Richard Elliot

The name of this collection is as applicable to Elliot's real life piloting skills as it is to his flourishing solo career. As with his three prior releases, his tenor and alto saxes give you everything – soul, passion, heat – Elliot established himself with releases like these as the James Brown of contemporary jazz. Elliot is not as rambunctious as he was on the previous year's The Power of Suggestion, but he made strides toward finding that unique "Elliot sound." He succeeds most of the time here, most noticeably with a soaring, heart-searing rendition of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman," which became a trademark concert tune and one of his legacies on smooth jazz radio. He starts to let loose on the perky "The Grip," then turns on the smooth for "4:00 a.m.," "In Your Arms," and the tropical flavored "Down to the Keys." In place of rockers, Elliot goes for that midtempo groove, but you can't argue with success.

"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."

With Lip Service, Richard Elliot has come full circle as one of the reigning merchants of Soul Jazz and cementing his role as one of the great contemporary sax players in the world. While working on Summer Horns in 2013, he had the opportunity to revisit his roots as one of the founding members of Tower of Power by performing "So Very Hard To Go" and working alongside arranger Greg Adams again. This led to Greg Adams arrangement for the GRAMMY-nominated "Shining Star" on Lip Service.

2021 release. Smooth Jazz Icon Richard Elliot has performed and recorded with jazz and R&B superstars Rod Stewart, Smokey Robinson, The Yellow Jackets, Tower Of Power, Bonnie Raitt, just to name a few. With more than 20 top ten smooth jazz singles and number 1 contemporary jazz albums, he has delighted his dedicated fan base from coast to coast. Authentic Life, produced by Richard and his long-time collaborator Rick Braun, overflows with Richard's ebullient spirit. Highlights include the funly Lorber/Elliot original "Snapshot", a deeply moving cover of the Gino Vanelli classic "Living Inside Myself", the uplifting "Boogie, " and Much more!!

Five years ago, after Dave Koz and Friends released Summer Horns—the GRAMMY-nominated album that paid tribute to classic songs featuring killer horn sections—all that the musicians could think about was how much fun they’d just had. They toured behind the album during the summer of 2013, then vowed to spend the following summer doing it all over again.