Niether One Of Us
David Sanborn
Listen to the entire song:http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/clickit/...e%20Of%20Us.wma
~Shears
Full Version: Smooth Jazz
Niether One Of Us
David Sanborn
Listen to the entire song:http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/clickit/...e%20Of%20Us.wma
~Shears
Jeez...
Doesn't that guy age at all?
Doesn't that guy age at all?
Midnight In San Juan
Eal Klugh
Listen to the entire song:http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/clickit/...uan_%5b1%5d.wma
~Shears
Sigh
Praful
Innovative Saxman, Praful, is Back with a New Album
June 29, 2005 - In 2003 he burst upon the North American music scene with his amazing debut release, "One Day Deep". An innovative offering which placed him in the Top 10 on three Billboard charts: Electronic, Hot Club and Contemporary Jazz. What can Praful do for an encore? Check out "Pyramid in Your Backyard."
Recently released by Rendezvous Entertainment in association with N-Coded Music and Therapy Records, "Pyramid in Your Backyard" is a mind blowing collage of electronic club, world music and jazz. Just as "Sigh" refused categorization, so does "Pyramid in Your Backyard" offers a cutting edge mélange of hyper kinetic drum and bass dance, vibes, funky electronic trip hop beats, cool jazz nuances, spacey rock riffs and poetically poignant melodies.
About the album title, Praful, the German-born citizen of the world said, "I found the title to be fitting because backyards are casual places often cluttered with people's belongings, while the pyramid stands for something deeper and spiritual. It is a symbol for a place inside us all, but we don't always connect to it. That's just like my music. It's casual and you can just hang out and have fun, but there is a deeper meaning to the music if you tune into it."
Listen to the entire song:http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/clickit/...praful/Sigh.ram
Teardrop Butterfly
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/clickit/...tro_three07.ram
~Shears
Antonio's Song
Michael Franks
Smooth west coast singer ....
An enormously popular performer in the late '70s and early '80s, though his
jazz credentials are in dispute. Franks performed folk/rock songs while in high
school, then became a literature student at UCLA and a part-time performer. He
taught undergraduate music courses in the early '70s at both UCLA and Berkeley,
then provided scores for the films Count Your Bullets and Zandy's Bride. He made
his first album in 1973, then enjoyed success with a string of late '70s albums on
Warner Brothers. He has worked with the likes of Flora Purim, Kenny Rankin, Ron
Carter, the Crusaders, David Sanborn, Toots Thielemans, Eric Gale, and others,
and has had songs recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Labelle, Carmen
McRae, and the Carpenters.
Listen to the entire song:
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/clickit/...'s_song.mp3
~Shears
I Say A Little Prayer
Diana Krall
The blonde beauty can sing....
Pity poor, beautiful jazz pianist/singer Diana Krall. Since her
Canadian youth, Krall, steeped in Fats Waller records by her collector-
father, has suffered the double-whammy of lovely blonde looks that got
her at once noticed and dismissed as a credible player. Her crisp, Bill
Evans-style floods of notes were honed at Berklee School of Music but
have taken second place, on the advice of her jazz mentors, to the
throaty, covered alto voice. Successive albums of romantic standards
and bluesy ballads like 1996's "All for You" and 1997's "Love Scenes"
prove Krall's no-callow belter, deepening in expression and brilliance as
time and mood demand. Comparisons to, on the one hand, Carmen
McRae, and, on the other, Sharon Stone, may plague her, but the shiny,
slopey blonde package never blurs Krall's conquest of the keyboard,
nor her victorious vocal assertions.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for I Say A Little Prayer
~Shears
Captain Of Her Heart
Randy Crawford
Smooth ballads " became Crawford's trademark....
As a performer, Randy Crawford has toured the globe, making
appearances at Europe's most distinguished jazz fests including
Montreaux, the North Sea, Istanbul, and Stuttgart, where she joined
luminaries like Al Jarreau, Joe Sample and Ray Charles.
In addition, the singer has performed at a number of prestigious
concerts, including the United Nations benefit concert in Croatia, a pair
of sold-out shows with the London Symphony Orchestra, a UNICEF performance
in Den Haag for the late Audrey Hepburn, and 1991's
Vatican Christmas concert before Pope John Paul II. A special benefit
show in South Africa saw Crawford performing for and later, dining with
Nelson Mandela, while the singer's 1990 collaboration with Italian
superstar Zucchero led to a historic appearance together at the Kremlin.
"Every Kind Of Mood: Randy, Randi, Randee" demonstrates her
incredible longevity and ongoing growth as an artist. Randy Crawford is
very clearly intent on continuing to do what she does best: giving life to
song.
"I always want to associate myself with any piece of music that feels
good and sounds good," says the singer. "And a good song can come
from anywhere."
"I hope I will always sing," Randy Crawford adds, smiling. "I don't want
to do anything else."
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for Captain Of Her Heart
~Shears
Take Me Home To You
Brian Culbertson
Talented genes...
