by a tight rhythm section, the talented trio combine their life-long love of music and their passion for performance, to make an impact on audiences that love music as much as they do. Committed to sharing the excitement, spontaneity and creative energy that flows between them on stage, The Sax Pack inspires an audience far beyond the duration of a show.
To many, the word “relaxing” is interchangeable with “boring” when it comes to describing music. Guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo defies that concept on Life Is Good, an aptly named release on the Sunshine Ave. label.
In the digitally-driven 21st century, the landscape of American popular music exists in a constant state of metamorphosis. At any given moment, the lines between jazz, R&B, soul, funk, pop, hip-hop and countless other styles can become indistinguishable, and sometimes disappear altogether. Singer, pianist Joe McBride, an innovator since his first recordings in the early ’90s, understands this phenomenon on a first-hand level. And like any versatile artist who’s in it for the long haul, he’s learned to not only roll with the changes, but actively seek them out and explore their maximum artistic potential.
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