Acoustic Alchemy – Spiritual Smooth Jazz

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

The British Smooth Jazz super-group “Acoustic Alchemy” was originally the title of a CD by two guitarists, Nick Webb and Simon James. Oddly enough, today neither is part of the band called, “Acoustic Alchemy.” However, Nick Webb’s spirit lives on in the direction of their music. Acoustic Alchemy’s sound is wonderfully soothing yet spiritually motivating. It has a magical ability to transport the listener to a better place.

Catalina Kiss

The irony is that this group, with music that is truly uplifting, has faced some difficult setbacks that could have led others to write more somber pieces. Yet this is not the case. Shortly after the release of that original CD titled “Acoustic Alchemy,” James left the partnership to study flamenco guitar in Spain. Webb turned to a rock guitarist named Greg Carmichael and the two assumed the name of Acoustic Alchemy. Sadly after much success on GRP records and a Grammy nomination, Nick Webb died of pancreatic cancer in 1998 during the recording of “Positive Thinking.”

Angel of the South

Webb’s role was filled by Miles Gilderdale, who was playing in the electric guitar slot in the band at the time. As we all know, that positive energy that inspired Acoustic Alchemy up to this point continued almost as a tribute to Webb.

A Beautiful game

The band moved to EMI’s Higher Octave label, where they released a short string of successful albums, beginning with The Beautiful Game (2000), which also introduced keyboardist Anthony “Fred” White to the band lineup. Then a line of smooth jazz superstars began joining their recording sessions. The GRAMMY®-nominated “Aart” (2001) is their biggest selling album to date, and includes assistance by saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa. “Radio Contact” (2003), is the first in their discography to include a vocal track – “Little Laughter,” performed by Joe Harrop. “This Way,” (2007) includes collaborations with jazz/funk/soul band Down to the Bone and a guest appearance by trumpeter Rick Braun.

Panama Cat

Their most recent effort,” Roseland” was self-produced in Gilderdale’s home studio in York, England, which thanks to software based recording packages allows many artists to record in private home studios (which has hurt the recording industry, but that topic is for another time). Nonetheless, British smooth jazz group Acoustic Alchemy climbed to the top of the charts with lively grooves and infectious melodies, capturing three Grammy nominations!

Casino

Playing Time

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Richard Elliot – a Tower of Power unto himself

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

When you have “horn play for Tower of Power” on your resume, it gives you lots of street creed in the world of Funk and Smooth Jazz. And when you see Richard Elliot play, he lives up to expectations created from such a resume! He was born in Scotland, but grew up in the Smooth Jazz Mecca of Los Angeles and quickly became a fan of West Coast classic R&B. This week he owns the top spot of Billboard’s Jazz charts. And, to the delight of those who follow CoolGrooves.net, there are plenty of videos that capture great performances by this gifted player.

We’ll start the videos off with “Move On Up.”

Although he’s called a “smooth jazz artist,” saxophonist Richard Elliot is equally at home with most rock & roll and classic R&B. For five years in the 1980s, he was a big part of the classic R&B band’s horn-based sound. Elliot landed his first job while still a teenager with Natalie Cole and the Pointer Sisters. A few years later, he was tapped to record with some of his idols from Motown Records, which had relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles. In the 1970s, he had the chance to record with Smokey Robinson, the Four Tops, and the Temptations.

Elliot performs “Boom Town,” his latest chart busting hit.

Elliot was later tapped to record with the Yellowjackets on their second album. After touring with Melissa Manchester for a time, he was asked to become a full-fledged member of the Tower of Power horns in 1982. He stayed with the group until 1987 and looks back fondly on those years for they shaped the style he has today.

Richard Elliot performing “Rock Steady” off his new release.

He released his debut album Trolltown in 1986 and has since scored four #1 albums (On The Town, Soul Embrace, After Dark and Jumpin’ Off) and a growing number of #1 airplay singles. In addition to his participation in all-star tours like Groovin’ For Grover and Jazz Attack, in the mid-‘90s he helped launch another of the genre’s annual franchises, the “Guitars & Saxes” tours, which he has participated in on and off ever since. Elliot is known for his zebra-striped tenor saxophone. In 2005, Elliot joined trumpeter Rick Braun as they co-founded their own label, ARTizen Music Group (now known as Artistry Music).