Even though Brian Culbertson might be categorized as lite jazz, his
music has just enough "oomph" to keep you interested. The talented
young composer/arranger/keyboardist/trombonist's music has maturity
that is, at times, beyond his years, and Culbertson credits his dad with
helping him develop an ear for the type of music that he makes.
His father, Jim Culbertson, a respected high school jazz band director
and trumpeter, cultivated a love of sanguine sounds for young Brian
who eagerly listened to anything his dad listened to. Their Decatur, IL,
home would be alive with the recorded sounds of Maynard Ferguson,
Buddy Rich, the Brecker Brothers, and David Sanborn. Growing up,
Culbertson also listened to '70s R&B/pop/funk bands like Blood, Sweat
& Tears, Tower of Power, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for Take Me Home To You.
~Shears
Desire
Paul Hardcastle
Smooth Jazz From England......
Paul Hardcastle is a producer and keyboardist from London. He
recorded solo in the mid-'80s with his "19," a record featuring news
reports and other sources on Vietnam, becoming a major hit in Britain.
Later, he produced and did remixes for artists such as Ian Dury and Phil
Lynott. He sells well in the specialty dance market and occasionally
releases records as part of the duo Kiss the Sky (with Jaki Graham), as
well as names like the Def Boys, Beeps International, and Jazzmasters.
Among his releases: 1985's Zero One, 1994's Jazzmasters II, and
1996's Hardcastle 2. 1997's two-disc Cover to Cover assembled his
greatest hits, along with a bonus record of newly recorded cover
versions. 1999 saw the third installment in the Jazzmasters series, and
in 2005, a collection of his greatest moments over the past two decades
was issued along with a new album, Hardcastle 4.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for Desire
~Shears
Slam Dunk
Euge Groove
Euge Groove...
a pseudonym for saxophone journeyman Steve Grove -- began
playing piano in the second grade and turned to the saxophone at the
age of nine or ten. His teacher gave him a classical education on the
instrument, which he followed at the University of Miami's School of
Music, where he became interested in jazz. Upon graduation, he initially
remained in Miami doing sessions and playing in bands such as Expose,
where he can be heard on the group's #1 1987 single "Seasons Change."
He then moved to Los Angeles and joined Tower of Power,
remaining with the group about four years. Following this experience,
he freelanced, doing sessions and working in backup bands, his clients
including Joe Cocker, the Eurythmics, the Gap Band, Huey Lewis and
the News, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Aaron Neville, Eros Ramazotti, and
Richard Marx. His saxophone appeared on Marx's Top 20 pop and #1
AC hit "Keep Coming Back" in 1991. At the end of the '90s, Grove
developed the persona of Euge Groove, a corruption of his real name,
and recorded a demo that attracted the attention of various labels.
This demo soon landed him with Warner Bros. Records. Euge Groove, his
debut album, was released in May 2000. At the time, the saxophonist
toured in Tina Turner's backup band.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here Slam Dunk
~Shears
Paradise
Sade
"pronounced shar-day"...
When Sade first came on the recording scene in the '80s, her record
company, Epic, made a point of printing "pronounced shar-day" after
her name on the record labels of her releases. Soon enough the world
would have no problem in correctly pronouncing her name. Born Helen
Folasade Adu in a village 50 miles from Lagos, the capitol of Nigeria,
she was the daughter of an African father and an English mother. After
her mother returned to England, Sade grew up on the North End of London.
Developing a good singing voice in her teens, Sade worked part-time
jobs in and outside of the music business. She listened to Ray Charles,
Nina Simone, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holliday. Sade
studied fashion design at St. Martin's School of Art in London while also
doing some modeling on the side.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for Paradise
~Shears
Lily Was Here
Candy Dulfer
Pure Saxuality...
Alto saxophonist Candy Dulfer was brought into the limelight by
Prince, who introduced her to the world via his video for "Partyman."
Raised in a family heavily involved in the Dutch jazz scene, Dulfer is the
daughter of Hans Dulfer, a respected jazz tenor saxophonist. Thanks to
him, she listened to and studied the recordings of Sonny Rollins,
Coleman Hawkins, and Dexter Gordon. He also introduced her to the
stage early in life. When she was 12, she began playing in a band with
Rosa King, an American expatriate who lived in Holland. Her career
began by playing with brass bands but soon she was fronting her own
band, Funky Stuff, who were invited to backup Madonna for part of her
European tour. She began leading the band at age 15. Her appearances
with Prince led to session work with Eurythmics guitarist/producer Dave
Stewart, who gave Dulfer a credit on "Lily Was Here," which reached
number six in the U.K. and number one on the Dutch radio charts in
1990. Recording sessions for her debut album were followed by more
guest star dates with Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, and Pink Floyd.
