Larry Kimpel

Some of jazz' finest musicians join guitarist Larry Carlton on Deep Into It, his second CD as a leader for the Warner Bros. Jazz label. Carlton wrote six new songs for this offering, and covers such songs as "Put It Where You Want It," written by Joe Sample, and the Stevie Winwood hit "Roll With It." Accompanying musicians are Chris Potter on saxophone and Billy Kilson on drums, both known primarily for their work with the Dave Holland Quintet; Harvey Mason, who holds down the rhythm logic on "I Still Believe"; and smooth jazz phenom Kirk Whalum, who turns in a great solo on the title track, on tenor saxophone. The two tenor saxophonists are highly capable in different approaches, and Carlton makes good use of both Potter and Whalum throughout the program. R&B hitmaker Shai lends his soulful vocals to "I Can't Tell You Why," and truly gives the Eagles' mega-hit a fresh interpretation with his one-of-a-kind artistry.

Larry Carlton has been putting out smooth jazz records long before the term "smooth jazz" was coined. Probably the world's most prolific studio guitarist, Carlton's records have been, for the most part, slickly-produced affairs containing at least a two or three catchy originals, a combination that has earned him a couple of Grammies.

Rhino repackaged and re-released five George Duke LPs on Warner Bros. – Snapshot, Illusions, Is Love Enough?, After Hours, and Cool – as a slipcased box set. It's not a bad way to acquire the albums if you don't already own them, but isn't recommended for the casual fan.

After years of producing albums which were more pop/funk than jazz oriented, George Duke simmers down, leaves off the R&B vocals, and takes a little creative license on the self-proclaimed "mood record" After Hours. While his recent Muir Woods Suite showed off his affinity for classical music, here he's at his best on the meditative Vince Guaraldi-type trio ballads "Together as One" and "Sweet Dreams," which glide along on the improvisational and gently swinging graces of Christian McBride and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler. A whole project in this vein would have been welcome, but Duke charters other new territory, too; on the easy grooving "The Touch" and the almost new agey "From Dusk Till Dawn," he borrows the actual Rhodes from Joe Sample but winds up perfectly simulating Bob James' "Taxi" vibe, especially on the exploratory solo on the latter tune. The untrained ear might swear it's an actual James recording, but Duke's a clever enough producer to go beyond strict imitation. "The Touch" achieves an intriguing low-toned brew, as Sheridon Stokes' bass flute melody drifts gently over a hypnotic weave of Larry Kimpel's bass and Duke's Rhodes.

From Bob James & David Sanborn's Grammy-winning Double Vision to George Benson & Earl Klugh's Collaboration, Warner Brothers has released some of the greatest dual projects in smooth jazz. Rick Braun's signing to the label this year has paved the way for the label's best tandem project yet, pairing the trumpet star's jazzy sensibilities with the ultra-funk dynamics of R&B saxman Boney James. Rather than simply a clever name, the album title reflects the way the two bounce off of and drive each other to reach artistic heights beyond their typical solo endeavors.

When trombonist/producer Wayne Henderson, pianist/keyboardist Joe Sample, sax-man Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper changed their name from the Jazz Crusaders to the Crusaders back in 1971, it signaled a more R&B-minded direction for the group – they were always funky, but in the '70s, they became even funkier. And so, the names the Crusaders and the Jazz Crusaders came to stand for two different things – if the Jazz Crusaders were synonymous with a funky yet acoustic-oriented approach to hard bop (à la Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers), the Crusaders were about electric-oriented jazz-funk and fusion. In 1995, Henderson (who left the Crusaders in 1975) resurrected the name the Jazz Crusaders and produced Happy Again for the small, Los Angeles-based Sin-drome Records.

On Dukey Treats, George Duke returns to the big FONK of the late '70s and early '80s on this set for Heads Up. In truth, it's a bit of a surprise given the sheer laid-back tone of 2006's In a Mellow Tone, which was a piano trio date, but then, Duke hasn't been predictable for some time. What is interesting is that this return to the music that made him a commercial superstar and a platinum-selling artist coincides with a look back at his early fusion catalog by Universal in Japan, Europe, and the United States.

Bobby Lyle's success since the release of 1989's classic Ivory Dreams has been due chiefly to his astonishing ability to combine acoustic piano elegance with relentlessly funky grooves, always on the same album, often on the same cut. That album's juxtaposition of "Lush Life" and "Loco-motion" offers a great case in point. While Lyle draws brightly on tradition, he loves to go wild and urban any time he gets a chance, yet while most of his albums since then have been solid, he has never seemed to measure up to the promise of that auspicious debut.

With a several decade career as an artist and producer successfully spanning the realms of bebop, fusion, soul, and funk, nothing gives George Duke more pleasure than being able to go back to his basics as an acoustic jazz pianist on his smooth, multifaceted Warner Bros. debut, Snapshot. The keyboardist takes listeners on a whimsical, generally cool journey through the myriad styles he's purveyed over the years: Latin, pop, R&B, and live-in-the-studio jazz. Snapshot seems divided by Duke's pop sensibilities and these urges to simplify those electronic trappings.