Straight Round is the ninth studio album by electro-jazz group Four80East. With an eclectic mix of neo-jazz, STRAIGHT ROUND serves up a infectious mix of soul, funk and jazz groovers to follow-up their 2019 Billboard #1 single, Cinco Cinco Seis , from their Ep release, Four On The Floor. Four80East is a Toronto-based electro-jazz duo that’s all about the groove. Drawing from their diverse musical influences, Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace have created a signature sound that combines electronic production with live instrumentation.
10 tunes(8 swinging standards, 2 Brazilian) featuring Don Stiernberg, mandolin, Andy Brown, guitar, Jim Cox, bass, Phil Gratteau, drums. Acoustic versions by Don's working band of long standing. Arranging and improvisation by all.
As chart-topping multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Brian Culbertson crafts his 20th album, the aptly titled "XX".Culbertson's catalogue includes recordings of jazz - contemporary and straight ahead - as well as R&B, funk, instrumental pop and New Age. "XX," which drops April 10, reflects his remarkable diversity. "It's a mix of things that I've done throughout my twenty records. There's a lot of funky instrumentals, some pop-sounding tracks, a couple slow jams, straight-ahead jazz, gospel, some vocals, lots of horns and some straight-up FUNK! The album is very much a mixture of some modern sounding programming along with live instruments, too. Real drums on almost everything mixed with programming. Definitely a cool sound," said Culbertson.
Madison Square Garden, NY, late 2019. A packed house. We see a stage, empty save for Woody Goss at the keys and a lone clarinetist serenading us with an exotic melody. Cheering erupts as band leader Jack Stratton emerges, crawling onto the stage and putting on a show of immense physical effor…