Enjoy a performance of “Down and Dirty” with Rick Braun.

Here is another great performance…

Hope you enjoyed this piece on Richard Elliot. Please feel free to give us feedback, we always appreciate it!

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mindi Abair – America’s Sweetheart of Smooth Jazz

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

Mindi Abair is America’s darling with a saxophone. But she is so much more! She has just released a book titled, “How to play Madison Square Garden – A Guide to Stage Performance.” And how does she know this? While Mindi Abair is a brand unto herself, she has also toured and/or recorded with the Backstreet Boys, Duran Duran, Mandy Moore, Josh Groban, Adam Sandler, Keb’ Mo’, Lalah Hathaway, Lee Ritenour, Teena Marie, John Tesh, Bobby Lyle, Jonathan Butler, Peter White and Rick Braun.

Abair also plays the flute and keyboard and sings, and she has hosted the nationally syndicated radio program Chill with Mindi Abair since 2007, which focuses on chill out music

This first video is quintessential Mindi Abair, it’s upbeat and just makes you feel good.

Mindi has also been in demand on television. She recently made an appearance on Fran Drescher’s new hit comedy “Happily Divorced”. The show premiered on June 15th and Mindi appeared on the 4th episode. She’ll be recognizable, as she’s playing herself in the piano bar scene at the end, jamming alongside cast member Tichina Arnold and Ron Abel to close out the show. She also appeared recently on American Idol with Paul McDonald, nearly stealing the show from him. Steven Tyler remarked to Paul McDonald after her debut on the show “Forget you, who’s your sax player.”

Here is a beautiful song called “Remember.”

She is an elected governor for the Los Angeles Chapter of NARAS (The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc.), and is an Artist Ambassador for Campell’s Labels for Education and The Grammy Foundation. She’s won Best International Instrumentalist at the 2011 Wave Awards in Toronto, and Best Female Artist of the Year at the 2011 Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards.

Here Mindi covers “Summertime,” which lets the audience see the musically more serious side of her.

Born into a musical family in St. Petersburg, Fla., Abair started playing piano at age 5 and picked up saxophone and songwriting three years later. She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston where she earned a degree in woodwind performance and developed skills in styles spanning jazz, rock and R&B. Her debut album, 2000′s Always And Never The Same, featured nine tracks co-written by Abair and producer/musician Matthew Hager. It Just Happens That Way followed in 2003, peaking at No. 7 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.

“Girls Night Out”

Abair’s most recent release, In Hi-Fi Stereo, was released in 2010 and climbed to No. 6 on the Jazz Albums chart. The album spawned the No. 1 Jazz Songs hit “Be Beautiful.” Abair is currently on tour throughout the United States.

And for you New Yorkers, or those visiting New York, Mindi Abair will be performing with Peter White and Kirk Whalem on December 10, 2011 at B.B. Kings Blues Club & Grill near Times Square. Below is a great video of Mindi Abair and Peter White performing a Christmas song that Mindi wrote called, “I Can’t Wait for Christmas.”

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Chris Botti – Smooth Jazz with Soul & Charm

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

Not many trumpet players have the resume that Chris Botti developed over his career. Chris Botti, was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2007, including Best Pop Instrumental Album. Then in 2009 he was nominated for three more Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Instrumental Album and Best Long Form Music video. Three of his albums have reached the #1 position on the Billboard jazz albums chart.

His smooth style and charm come across in all his performances, whether on a recording or in a live performance. And Botti also effortlessly can transition from sultry to funky. We have tried to provide examples of both. And for New Yorkers, he will be here live on October 30. For more information click here.

Our first video features Chris Botti & David Sanborn performing “Flamenco Sketches.”

Botti started playing early and in his senior year of College he left to tour with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich. In 1985 he moved to New York City to hone his craft as a studio musician. In 1990 he began touring and recording with Paul Simon and in 1991 performed with Simon in Central Park. The performance was commercially released as the “Concert in the Park” CD. He began performing with Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant and others. In 1995 he produced the Brecker Brothers “Out of the Loop” Album that won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.

Here is Botti performing a heart tugging song in which you can also sense a tinge of anger called “Alone in the City.”

