Currents
January/February 2009 By Brian Soergel
Sittin’ In
Roger Smith
Pianist Roger Smith wears many hats. He’s a smooth-jazz artist. He’s a member of Tower of Power. He fronts Jazz Rosco, a funky and loud fusion band that tours and also has a well-received CD. Sittin’ In, while a solo project, deftly combines all the elements...
January/February 2009 By Brian Soergel
I Want You: Love in the Spirit of Marvin
Shanachie
Kim Waters has to be commended for attempting a project of Marvin Gaye-inspired songs. Not actual Marvin Gaye songs, mind you, but songs that Marvin may have been inspired to write today if were still alive and a smooth jazz saxophonist. See? It would have...
December 2008 By Brian Soergel
Butterfly
Far Out
You know that Azymuth, a Brazilian band fashioned more than 35 years ago, is as popular as ever when the chill and electronica crowd lovingly pumps up many of their tunes with new rhythms and 21st-century groove. I first heard “Linha do Horizonte” in 1975...
December 2008 By Brian Soergel
Life Is Good
Nu-Wrinkle
Pianist Tom Grant, a onetime heavy in the smooth-jazz realm, has spent much of the new decade crafting low-key jazz and jazz-and-vocal records. He finds plenty of gigs in and around his Portland, Ore., home, and is a familiar presence there. Grant’s first...
December 2008 By Brian Soergel
Apasionado
Native Language Music
In the early 1990s, it appeared trumpeter/flugel-hornist Tony Guerrero was on a path to contemporary jazz stardom much like now conferred on contemporaries Chris Botti and Rick Braun. Funny how life turns out. The Southern California resident has remained...
December 2008 By Brian Soergel
Greatest Hits
Capitol Records
Best-of packages don’t often get reviewed since it’s assumed the contents have already been brought to light. But saxophonist Dave Koz’s first greatest hits compilation merits mention because it practically bulges with four new songs, his first of the smooth...
December 2008 By Brian Soergel
The L.A. Chillharmonic
Artistry/Mack Avenue
University professor and guitarist Richard Smith makes a triumphant return with a new group of top-flight musicians, who are all on first-call in L.A. and also successful solo artists. This is positively a Richard Smith CD, as he arranged all the music and...
December 2008 By Brian Soergel
Heat
NuGroove
Saxophonist Michael Lington’s sixth CD continues his growth as a smooth-jazz technician who understands the power of melody above all else. Calling on producers Greg Phillinganes, Matthew Hager and Keith Olsen, Lington returns to the grooves of his most...
December 2008 By Brian Soergel
Heard That
Peak Records
Following a artistically expressive detour with He Had a Hat, former fusion heavyweight and current smooth jazz heavyweight Jeff Lorber picked the right person to co-produce his new CD: Rex Rideout, a hit-making machine for Boney James and Will Downing...
December 2008 By Brian Soergel
On the Rocks
Nuance
Guitarist Matt Marshak has put it all together on his fourth solo CD, a consistently surprising brand of buff and satisfying smooth jazz that’s both accessible and adventurous. You’ll agree after hearing the first four songs in order: “Space Coastin’,” a...
