Power of X

"I believe that Richard Elliot is one of the most under appreciated artists around! This CD, "The Power of Suggestion", is a fusion of bluesy-funky rhythms (a`la Tower of Power) and smooth jazz with just a hint of tropical breeze thrown in. From the title track, (which makes you move) to [on some CD's] the last track, "Michele" (which, without words, makes your heart ache) and all of the tracks in between (in particular "St. Croix", "Hearts On Fire" w/Phillip Ingram and "Neon Nights") stories are told; some sad, some raucous, some tell of love lost and some of happiness found. All of them are told from the heart, most without words. If you buy only one Richard Elliot CD, make it this one."

When his mother brought Stanley Turrentine’s Salt Song LP back from a trip to Canada, Julien Lourau, then a teenager, was impressed by the scope of the sound and the groove of the saxophone. He was also charmed by the lush arrangements and funky sound of the record, typical of releases on the CTI label. Created by producer Creed Taylor, CTI left an imprint in the minds of 70s jazz fans much like Blue Note did in the 60s, and it even ended up releasing work by artists who started out on this mythical label such as Stanley Turrentine and Freddie Hubbard. The two even shared the same sound engineer, the great Rudy van Gelder.