Eban

The Atlanta, Georgia, band was started in 1977, when keyboardist / vocalist Jason Bryant, saxophonists Billy Ellis and Willie "Sonny" Killebrew, guitarist Bruno Speight, bassist John Alexander Simpson, drummer James Earl Jones III, and lead vocalist Mary Davis formed a group called Sounds of Santa Monica that played at Atlanta nightclub the Regal Room.

Happy Hour, released in 1982, is a prime example of the sounds and styles he’d now fully adapted. Sweet and slick, Happy Hour hinges on the upbeat sounds of early-’80s pop, leaving his prior success with disco present but lurking in the background.Motion: released in 1984, is an electronic affair. Deodato fully engaged the keyboard-drenched production of the 1980s and it is in full flower here, with Linn and DMX drums programmed all over the place to further enhance the multiple layers of synthesizers that coat every cut.

The Alexander String Quartet launches its 40th season with this recording of Brahms String Quartets — plus Brahms’ Intermezzo (transcribed for string quartet by Zakarias Grafilo). With these complete Brahms Quartets, the ASQ has compiled a veritable Brahms compendium, including Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet (FCL 2021, with Eli Eban) and Piano Quintets (FCL 2014, with Joyce Yang), both named "MusicWeb International Recordings of the Year", as well as his String Quintets and Sextets (FCL 2012), which were hailed as a “life-enhancing set” by The Arts Desk.