Jeff Lorber Fusion

One glance at the personnel, which includes such popular "smooth" players as tenors Kirk Whalum and Boney James, trumpeter Rick Braun, and pianists George Duke and Jeff Lorber, could easily lead one to believe that this CD is filled with vacuous and mildly soulful background music. Actually, the playing on Downright Upright is a surprise, for most of the selections are reasonably creative renditions of soul-jazz.

Compared To That is that musical happy place somewhere between contemporary/modern jazz but with an old school sensibility. Bromberg is not reinventing the musical wheel. What Brian Bromberg does so incredibly well here is expand his sound and push the music forward. Guest artists include such diverse talents as Jeff Lorber, Bela Fleck and Randy Brecker combined with a deceptively subtle swing of a walking bass line punctuated with attitude so if this release doesn't make your musical back leg shake you may want to see if your autopsy report is ready.

The Hitmaker is back! With over 30 top ten smooth jazz radio hits to his credit, including an incredible 20 #1s, Chuck Loeb is truly an icon and pioneer of the smooth jazz genre. As lead guitarist and producer of the super-groups Fourplay and Jazz Funk Soul as well as leader of his own all-star touring ensemble, Chuck performs in front of hundreds of thousands of fans every year and his popularity continues to grow. "Unspoken" features guest appearances by smooth jazz superstars Brian Culberston, Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp and Eric Marienthal, plus the great Will Lee (of David Letterman fame). In Addition, the album features vocals by Carmen Cuesta (Mr. Loeb), whose sensuous vocals have resulted in her own growing fan base.

If it seems upon first listen that Evan Marks' snappy, fluid electric lines are vaguely reminiscent of Steve Laury's, the connection makes perfect sense; Marks subbed in Fattburger's guitar chair for a few years after Laury left the group. While select ballads on the Cleveland native's stellar debut ease through that band's familiar laid-back ideals, Marks seems more comfortable darting in new and daring directions as both composer and jam-happy player. Label connections work wonders, with Jeff Lorber's synth rack and Art Porter's funky delicacies punching up groove after funk-filled electronic groove. For example, "Racer X," with its burning blues rock bravura, is one of the most unpredictable genre tracks ever. Marks has the vision of an edgy contemporary instrumentalist, but there is also a healthy dose of jazz seasoning in his mix…

Kenny G's work can be divided into three main categories: first, his improvisatory fusion efforts as a Jeff Lorber sideman in the late '70s; second, his R&B-oriented albums of 1982-1985; and third, the elevator Muzak he has specialized in since 1986. Falling into the second category, G Force is a fairly decent urban contemporary release that clearly benefits from the input of Kashif (who serves as executive producer). Kashif was hot at the time, and the R&B singer/producer/songwriter had been burning up the charts with hits by Evelyn "Champagne" King, George Benson, Howard Johnson and himself. Kashif's stamp is all over this sleek album; you can hear it on both the tunes with R&B vocals…

Dwiki Dharmawan - So Far So Close (2015) {Moonjune Records MJR075} (ft. Chad Wackerman)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 296 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 109 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Moonjune Records | MJR075
Jazz / Fusion / Progressive Fusion / Jazz Funk / World / Indonesia

MoonJune Records is pleased to introduce another of Indonesia's most gifted and celebrated music personalities – multi-genre keyboardist, composer, producer, peace activist and cultural icon, Dwiki Dharmawan. With a career spanning over 30 years and performances in over 60 countries, Dwiki remains one of his country's most popular and respected industry stalwarts. On his debut for MoonJune, listeners are treated to an exotic musical mélange of the highest order. Featuring fusion and progressive rock luminaries, Chad Wackerman, Jimmy Haslip, (and fellow MoonJune artists and Indonesian giants) Dewa Budjana and Tohpati, and as well the legendary violinist, Jerry Goodman.

Seminal contemporary jazz super group Special EFX mark their 35th year of recording and touring in 2017 with the release of Deep As The Night their 21st studio recording and first celebrating their recent partnership with the Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm record label. Formed in 1982 the as the brainchild of the duo of Chieli Minucci and George Jinda, the combination of Chieli’s edgy driving style and George’s sense for temperament and melody struck a perfect balance and the rise of a distinctive new and original sound that incorporated heavy percussive world elements fused with smart, energetic, playful and memorable guitar lines…