Touring behind icons like Michael Bolton and Mariah Carey has no doubt enhanced guitarist Chris Camozzi's sense of a pop melody, and he shares those expert acoustic and electric chops in a solo spotlight of his own on Windows of My Soul, Higher Octave's latest rock guitarist turned smooth jazz cat release. He's found a fitting home on the label, because his rich tapestry of cool yet just aggressive enough to be invigorating sounds blend the rhythmic charms of Craig Chaquico and the smoky after hours passion of Neal Schon. A tender nylon string reading of The Beatles' "Michelle" complements a snappy repertoire of fiery electricity ("Go Wes Young Man" has an obvious influence) and charming romance along the lines of the seductive "The Dreamers." Program a few of the later cuts in sequence and your soul mate won't complain any time soon. For, like his labelmates, Camozzi's production skills are all about creating moodswings which best fit each tune's lyrical lilt. More often than not, these windows look out optimistically, through the eyes of love.

In the summer of 2002, with the help Eagle Records - Candy was given total creative freedom to create the CD of her dreams, giving her the opportunity to push the boundaries with her seamless fusion of R&B, Drum `n Bass, Funk, Jazz and Ambient sounds. Right In My Soul marks Dulfer's first studio album in four years. Right In My Soul has all the trademark riffs, solos and that fit in with the new Candy Dulfer but still instantly recognizable to her legions of fans.

Internet collaboration album project & third album release within a year. Recorded, mixed during the 2020-21 coronavirus pandemic. Instrumental crossover jazz, jazz-fusion.

For his tenth full-length album, Playin' Favourites, British smooth jazz giant Peter White decided to, as the title suggests, turn to some of his favorite tracks from the '60s, '70s, and '80s, giving each of them his own interpretation (he did a similar thing in 1994's Reflections). Working with longtime producer Paul Brown, as well as musicians Boney James, Rick Braun, and Dave Camp, among others, White successfully turns the 11 songs on Playin' Favourites into instant crossover jazz hits. Mainly this means adding horns and keyboards to the background while the guitarist lithely moves around from the melody into lush improvisationally based solos, rendering them much slicker and smoother than they were before (although granted, he didn't have to do much to turn Bacharach's James Bond classic "The Look of Love" into something so adult contemporary).

Saxophonist Candy Dulfer's sophomore album, 1993's Sax-A-Go-Go, built upon the smooth jazz of her debut while also playing up more of her hip-hop and dance music influences. Once again working with producer/multi-instrumentalist Ulco Bed, Dulfer delved even deeper into the club-ready funk and acid jazz that was in its heyday during the early '90s…

Dutch smooth jazz saxophonist Candy Dulfer's debut album, 1990's Saxuality, made a splash both critically and commercially upon its release and helped propel her to global stardom. The daughter of saxophonist Hans Dulfer, Candy Dulfer had performed since she was an adolescent and by her early twenties was opening for Madonna and Prince…

After years of producing albums which were more pop/funk than jazz oriented, George Duke simmers down, leaves off the R&B vocals, and takes a little creative license on the self-proclaimed "mood record" After Hours. While his recent Muir Woods Suite showed off his affinity for classical music, here he's at his best on the meditative Vince Guaraldi-type trio ballads "Together as One" and "Sweet Dreams," which glide along on the improvisational and gently swinging graces of Christian McBride and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler. A whole project in this vein would have been welcome, but Duke charters other new territory, too; on the easy grooving "The Touch" and the almost new agey "From Dusk Till Dawn," he borrows the actual Rhodes from Joe Sample but winds up perfectly simulating Bob James' "Taxi" vibe, especially on the exploratory solo on the latter tune. The untrained ear might swear it's an actual James recording, but Duke's a clever enough producer to go beyond strict imitation. "The Touch" achieves an intriguing low-toned brew, as Sheridon Stokes' bass flute melody drifts gently over a hypnotic weave of Larry Kimpel's bass and Duke's Rhodes.

Eric Gale's 1973 Forecast album on the Kudu label is one of his most varied texturally. Produced by Kudu label boss Creed Taylor, the rhythm tracks were arranged by Gale, and the horns and strings by Bob James. Taylor surrounded Gale with the cream-of-the-crop of the current session players: jazz's most soulful drummer, Idris Muhammad, was in the house for most of the album, and Rick Marotta filled out the rest. Saxophonists included Joe Farrell, Pepper Adams, and Jerry Dodgion (an underrated ace who made his name with Curtis Amy on his Pacific jazz sides in the early '60s), and trumpeters included Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis. Hubert Laws and George Marge sat in the flute chairs, and James played piano and synths. Gale, for his part, was blended into a meticulously arranged and gorgeously orchestrated set of mixed tempo originals, and a pair of carefully chosen covers.

GRP Promo Sampler CD from 1998 featuring highlights from up and coming releases. Features Ramsey Lewis, Acoustic Alchemy, George Benson, Michael Brecker & Other.

2020 release. Grammy Award-winning Contemporary Jazz/R&B superstar Norman Brown has sold over 2 million albums in his extraordinary career and virtually lives at the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz sales and radio charts. Heart To Heart has Norman's hit-making talents on full display. Starting off with his cool and vibey tribute to Wes Montgomery, "Heading Wes," the album covers a wide range of styles including "Heart To Heart," a romantic duet with Peter White, the driving "Outside The Norm," "Amen" and much more!

Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler's intricate, introspective finger-picked guitar stylings make a perfect musical complement to the wistful tone of Bill Forsyth's comedy film, Local Hero. This album was billed as a Knopfler solo album rather than an original soundtrack album, with the notation "music … for the film." Knopfler brings along Dire Straits associates Alan Clark (keyboards) and John Illsley (bass), plus session aces like saxophonist Mike Brecker, vibes player Mike Mainieri, and drummers Steve Jordan and Terry Williams…

Although Idris Muhammad was employed as a sideman on his share of soul-jazz sessions in the '70s, the drummer hasn't been terribly visible as a leader. So it came as a pleasant surprise when, in 1993, he sat in the driver's seat for My Turn, a decent collection of jazz-pop, soul-jazz, and R&B employing such big names as Grover Washington, Jr. (tenor and soprano sax), Randy Brecker (trumpeter and flügelhorn), Hiram Bullock (electric guitar), and Bob James (electric keyboards). Not unlike the type of project Muhammad would have gone for in the '70s, My Turn is far from straight-ahead hard bop but isn't a so-called "elevator jazz" date either. R&B, pop, and funk considerations are emphasized, but not at the expense of improvisational freedom. Washington and Brecker get in some inspired solos on tunes ranging from pianist Neal Creqe's funky "Dracula" to Washington's congenial "Happenstance," and Muhammad does a nice job combining pop and soul's accessibility with jazz's spontaneity. Those who like their crossover meaty instead of fluffy should enjoy this CD.

Myriam Alter - Where Is There (2007) {Enja Records ENJ-9513 2}
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© 2007 Enja Records | ENJ-9513 2

As on her last two albums, Myriam Alter doesn't play the piano herself on her fifth record, she "merely" composed eight songs and assembled a sextet to perform them: bassist Greg Cohen, drummer Joey Baron, clarinet player John Ruocco (these three were also on her last album, If), pianist Salvatore Bonafede, cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, and soprano saxophonist Pierre Vaiana. And even though she doesn't play a note on the album, her presence is strongly felt at any given time in the compositions that encompass jazz, classical music, and various European influences.