Narada Jazz

Throughout Flora's Song, the veteran Brazilian singer Flora Purim is heard in prime form. The ten compositions fit her style well; she swings in her own fashion and puts plenty of feeling into her vocals. In addition, there are many fine solos along the way, with the standouts including Harvey Wainapel's flute solo on "Flora's Song" and the steel drums of Andy Narrell on "E Precisa Perdoar" and "Forbidden Love." Whether any of the songs eventually become standards is open to question, but they are welcome additions to Flora Purim's repertoire. This is her most rewarding recording in several years, and she sounds quite happy throughout the excellent set.

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."

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.

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.

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.

Narada Michael Walden (born Michael Walden on April 23, 1952 in Kalamazoo, Michigan) is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. He was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s and his musical career spans three decades, in which he was awarded several gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards. Walden has also owned and operated Tarpan Studios, a well-known recording studio in San Rafael, California, since the mid-1980s.

Due largely to the inclusion of trumpeter Ron Haynes – a one-time Donald Byrd protege – the fourth entry by Ramsey Lewis' smooth jazz supergroup is reminiscent of Byrd's seminal 1970s recordings. While merely hinting at Byrd's proto-disco inventions, Urban Knights IV is nonetheless a modern update of the trumpeter's work with the Blackbyrds. Although this album is nowhere near as funky as, say, Electric Byrd, it does come off grittier than many albums by Urban Knights' contemporaries.