Currents
January/February 2010 By Brian Soergel
Around (Again)
Every year it gets increasingly difficult for new artists to break on through to the smooth-jazz charts, but Maryland-based electric guitarist Drew Davidsen has done it with the rollicking “Astro.” (Its title and inspiration come from Davidsen’s late father...
January/February 2010 By Brian Soergel
Sunday Morning
Shanachie
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 By Brian Soergel
First Love
Shanachie
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 By Brian Soergel
More to Say
E1 Music
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 By Brian Soergel
Brother’s Keeper
Shanachie
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 By Brian Soergel
Marcus Johnson
Three Keys
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 By Brian Soergel
Legacy
Heads Up
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 By Brian Soergel
Lookin' For A Change
Heads Up
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 By Brian Soergel
For Your Love
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 By Brian Soergel
All It Takes
Artistry Music
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...
