Archive for January, 2019
Len Mizzoni writes and performs many genres of music. His catalog of original songs includes everything from Country, Pop, Rock, R&B, Funk and Smooth Jazz. His debut album Waves of Indigo has enjoyed international success. Len is excited to release his follow-up album Better Days. The first single the title track will be released to AC radio in North America along with I’ve Got This Feeling to Jazz radio.
Experience your Better Days on iTunes.
People have suggested for years that Harve Mann do an all instrumental album. Here at last is Instrumentally Yours. Starting with That Old Hifi, featuring Jeff Ganz on bass and the late Daoud Shaw on drums, Harve’s lead guitar and keyboards sparkle on this smooth jazz cut. It is followed by a super One-Mann Jam called Higher Reality. Jeff “The Chef” Sidler played all the saxes on Find The Beauty a reimagining of Harve’s classic song. Next is a twin guitars in harmony version of The Comeback.
The rest of the collection mixes melodic compositions like A Whole Different Thing from the George Van Noy film Dangerous Ideas to avantguarde pieces like Plumber In Love and Boston Beagle. Throughout Harve’s playing on keyboards, bass and guitar is stellar and soulful. Not to disappoint the many fans of Harve’s versatile singing, three bonus vocal cuts are included. The closing song I Just Love To Entertain from 1982 finds Harve portraying his “Lounge Singer Character” from The David Letterman Show. As a longtime fan of Harve, I believe Instrumentally Yours is up there with his very best.
Sean Clover December 2018
Get your own impression of this album on CDBaby.
Ruby Pan was born in 1987 in Taichung, Taiwan. She studied classical piano from an early age. She did not begin playing the saxophone until after high school at which time she joined the orchestra team. She attended musical school for 10 years, where she played classical music for four of those years. She learned to play jazz in her second year of college. She plays Smooth Jazz, Funk, and R & B. She exhibits a strong sense of rhythm.Ruby Pan, Taiwanese saxophonist and flutist, graduated from Dong Hwa University, major in Jazz performance. She’s good at playing Pop, Soul, Funk, R&B, Jazz and known for her performing style that full of power and strong rhythm. Now she’s active in music festivals in and outside Taiwan, TV shows, and famous live houses in Taipei, committing to the promotion and education of Jazz music.
This album is in the music style that influences Ruby the most- Fusion Jazz. It includes 9 original songs and one adapted from famous Taiwanese singer Chris Hung’s tune, “Missing rain”. Produced by Sheng-fei Lu of Timeless Fusion Party, which is the best fusion band of Taiwan, and mixing and mastering by Masakazu Kimura, who worked with T-Square, Jun Abe, Ayaka Hirahara, Kohmi Hirose and other famous musicians like TingYu Lin (guitar), Marcus Tsao (bass), Devlin Chen (drums) and special guests Yi-Jiun Kao (trumpet) and Hanazawa (trombone).
Ten songs represent ten stories from musician’s own life, Ruby shares her world, her feelings and emotions through music. By listening to this album, audience can get to know Ruby Pan, not only as a musician, but also as a person.
Her debut album is available on Amazon.com.
Germany based multi-instrumentalist Konstantin Klashtorni has already released a plethora of album series. The Kool&Klean series is undoubtedly one of the most popular. Not only the groovy music is attractive, but also the extremely pretty women depicted on the covers.
Starting with the infectious Kool&Klean Volume I in 2010, followed by Volume II (2011), Volume III (2012), Volume IV (2014), Volume V (2014), Volume VI (2016), Volume VII (2017), we now reached Volume VIII in 2018.
If one listens to Islands Of Tranquility, one easily gets into raptures. Then attributes such as dreamlike, picturesque or beautiful will easily come to your mind. Again Konstantin is able to create the highest degree of harmony with his proven concept.
Glenn Riley is a Vancouver Canada based bass artist with decades of performing, and writing experience, Glenn has played for crowds across the country. Glenn wrote, recorded, arranged, mixed, and performed on all of the tracks. It is a pleasure to have additional players Norm Quinn, Bruce Riley – out of Japan, Bill Shephard and Juno award winner Gabriel Hasselbach. “I put my heart and soul into the creation of this CD. I want to show that the bass can cover a lot of musical ground. I hope people are pleasantly surprised and enjoy the songs.” said Glenn. “My hope is that listeners will find this music to be new, soul-filled and welcoming”.
Different Day, Different Way combines many musical elements in a new and interesting way. Get the album on CDBaby.
