Alex Jackson

Welcome to Venice Beach. 30 of the smoothest soul and jazz grooves around on double CD from JAZZFM Records Venice Beach is a byword for sophisticated cool. Where better for JAZZFM to take as the inspiration for the first in a new trilogy of Smooth Soul and Jazz compilations? "Soul Brother" Malcolm Prangell has selected 2 CDs' worth of sophisticated leisure, taking in late 70s mellow fusion, instrumental smooth jazz and silky soul in an enjoyable romp from here to West Coast USA and back again, with featured artists including Dave McMurray, Maysa, Jonathan Butler, Lonnie Liston Smith, The Braxton Brothers, Chris Standring and, of course, Peter White. Venice Beach illustrates that the genre is a vibrant contributor to Soul and Jazz's rich tapestry. Many of these tunes set the phone lines alight when JAZZFM first played them, others are established classics and yet more are underground gems awaiting wider discovery. Discover and enjoy Venice Beach and let the smooth grooves shine through!

George Howard was one of the most talented artist ever and he knew what we wanted. A Home Far Away is one his of best. From the first jam, Miracle, to You Can Make This Story Right and Renewal, this is classic George Howard. This is one of those rare CDs that is played from beginning to end.

German digitally remastered box-set featuring 400 legendary songs from 185 famous artists including Roy Acuff, Merle Travis, Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Chet Atkins, Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family and many more!

Among American audiences, Manu Dibango is best known for "Soul Makossa," a highly infectious blend of African music, soul-funk, and jazz that became a major pop hit in the early '70s. The African artist revisited his signature tune on 1994's Wakafrika, which boasts an all-star cast that includes Peter Gabriel as well as Haiti's Papa Wemba and African heroes Ladysmith Black Mambazo, King Sunny Ade, and Youssou N'Dour. With such a stellar bunch of guests, Wakafrika should have been outstanding instead of simply decent.

Though he's skirted around in various genres, for Full Circle, as the title suggests, David Benoit returns to where he started: contemporary jazz. With the same set of musicians in the same studio as the ones who were used on the 1985 release This Side Up, Benoit plays his piano expertly through all ten tracks on the album (and only one, "Aqua de Beber," by Jobim and de Moraes, is a cover). It is, in short, smooth jazz at its finest, which means a lot of horns, a happily funky bass, pretty breaks, and a whole lot of production.

Highly overlooked due to what some consider inconsistent albums that range from bop to pop, Sadao Watanabe is one of the jazz geniuses, especially in Japan. This cd is one of his best pop-type recordings. All songs are written by Sadao with the exception of the ones that feature vocals: one that was a duel collaboration with Robbie Buchanan and one other that was penned by Robbie Buchanan and Diane Warren.

Based off of a one time T.V. show, two Los Angeles S.W.A.T. officers Jim Street and Brian Gamble were sent in to foil an extremely violent bank robbery. Although they thwarted the robbery, they shot a hostage in the process. Street was suspended from S.W.A.T. while Gamble was fired altogether. After 6 months, a veteran S.W.A.T. officer, Daniel Harrelson or "Hondo", is told to assemble a S.W.A.T. team for his division. He chooses other S.W.A.T. officers as well as 3 rookies.