In 1999, Botti joined Sting as a featured soloist on the Brand New Day tour. Today Botti attributes Sting as having changed the course of his career. Here is a performance, with Sting, of a song called “Seven Days.”

With his smooth, rich and sultry sound, Chris Botti has the ability to make the trumpet one of the sexiest instruments. Here is a great piece called “Steps of Positano.” For those that doubt his charisma, this should change your mind.

Finally, while a staple of the smooth Jazz genre, Botti clearly shows an affinity toward the classics. Here is Chris Botti paying his respects to one of his former bosses, Frank Sinatra, in a performance of “Under my Skin.”

As we all know it is important to support the musicians and promoters who tireless work so that we may enjoy the music we love. New York Smooth Jazz is one such promoter and here is a list of their upcoming shows!

October 30 Chris Botti at NYCB Theatre at Westbury

December 2 David Benoit: A Charlie Brown Christmas

December 10 A Peter White Christmas w/Mindi Abair & Kirk Whalum

Thank you for supporting Cool Grooves and keep supporting Smooth Jazz!

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Nelson Rangell – Sharp, Intelligent Smooth Jazz

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

Rarely does a player stand out as naturally gifted with musical abilities like Nelson Rangell. He effortlessly finds his groove and melody no matter in what musical environment he finds himself. That very well may be why Jazziz magazine writes that Nelson Rangell is “an artist of depth, a master of song, and an improviser non pareil.” The Times of London notes “his extraordinary facility on a range of instruments and his undoubted virtuosity,” adding that Nelson is “one of fusion’s most accomplished exponents.” Saxophone Journal writes “He commands the alto saxophone with such authority there can be no denying that Rangell is a true artist,” and Flute Talk Magazine states “Nelson Rangell creates the impression that anything is possible when he improvises.”

You should know that while most people know him as a saxophone player, he also plays the piccolo and flute. I’ve also seen his whistle the Sound of Music to a standing ovation.

Here is Nelson Rangall performing his hit “When Day Turns to Night.”

Nelson first played flute at the age of 15. Within six months he was studying both classical and jazz at The Interlochen Arts Academy, a national camp for gifted music students. He went on to attend The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. As a student he twice won Down Beat Magazine’s prestigious National Student Recording Awards competition both as best jazz and best pop/rock instrumental soloist. After college he headed to New York in 1984 to pursue his career. The next four years were spent sitting in, playing alongside, and gigging with some of the world’s greatest contemporary jazz musicians including Eric Marienthal, Hiram Bullock, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Jaco Pastorius, David Sanborn and many others. Nelson’s 1987 debut album was released on Gaia/Gramavision Records, but soon thereafter he was signed by Larry Rosen and Dave Grusin at GRP Records.

A great example of his ability not to be overshadowed even when playing with the finest players in the world, in this case Dave & Don Grusin, is evident in this next clip. Enjoy Nelson’s solo in this.

Little surprise than that Nelson has recorded with The Rippingtons, Chuck Loeb, Patti Austin, Tom Browne, and The GRP All-Star Big Band to name a few and is featured on Don Grusin’s Grammy nominated CD “The Hang.” Though Nelson has recorded mostly in the contemporary/pop and smooth jazz formats garnering top radio play and a large audience, The Times notes that live “a much more robust and idiosyncratic player emerges.” Nelson comes to the east coast October 9th and will be performing at the New Brunswick Jazz Festival. Click Here for More Info

Here he is performing “Good Morning Love.”

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Boney James – Dishing Up Some Phat Smooth Jazz!

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

Boney James is one of smooth jazz’s most successful saxophonists, and deservedly so. He is a prolific writer and is on fire whether in the studio or on stage. Just look at the facts, to date nine of his studio works have reached #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts and two reached the top 10 of the R&B Albums Charts, a rare feat and huge feather in the cap of any Instrumentalist.

His new CD, “Contact” has already taken the charts by storm. The first single titled, “Spin” has been on the charts for an impressive 11 weeks and currently holds the number two position. There is also a great story behind his stage name. His real name is James Oppenheim, but when on the road with Randy Crawford in 1986, his per diem as a touring musician barely kept him fed, and a bandmate (Wayne Linsey) commented of his dwindling physique, “We’ll have to start calling you Boney James!” The name stuck.

