Jeff Lorber

As with previous release 'Now is the Time' Jeff Lorber is joined by the Yellowjackets' Jimmy Haslip on bass, Eric Marienthal on saxophones and Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl sharing drumming duties. Jeff once again takes some of his more popular tunes from the past, like "Wizard Island", "City" and "The Underground" and updates them with the new band. "Essentially this album is a part two", Lorber says. "It features the same rhythm section, but it's even more into the jazz fusion direction. It's more energetic and the performances are tighter." In total, 'Galaxy' includes 11 Jeff Lorber original compositions.

As with previous release 'Now is the Time' Jeff Lorber is joined by the Yellowjackets' Jimmy Haslip on bass, Eric Marienthal on saxophones and Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl sharing drumming duties.Jeff once again takes some of his more popular tunes from the past, like "Wizard Island", "City" and "The Underground" and updates them with the new band. "Essentially this album is a part two", Lorber says. "It features the same rhythm section, but it's even more into the jazz fusion direction. It's more energetic and the performances are tighter." In total, 'Galaxy' includes 11 Jeff Lorber original compositions.

The legendary keyboardist started making his unique brand of old-school soul meets modern funk back when old-school was still in session, and the title of his third Narada Jazz disc is a throwback to that era, when the 45 RPM was king. Rather than overwhelm this time with hardcore commercial funk grooves and calculated radio hooks, Jeff Lorber is more into cool vibes and soulful atmospheres. Melodies have always been his gift, so those just come naturally, as on the laid-back, chillout opening track, which features a lush, loose acoustic piano lead. There are less horns than usual, but Ron King (trumpet) and Gary Meek (sax) are given free reign to create snazzy textures on "Everybody Knows That" and the nifty, acoustic soul-jazz flavored title track.

Keyboardist/composer/producer Jeff Lorber, heralded as one of the founding fathers of fusion (Keyboard), returns with his GRAMMY®-nominated power trio the Jeff Lorber Fusion, featuring bassist/co-producer Jimmy Haslip and saxophonist Eric Marienthal. Since the late 1970s, this contemporary jazz collective has blended elements of jazz, funk, rock, R&B and world music into a distinctive sound that has connected with audiences from a variety of continents, cultures and generations. In more recent years, the group's studio efforts such as their 2010 release, Now Is the Time (2010) and Galaxy (2012), influenced by extensive touring throughout Europe and Asia, have been colored with vibrant shades of dance and house music.

How's this for a definition of a smooth jazz elder statesman: one whose career spans an entire generation, whose hit album in 1999 uses the same instrumentation and stylistic approach as his first demo 24 years before, only now those old instruments and style are hip again as part of a retro movement? Listened to side by side, Midnight and his 1977 breakthrough Water Sign are like twin sons born to the same family years apart. In addition to the hypnotic clicking wah-wah guitar grooves, both albums focus on Fender Rhodes and Hammond B-3, the attractive one-two keyboard punch Lorber has favored for all of his career but the mid-'80s when he experimented with techno sounds. Lorber sets the tone on the hiss-and-pop LP effect before the music begins on "Down Low."

After a seven year layoff, feisty veteran funkmaster Lorber steps out from the producer's chair with a fun filled all star project. The keyboardist, best known for his fusion years, has been far from idle during that time, producing for pop jazz sax gods Kenny G and Eric Marienthal, and mixing for U2 and Paula Abdul. His latest lives up to its title…though not resoundingly so. As he did with Marienthal's brilliant Oasis, Lorber divides his keyboard time between punchy, soulful rhythms and mellifluous textures that pour on the romance. Easygoing exercises like "Yellowstone" and the Latin tinged "Punta Del Soul" inspire a cool charm, but it's danceable cookers like "High Wire" and "Jazzery" that keep the disc spiraling

After spending time on the road after the release of their self-titled debut Jazz Funk Soul, the superstar trio of Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb and Everette Harp booked more studio time, with the goal of capturing their dynamic onstage energy and flow on a follow-up release. The brilliant result may be called MORE SERIOUS BUSINESS, but these legends also have a blast, let loose and jam. Combine Harp’s soaring sax, Loeb’s brilliant inventive guitar and Lorber’s super funky piano, and the result is serious fun – percussive and punchy one minute, sweet and sensual the next. Combined, the three have amassed an incredible 50-plus #1 Smooth Jazz radio hits, including two from their debut as Jazz Funk Soul. There are sure to be a bunch more now that they’re getting down to MORE SERIOUS BUSINESS.