Bob Stanley

Four-time SESAC Award-winning and Grammy nominee Pianist/Arranger Bob Baldwin continues his flow of music, and follows up with his tributes to Michael Jackson and Songwriter extraordinaire Thom Bell with his MelloWonder/Songs In the Key of Stevie CD. MelloWonder… takes some of his favorite songs from the catalog of Stevie Wonder, and particularly a huge chunk between 1969-1974, when Baldwin believes this was the beginning of an era where Wonder turned the keyboard into a “one-man orchestra.” The project is a dream project, which took two years to complete.

A legend of the tenor saxophone, Stanley Turrentine was renowned for his distinctively thick, rippling tone, an earthy grounding in the blues, and his ability to work a groove with soul and imagination. Turrentine recorded in a wide variety of settings, but was best-known for his Blue Note soul-jazz jams of the '60s, and also underwent a popular fusion makeover in the early '70s. Born in Pittsburgh on April 5, 1934, Turrentine began his career playing with various blues and R&B bands, with a strong influence from Illinois Jacquet. He played in Lowell Fulson's band with Ray Charles from 1950-1951, and in 1953, he replaced John Coltrane in Earl Bostic's early R&B/jazz band.

Malach and French violin star Didier Lockwood were also well-acquainted – Malach would appear on Lockwood’s MPS album “Live in Montreux” later that year. Dutch guitarist Eef Albers had already toured the states with Lee and Brown. The title piece shows that Some People are romantic, some are more on the funky side, as the band slides back and forth between the two. Guitar great John Scofield’s Who’s Who is a funky fusion fest with van’t Hof and Malach showing why they’re at the top of the list. The alluring ballad Three on a Cloud features atmospheric solos by violinist Lockwood and Malach in trio with guitarist Albers.