Brian Soergel
Brian’s Contributions
January/February 2010 Currents
Sunday Morning
Euge Groove
No one in smooth jazz does the dramatic sax growl and the flutter note better than Euge Groove. There’s a modicum of that on his sixth solo CD, but Sunday Morning is mellower than usual; Groove reins in the in-your-face funk with 10 songs that cater to contemplative...
January/February 2010 Currents
First Love
Everette Harp
It’s probably true that all saxophonists thrown into the orderly smooth-jazz genre desire to bust out with a trad-jazz project that displays their influences and years of training. Of course, you’ll see this at live shows, which are regularly raucous jams...
December 2009 Currents
More to Say
Terri Lyne Carrington
Pop-culture junkies may recall that Terri Lyne Carrington was the drummer who held down the groove for the Posse on Arsenio Hall’s popular talk show from 1989 to 1994. She’s gained well-deserved respect since then for her composing and producing skills...
December 2009 Currents
Brother’s Keeper
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe expands with the first KDTU CD in seven years, one that takes Denson in a surprising new direction, veering sharply from jam-heavy funk and into a more personal style that bears the influences of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye...
December 2009 Currents
Marcus Johnson
Poetically Justified
Marcus Johnson’s a master at the sort of sophisticated, smooth piano jazz heard best underneath the chatter at late-night cocktails. But on his 11th CD he also keeps his ears tuned to what’s happening today, injecting enough urban-music staples to earn a...
November 2009 Currents
Legacy
Hiroshima
This is a best-of with a twist. Featuring remakes of compositions from veteran fusion band Hiroshima’s first decade, Legacy is the debut entry in what leaders Dan Kuramoto and June Kuramoto say could be an ongoing series covering the group’s 30-year history...
November 2009 Currents
Lookin' For A Change
Joe McBride
Joe McBride went looking for a change, found it, and listeners will be rewarded with a treat unlike anything the veteran pianist has done before. McBride is no slouch on vocals, but he is, after all, primarily a purveyor of acoustic contemporary jazz. Here...
November 2009 Currents
For Your Love
Sherry Winston
It can be tough to cover a well-known pop song on the flute and not make it sound like something you’d hear at a high-end department store, but Sherry Winston succeeds wonderfully on Beyoncé’s “Naughty Girl,” her flute working its Middle Eastern snake-charmer...
October 2009 Currents
All It Takes
Rick Braun
All It Takes re-establishes veteran Rick Braun as the leading force of trumpet-led contemporary jazz. After a CD of covers and a high-energy duet CD with saxophonist Richard Elliot, Braun returns with worth-the-wait music coming almost four years after his...
October 2009 Currents
Mind Over Matter
Najee
Najee’s first album since 2007’s straightahead-influenced Rising Sun marks the popular saxophonist’s return to the cool and sophisticated urban sounds he’s known for. In fact, Najee calls it a “friendly album,” one influenced by responses received onstage...
October 2009 Currents
Good Day
Peter White
It’s a Good Day indeed for fans of Peter White’s sweet-sounding contemporary jazz/pop on the nylon-string guitar, as this is his first CD of original material in five years. An accomplished musician, White doesn’t veer from paths taken before, and there’s...
April 2009 Currents
Memories of Summer as a Child
The Beyman Bros
If you happened to stumble upon a new ambient-folk/bluegrass instrumental CD spearheaded by satirist Chri-stopher Guest of This Is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman, we’d excuse your guffaw. But Memories of Summer as a Child is no joke. We think. Guest...
April 2009 Currents
Star Power
Norman Connors
More than 30 years after “You Are My Starship” crowned Norman Connors a new quiet storm hero, Connors is now an old-school hero with an up-to-date project. Who’d have guessed that he’d include an updated version of his big hit? How about tight, New Jack...
April 2009 Currents
No Regrets
Randy Crawford & Joe Sample
As soon as Randy Crawford’s vocals grace “Everyday I Have the Blues,” you realize that they’ve maintained their magic, only now they are seasoned with a sexy, come-hither huskiness. Crawford, of course, is still remembered fondly worldwide for her distinctive...
April 2009 Currents
Love Birds
Jonathan Fritzén
If Oli Silk is the British version of Brian Culbertson, Jonathan Fritzén is the Swedish edition of Brian Culbertson, the 36-year-old American pianist known for his melodic and much-imitated style. That style puts memorable pop music, much of it love songs...
April 2009 Currents
More Tales Remixed
Incognito
Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick’s Incognito has always been equal parts R&B, soul and funky beats throughout its 30 years. The British band has legions of fans in the dance and concert realms as well, and it appears this remixed CD of Incognito’s latest studio...
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ReportAbout Brian Soergel
Soergel, who relaxes by playing his Seagull guitar and Kala Brand ukulele, began writing about contemporary jazz in the late ’80s. Formerly an entertainment editor and writer for several daily newspapers, he now focuses on smooth-jazz full-time from his Pacific Northwest office for the Smooth Jazz Network. Soergel also authors the Currents column for JT.