Doc Powell

Sekou Bunch is a world renowned musician and bassist. Born and raised in New York City, Sekou Bunch was exposed to the arts, virtually from the very beginning. Thirty plus years in the trenches providing the rock solid backbone for some of the brightest stars in the business; Michael Jackson, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, George Benson, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Roger Daltrey and Marc Anthony to name a few has provided Bunch rich opportunity to draw influence from rock, jazz and R&B.

The elegant funk pianist dresses up his elegant playing, catchy melodies and familiar funk leanings with rhythmic excursions to Latin America, Brazil and Africa. A sticker on the wrapping of the disc touts the pianist as one of the true pioneers of smooth jazz, but that tag oversimplifies his uniquely global approach.

"…a somewhat eclectic collection of urban funk-to-jazzy pieces which benefit greatly from his arranging and production wizardry….dark orchestral effects combined with roots percussion elements, acoustic strums and even laser blast effects…" JazzTimes

It seems a paradox to peg the singular transcendental moment of Patrice Rushen's very contemporary Signature as the one tune where acoustic jazz sensibilities take over. But without the kick starting impact of "L'Esprit De Joie," a perfectly titled free for all featuring Gerald Albright's roaring alto and real ivories instead of keyboards, this would be simply another typical – albeit well performed – slickly produced radio ready affair.

Luther Vandross was one of the most successful R&B artists of the 1980s and '90s. Not only did he score a series of multi-million-selling albums containing chart-topping hit singles and perform sold-out tours of the U.S. and around the world, but he also took charge of his music creatively, writing or co-writing most of his songs and arranging and producing his records. He also performed these functions for other artists, providing them with hits as well.

By the time Norman Connors had left both Buddha and Arista in the early '90s, he spent some time touring and reviewing his career. Easy Living, released by Motown in 1995, is a full-on entry into smooth jazz territory. While Connors still insisted on employing vocals in tunes that looked toward sophisticated nu-soul, it seems that his primary interest was in narrowing down the once rainbow-wide meld of style on which he'd built his reputation as an innovator. Easy Living is a pleasant and at times engaging listen, with pristine production by the artist, violinist Jheryl Lockhart, and pianist /arranger Herman Jackson.

Legendary Tower of Power founding member, Stephen 'Doc' Kupka presents a smoking collection of East Bay Soul music featuring Edgar Winter, Huey Lewis, Lydia Pense (Cold Blood), John Lee Sanders, Fred Ross, and Frank Biner on lead vocals.