White Door

Traffic continues the CBW tradition of blending virtuosic original compositions with immaculately conceived interpretations of jazz and classic rock standards. Original songs on Traffic include go-for-the-throat throwdowns like “Judith Loves Jazz,” “Door #3” and “Overruled,” while covers of Thelonious Monk’s “Misterioso” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression” are also featured.

When the definitive swamp rocker Tony Joe White signed with Warner Bros. in 1971, it sure seemed like a good idea – while White seemed like an anomaly at Nashville's Monument Records, WB was a label with a reputation for nurturing creative mavericks with a taste for stylistic crossbreeding, and with his soulful, organic fusion of rock, blues, and country sounds, White was as individual as they came in the late '60s and early '70s.

White Denim, one of the very best rock bands to emerge this millennium, have gone through rapid changes in the 2020s, and now open an exciting new chapter with the wondrous album, 12, which arrives rich in hot tunes and fresh invention.

For those of you that remember the music and song-craft of Barry White, you remember a performer that could touch the heart of an emotion, and make it stand out with a unique, often breathy, bass vocal. In the ’70s, almost everything Barry White released became an instant hit. In fact, there’s a collection of singles that achieved gold and platinum status. Of course, his albums did quite well. But most of us remember him primarily by his string of radio hits that still resonate because his voice and delivery was never replicated. Barry White’s first song, “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby” opened the door to his fame. It seemed effortless for his talent to move forward with songs like “Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up”, “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe”, “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything”, and the beautiful “Love’s Theme” instrumental hit. Those are but a few of his classic hits.

1999 marked 20 years since the band's unique combination of distinctively Japanese elements – June Kuramoto's classical-flavored koto, Johnny Mori's booming Taiko drum – with funky pop, urban, and jazz sensibilities first hit the instrumental music charts, and 25 years since saxophonist and East L.A. native Dan Kuramoto first formed the ensemble. Their Windham Hill Jazz debut (and 11th release overall) Between Black and White finds them once again blending contemporary root music, mystical Eastern exotica, and melodically rich smooth jazz that further deepens their larger commitment to global unity on the cusp of the new millennium. Hiroshima once again dares to push the envelope and engage diversity from track to track.