Sometimes revisiting the past enables us to move forward. That’s exactly what contemporary jazz guitarist Les Sabler did when creating his sixth studio album, Crescent Shores, which will be released by Big Deal Records on August 3rd. Produced by Sabler and keyboardist-trumpeter Allon Sams, the genesis of the collection sprang from sessions recorded in 1991 in Richard Elliot’s Tampa studio. Sabler re-did most of the original tracks, composed new songs and selected a few covers to record for Crescent Shores. For the first time ever, Sabler exclusively played a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar throughout the album. The title track, one of seven songs on the disc penned by Sabler, was serviced to radio for airplay in advance of the CD release.

“Through two of my recordings, Sweet Drive and Bridge the Gap, combined with a recent trip to Brazil, I’ve found a fresh voice on acoustic guitar,” explained Sabler, a Canadian who has been a long-time Florida resident. “Shortly after releasing my first album, my band and I started recording material for what was intended to be my second album. We all lived in the Sarasota (Florida) area and I used to walk around Crescent Beach on Siesta Key. It inspired my songwriting. Some business challenges caused the shelving of the original tapes, but I rediscovered them recently. We transferred the tapes to digital and went back into the studio to finish what we started nineteen years ago. Teaming with Allon, we were able to strike a creative balance between the old and new recordings resulting in what you hear today on Crescent Shores.”

Crescent Shores fits neatly into Sabler’s catalogue as it is a contemporary jazz, R&B and adult pop collection executed with precision and passionate musicianship, meticulous production elements that favor a live sound, and well-crafted songwriting. Three cuts – “Market Street,” “Walfredo” and “Peace River Suite” (the latter of which retains an original performance by saxman Elliot) – did indeed appear on Sabler’s second album, Time For Love, but they were re-recorded. Also re-recorded were four songs from the 1991 sessions – “Crescent Shores,” “Island Princess,” “Turn Of The Century” and “Sunset Serenade – although some of the original performances were retained, including rhythm tracks laid down by drummer David “Frankie” Toler and the late bassist Bruce Waibel, both of whom had played with the Gregg Allman Band. Contributing beats to the new recordings were drummer Erik Hargrove (James Brown Band) and percussionist Joe Lala (CSNY, Bee Gees).

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