Espresso 1.1.3

Bob James-Grammy Award-winning Jazz keyboardist, arranger, record producer, record executive, and founding member of Fourplay, returns with a new album, Espresso, his first solo-led project in 12 years. Album tunes, penned by James, reflect the same inventiveness and musical fluency that persuaded Quincy Joines to become his mentor and champion back in 1963. His expressiveness through both writing and performance permeates the rocking minor-key blues of "Bulgogi," the definitive cool jazz of "Topside," the funk strut of "Submarine," the whispered beauty of "Promenade," the turbulent, more complex yet supremely listenable "Mojito Ride" and every other moment on Espresso.

It might be a bit surprising that one of the most international chillout and lounge music approaches released on Elektrolux so far comes from Switzerland. On the other hand, this is just a logical consequence as it is the only European country with four official national languages. By their debut album “Yeki”, the Zurich-based musician Flavio Maspoli and DJ André Baumgartner aka Espresso Del Lago want to go beyond constricting frontiers, to take up all kinds of multi cultural influences and to transform them into something new. This approach would not be complete without the particular charm and soul of human voices. Indeed, the album opener "Sa Trincha“ with Spanish vocals by Monica takes its orignal aesthetics from the idea of Mediterranean chillout in a Cafe del Mar style…