Here is a great Boney James performance of his called “Lights down Low.”

Boney James has combined jazz, R&B and hip-hop and by doing so helped popularize an updated version of contemporary jazz called Urban Jazz. Among his long list of accomplishments are his three Grammy Award Nominations (Best Pop Instrumental Album, 2001 & 2004, and best Traditional R&B Performance, 2009), and Soul Train Award for Best Jazz Album. He has also been honored with an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Jazz Album and has accumulated four RIAA Certified Gold Records. Most impressive though, he has sales totaling 3 million records.

Here is a great performance of “After the Rain”

From one of Boney’s earlier works, here is a tune called “Bleeker Street.” In this performance you can see that he has earned all the accolades that he has received.

Boney James was born in Massachusetts, spent his early teens in New Rochelle, NY before his family head out to Los Angeles. He was influenced by Motown , R&B and, as so many others, by Grover Washington, Jr. His R&B influence was further strengthened by seven years of touring and sessions as a sideman with Morris Day, the Isley Brothers, Bobby Caldwell, Randy Crawford, Teena Marie and many others. In the early 90′s, after joining Bobby Caldwell’s band, he caught the attention of the engineer/mixer & producer Paul Brown. In 1992 he released his debut album, Trust, and the rest is history.

Tragically, in May of 2010, James was involved in a car crash coming home from a performance when he was rear ended by a drunk driver. James suffered a fractured jaw, two shattered teeth and facial lacerations. Thankfully he was only sidelined for 2 months.

Boney James is married to Actress/Director Lily Mariye. (Nurse Jarvik on NBC’s ER for 15 seasons.)

Finally, while many of our regular readers know we love the live experience, we could not find a live version of Boney’s new single “Spin” so we hope you forgive us for posting the studio version.

Smooth listening!

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jeff Golub loses sight, but continues making music

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

Jeff Golub is one of Smooth Jazz’s most well known guitarists. While recording his latest release “The Three Kings,” Jeff Golub lost vision in one eye. Loss of vision in the other soon followed. Golub posted this on his web site: “While recording the record I started having a little trouble with my right eye. I tried to ignore it, but the condition worsened. Oddly enough, I was working with Henry [Butler], who coincidentally is blind. After the recording and trips to several of New York’s top eye specialists, I was diagnosed with a collapse of the optic nerve in my right eye. It is just some random thing that can happen to people … no real reason why or real cause … just a curve ball life throws at you sometimes.” Late last month, Golub says he began losing vision in his left eye as well. “(I’m) getting to spend all this time with Henry Butler, who can give me the inside track on how the heck one navigates life with severely impaired vision. Just wanted to let you all know what is going on with me. I may need a bit of time to adjust, but God willing, I have every intention of playing guitar forever and a day.”

Judging from the two killer shows recently on the NYC smooth jazz cruises (which also included a dynamic performances by keyboardist Henry Butler) Golub is more than managing. Recently on the Smooth Jazz New York Facebook page, one fan who witnessed one of the shows noted “Jeff is living proof to the saying, “Mind over matter.” Seeing this sort of perseverance gives me hope like nothing else.”

Golub’s manager posted this update to the web site: “…two specialists have given us hope that something can still be done to help reverse this situation. This requires extensive testing which Jeff is undergoing as we speak. These tests are vital to continuing the search for a solution, but they’re also expensive.” Towards this end, a Jeff Golub Medical Expenses account has been set up to which fans can donate. Per Bud Harner of Chapman Management, “Any donation would go a long way to help cover the costs of Jeff finding sight again.” Click Here to learn more or donate by check or PayPal.

Remember, it’s hard to make a living as a musician, and no one covers your healthcare costs, so if you can help, it’s much appreciated.
Meanwhile, let Jeff entertain you with a performance with Jeff Lorber as they perform, “Drop Top,” in London.

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Cindy Bradley – Smooth Jazz Trumpet Sensation

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

Most people never heard of her, yet this week she adorns the top spot on the Billboard Jazz Charts and Cool Grooves is delighted to write about her this week. She is trumpet player Cindy Bradley and her tune “Massive Transit” has comfortably settled in at #1.

