Narada Jazz

The legendary keyboardist started making his unique brand of old-school soul meets modern funk back when old-school was still in session, and the title of his third Narada Jazz disc is a throwback to that era, when the 45 RPM was king. Rather than overwhelm this time with hardcore commercial funk grooves and calculated radio hooks, Jeff Lorber is more into cool vibes and soulful atmospheres. Melodies have always been his gift, so those just come naturally, as on the laid-back, chillout opening track, which features a lush, loose acoustic piano lead. There are less horns than usual, but Ron King (trumpet) and Gary Meek (sax) are given free reign to create snazzy textures on "Everybody Knows That" and the nifty, acoustic soul-jazz flavored title track.

The title of the Swiss-born composer/keyboardist's third Narada Jazz recording reflects the down-home spirit of his experience for the first time in Atlanta performing in ensemble with some of that city's greatest musicians, as well as an exhilarating shift from the heavy urban sensibilities of his New York-recorded 2001 hit, Soul Purpose. Getting away from the synthesizer-based sound that formed the foundation of most of his previous recordings, Bugnon strips down to the piano and Fender Rhodes in fashioning a more organically driven collection.

On Urban Knights III, legendary pianist Ramsey Lewis reaches deeper, forgoing the the all-star jam concepts of the first two Urban Knights projects (which featured everyone from the late Grover Washington, Jr. to producer Maurice White), and cultivating some of Chicago's most deserving local R&B and jazz talents. Most of the featured players have deals with Lewis' Ivory Pyramid Productions. These core band members consist of keyboardist Kevin Randolph, bassist Sharay Reed, drummer Calvin Rogers, and percussionist Alejo Poveda, as well as the all-female vocal group the Staples (cousins of the famed Staple Singers) and vocalists Tammi and Hardeman.

For those who like a little mysticism and classical influence in their smooth jazz, Japanese-born composer and keyboardist Keiko Matsui has long been the ticket. She was Billboard's number one Independent Contemporary Jazz Artist in 1997 and is the top New Adult Contemporary female instrumentalist of her time. In the early days (she's up to 14 albums now), Matsui did it with a mix of thunderous film score-like sweeps, elegant and jazzy piano command, and a guest sax solo here and there to score some radio hits. On The Ring, she continues her recent trend of all those same elements and gorgeous melodies without concern for pop airplay considerations.

There are no surprises on Warren Hill's sixth disc Love Life. Hill is known for his soothing smooth saxophone playing, and while he gets tagged with the lite jazz moniker, he is really more of a pop artist than anything else. Love Life's title track features a horn duet with trumpeter Chris Botti, "Mr. Magic" is a tribute to the late saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr., "Why You Gotta Worry" touches on a pop-reggae beat, while "Mambo 2000" covers the Latin base, and rounding out the disc is a cover of the Commodores hit "Easy."

With the release of This Way, Acoustic Alchemy's guitarists Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale celebrate a remarkable two decades since Red Dust & Spanish Lace established the British ensemble as an ever-evolving powerhouse of contemporary jazz. Carmichael and Gilderdale's natural chemistry is very apparent on this set of loose and spirited songs, as is the soloing by the complementing musicians on such jazzy tracks as "Egg," which has a very British, blues-drenched, straight-ahead sound. By contrast, "Ernie" has an exotic Latin jazz flavor complete with great solos by Terry Disley, Jeff Kashiwa, and trombonist Dennis Rollins. Rick Braun makes a guest appearance on "Carlos the King," a racy rock, Latin, and blues fusion that also features Gilderdale's electric guitar and Greg Grainger's percussive energy.

Jazz keyboardist Alex Bugnon had a successful career as a studio musician before becoming an equally well-known solo performer. The year 2005's FREE, the artist's ninth release under his own name, offers more of the instrumental jazz-pop mixture that has come to characterize his output. While FREE isn't particularly challenging, it is full of smooth, light, percolating grooves, bright, memorable melodies, and tight, straightforward playing that makes for a pleasant and relaxing listen.