The Jazzmasters

Complete your journey to the heart of smooth jazz. Following on from Pacific Cost Highway and Ocean Drive comes the final instalment in the jazzfm records Road trilogy. Featuring more smooth jazz favourites as featured in many of jazzfm’s daytime shows, including Fourplay, Brenda Russell, Kirk whalum, Al Jarreau, Paul Hardcastle and the very sought after and previously unreleased track Theme from Love Is Not Enough (Live Version) by David Sanborn.

A producer and keyboardist from London, Paul Hardcastle debuted as a solo artist in 1984 and scored the following year with "19," an electro-oriented record featuring news reports and other sources on Vietnam. It became a major hit in his native country; in the U.S., it topped Billboard's club chart. Later, he produced and did remixes for artists such as Ian Dury and Phil Lynott. He continued to sell well in the specialty dance market and occasionally released records as part of the duo Kiss the Sky (with Jaki Graham) while also operating under names like the Def Boys, Beeps International, and Jazzmasters.

Because Paul Hardcastle has had great commercial success with his "Jazzmasters" projects, he occasionally gets linked to jazz. In reality, Hardcastle is a producer of electronic pop instrumental records who uses keyboards, drum machines, some regular instruments, often a saxophone lead and occasional singers to create dance music. The emphasis on repetition and long melody statements fits securely into lower-level acid jazz, although it lacks any real spontaneity. This double-CD has rare tracks (formerly out only in Europe), a few hits, lots of cover tunes of pop songs and plenty of previously unreleased pieces that should be of interest to Paul Hardcastle collectors.