Cindy Bradley broke onto the scene in 2007 with her debut CD, “Just a Little Bit.” That effort led her to a record deal and gave her entre to a new set of great musicians. While Cool Grooves enjoys showing live videos so readers can enjoy the improvisational skills of these player, Bradley doesn’t have a quality version of this song live. We offer you the studio version of here tune “Massive Transit,” but follow it up with a few live performances.

 

Cindy Bradley is a native New Yorker hailing from Buffalo and has been playing trumpet since fourth grade, which happened by accident, but was an accident that became a passion and career. Her style is smooth jazz through and through. That said, her new chart-topping single has a bit of techno-chill stylings.  That should not deter anyone
from believing she isn’t a serious musician. We provide evidence here that the lady can jam with the best of them. She has been a regular performer on the smooth jazz circuit and in 2010 was awarded “Best New Artist” by the American Smooth Jazz Awards.

Her strong hooks have helped position her for a promising future in smooth jazz, as evidenced by this performance of “Solid Ground.’


 

Cindy Bradley also does a nice slow groove, as demonstrated in this version of “Before I Go.”

 

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Radio Smooth Jazz New York– Another great online station

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

As terrestrial Smooth Jazz radio stations become more and more difficult to find, the internet has exploded with great stations. It’s only a matter of time until your car radio is surfing the web for music too. So let’s take a listen to another great online smooth station streaming out of NYC, RadioSmoothJazzNewYork. It is run by the same great folks that produce the smooth jazz concerts every Wednesday all summer on the cruise ship that sails around Manhattan. They bring names like Dav Koz, Candy Dulfer, Gerald Albright, Peter White, Rick Braun, Richard Elliot and the Rippingtons to their grateful audience. They are just as important as the Statue of Liberty to smooth jazz fans visiting our great city. They know smooth jazz, so you will not be disappointed when you tune in this station.

While we have written about other online stations, the great thing about RadioSmoothJazzNewYork is that the moment you click on the link, the music starts. This is great for the lazy or harried computer user. Most stations require numerous clicks to finally hear music. Even if you listen on itunes, it’s not instantaneous as it is with RadioSmoothJazzNewYork. So if you are like me and want to hear good music immediately so you can get on with what you really sat down to the computer for, you’ll like this station.

Enjoy the music.

Share
Posted in Smooth Jazz Stations | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Paul Taylor is #1 on Billboard this week!

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Groov-a-holic

For a jazz musician, it doesn’t really get better than it is for Paul Taylor this week. He played his way all the way to the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Charts and holds the number 1 spot for his second week. The tune that pushed him to the top is called “Push to Start.” This, however, is not his first time at #1. He first arrived here in 2007 with a tune called “Ladies Choice.”

While on his website he posts comments like “Got my fingers crossed for another week,” we hope he keeps them uncrossed and on his horn. If he continues to play the way he does, he’ll continue to be a regular name on the charts and we’ll continue to be happy listeners. Below is a video of a live performance of Paul Taylor performing “Push to Start.”

Originally from Denver, Paul Taylor has lived and worked in the thriving musical environment of Las Vegas since graduating as a music performance major from UNLV. He began playing sax at age seven and discovered his true calling while playing in a local high school garage band called Mixed Company, which played Top 40, funk and Crusader-styled fusion..

Here is another live performance video, which if you follow CoolGrooves.net, you know is our favorite type of video because they really show the musicianship of those we cover. In this video you can enjoy Paul Taylor cutting loose and doing some great improvisation.

Contemporary jazz stardom came naturally for Taylor, whose mix of funk and silky, groove heavy chops on soprano, alto and tenor, dynamic stage presence and catchy melodies were a natural fit for the genre. The #1 title track of Pleasure Seeker became one of Radio & Records most played genre cuts from his earlier work. Although Taylor has since been one of the genre’s most popular live attractions as a solo artist, he eagerly accepted Russ Freeman’s invitation to tour with The Rippingtons as a special guest artist in 2000—the year he released his third album Undercover–after Jeff Kashiwa left the group.

Finally, let me end with Paul Taylor Performing “Ladies Choice,” a song that will hopefully leave you with a smile.

Share
Posted in Artists | Tagged , , | 4 Comments