Tracks Vol 1 is a first edition collection of instrumental tracks from Perry Michael Allen’s songwriter archives. A perfect example of his genre-bending approach. There is Soul, Pop, R&B, Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop and more put into one seamless blend, all listeners will hear something that will make them move, touch their hearts and stimulate imagination. It’s obvious that Allen has a long background in making this kind of music, it’s clean and catchy without ever sounding over-produced. You can hear his Memphis roots and the influences of some of Soul and R&B’s greatest musicians. For example, early in his career under the wings of master producer “Papa” Willie Mitchell and Stax hit writer David Porter (of “Soul Man” fame), Allen sharpened his song writing and production skills and later became an artist / writer and arranger for both Stax Records, and the legendary Hi Records where he worked for many years with Mitchell and soul legend Al Green during their chart topping careers.
The style and personality reflected in Tracks Vol 1 is very refreshing. Allen makes his own space in the Indie arena and says “ I call it “New Easy”, the indie/underground version of Adult Contemporary.I didn’t think about adhering to any category rules and regulations .. the music, the experience was the point not what genre it would be put into.” “ I want listeners to enjoy these musical journeys, they all were inspired by people I’ve met and places I’ve visited around the world.” This collection of instrumentals is a unique mix of groove, arrangement and melody, a breath of fresh air .. worth adding to your playlist.
You find this album on CDBaby.
To classify Patrick Yandall as a smooth jazz guitarist would not do justice to his stylistic spectrum. Smooth jazz, contemporary jazz, blues, rock, every genre is a facet of his musical personality. Patrick’s new album When Its Hip has exactly these edges that make up the whole Yandall package.
Patrick performs all instruments on the new album. With the exception of three covers he has written all songs. The album is launched with the title song. While the lead guitar is focused on chords offers the main part variations of trumpet, bass and guitar underlined by synth strings. King James is somewhat harder due to the use of distortion effects. Even a short piano solo is included.
B Boy is called a break-dancer, who follows the athletic path of street dancing. Piano and guitar alternate in the presentation of the main motif. Most friends of smooth jazz will know Who’s That Lady through guitarist Peter White, who helped the 1973 Isley Bothers song to new fame. Unlike Peter White, Patrick lets the wildness of the guitar shine in its untamed form.
Mike Murray‘s 21st commercial release, Vantage Point, is a combination of new down tempo and foot stomping Smooth Jazz/Chillout tracks guaranteed to uniquely transport the listener. Mike’s proven recipe contains the following flavors: 1 teaspoon of George Duke’s essence, 1 teaspoon of FourPlay’s flavoring, 3 Tablespoons of Paul Hardcastle’s broth, 2 Teaspoons of Mandrill’s funk. A pinch of Bob James and two cup’s of Mike Murray. Mix and let simmer for about an hour. Serve chilled or hot…
Vantage Point is available on CDBaby.
Last year during my Kickstarter campaign, I had a great time curating what I consider to be the most comprehensive collection from my recordings to date. Moments includes music from my first album in 1988 (“Sparrow” performed by Modern Man) to 2016’s This Train: The Gospel Sessions.
Moments is a limited edition anthology consisting of some of Eric Essix‘s favorite studio sessions over the course of his 30 year career.This one is unique, however, in that it reaches back into his catalog from the first album in 1988 with the song “Sparrow” and continues with his work in the early nineties all the way up to the most recent albums. The record also highlights some stellar collaborations with vocalists Ruben Studdard and Jason Eskridge (Zac Brown Band) and legendary jazz sax player, Kirk Whalum.
Get the album on CDBaby,
Jazz Funk Soul was formed by keyboardist Jeff Lorber, guitarist Chuck Loeb and sax player Everette Harp. Late guitarist Chuck Loeb considered the group as a natural extension of the fun and high level of creativity that was taking place on stage each night. In this formation the trio was blessed to release two albums, the same titled debut album (2014) and the sophomore album More Serious Business (2016).
After Chuck Loeb’s all too early passing away the fan community feared a standstill of further recordings like with the group Fourplay. Now the group Jazz Funk Soul has surprisingly reunited and welcomes its new member guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., who comments: “Chuck, you’re one of the best musicians and best people, I’ve ever met. I speak in present tense because you’re not gone, you’re just not here. I miss you, and look forward to making music with you in Heaven.”
Life And Time is the name of the new album, which will be released January 25, 2019 on Shanachie Entertainment Group and is dedicated to the late Chuck Loeb. Jeff Lorber performs keyboards, Rhodes, acoustic piano, Moog bass, and guitar, Everette Harp keys, alto sax, tenor sax and EWI, Paul Jackson Jr. lead and rhythm guitars.
Smooth Jazz Daily
Smooth Jazz Daily 