Her debut, Saxuality, released later in 1990 for RCA Records,
was very successful in Europe and the U.S. While it was by no means a
straight-ahead jazz album, her funky alto sax stylings caught on with fans
of contemporary jazz at several recently launched "smooth jazz" radio
stations around the U.S. Saxuality was nominated for a Grammy and
certified gold for sales in excess of a half-million units worldwide. Her
1991 album Sax-a-Go-Go includes "Sunday Afternoon," a song by
Prince, and also teams her up with some of her musical mentors, the
JB's and the Tower of Power horns. Her other influences include Sonny
Rollins and David Sanborn, and while Dulfer hasn't carved the niche for
herself that Sanborn has in the jazz world, she does have a great
career ahead of her as she continues to synthesize classic R&B, blues,
pop, and jazz in her own unique, creative ways. In 1999, she released
What Does It Take.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for Lily Was Here
~Shears
Ascension
Maxwell
Neo-Soulman...
Along with fellow founders D'Angelo and Erykah Badu, Maxwell was
enormously important in defining and shaping the neo-soul movement
that rose to prominence over the latter half of the '90s. Drawing his
greatest inspiration from the concept of the R&B auteur (looking to
artists like Prince, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, etc.), Maxwell recorded
some of the most ambitious R&B of his time, becoming wildly popular
and often earning critical raves in the process. What was more, his
recurring theme of romantic monogamy set him apart from the vast
majority of his bump'n'grind lover-man contemporaries
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for Ascension
~Shears
All This Love
Gerald Albright
Session musician out of South Central...
Beginning in the late '80s, saxophone master Gerald Albright
recorded numerous successful solo albums for Atlantic when he wasn't
busy assisting an impressive, and mammoth, roster of popular R&B
artists. Born in South Central Los Angeles, the saxophonist idolized
James Brown and took much influence from Maceo Parker and
Cannonball Adderley. He first made a name for himself within the music
industry during the 1980s, when he became a highly requested session
musician. His revered reputation resulted in a solo contract with Altantic
Records. His first album for the label, Just Between Us, introduced him
to the masses in 1987, and numerous albums resulted, including a best-
of collection in 2001.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for All This Love
~Shears
Just My Imagination
Babyface and Gwyneth Paltrow
Smooth Crooner......
As a singer, producer, and songwriter, Babyface was an inescapable
presence in virtually every major facet of pop music during the '90s. His
own recordings helped rejuvenate the R&B tradition of the smooth,
sensitive, urban crooner and made him a staple of urban contemporary
radio. Yet their considerable success was eclipsed by his songwriting
and production work for other artists, which linked him with some of the
biggest stars and hit singles of the decade (and not just in the realm of
R&B). You'd be hard pressed to name a '90s hitmaker with a track
record more consistently successful and versatile than
Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here Just My Imagination
~Shears
Warm Weather
Pieces Of A Deream
Soothing Philly Sounds...
Comprised of bassist Cedric Napoleon, drummer Curtis Harmon, and
keyboardist James Lloyd, Pieces of a Dream was founded in 1975 in
Philadelphia when the principal members were all teenagers. Originally
somewhat jazz-oriented, Pieces of a Dream has mostly emphasized
R&B although they usually include a few jazz numbers in their
performances. Grover Washington, Jr. produced their first three albums
(all for Elektra during 1981-1983); they have since recorded for
Manhattan and Blue Note. Saxophonist Ron Kerber became a member
in the 1990s, preceding the four varied releases that appeared
throughout the decade. A collection appeared at the turn of the century,
but the band proved to still be going strong with 2001's Acquainted With
the Night and 2002's Love's Silhouette.
Listen to the song:
Click here for Warm Weather
Also listen to It Took So Long:
Click here for Took So Long
~Shears
Notorious
Rick Braun
Another Smooth Operator ...
A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, trumpeter Rick Braun first
surfaced as a member of the jazz-fusion outfit Auracle, formed while he
was a student at the prestigious Eastman School of Music. After two LPs
the group disbanded, and Braun turned to songwriting, scoring a hit with
REO Speedwagon's "Here with Me; " in time he directed his focus to
contemporary jazz, issuing his solo debut Intimate Secrets in 1993.
After touring with Sade, he returned in 1994 with Night Walk as well as
the seasonal release Christmas Present.
Listen to the song:
Click here for Notorious
~Shears
Besame Mucho
Diana Krall
The blonde beauty can sing....
Pity poor, beautiful jazz pianist/singer Diana Krall. Since her
Canadian youth, Krall, steeped in Fats Waller records by her collector-
father, has suffered the double-whammy of lovely blonde looks that got
her at once noticed and dismissed as a credible player. Her crisp, Bill
Evans-style floods of notes were honed at Berklee School of Music but
have taken second place, on the advice of her jazz mentors, to the
throaty, covered alto voice. Successive albums of romantic standards
and bluesy ballads like 1996's "All for You" and 1997's "Love Scenes"
prove Krall's no-callow belter, deepening in expression and brilliance as
time and mood demand. Comparisons to, on the one hand, Carmen
McRae, and, on the other, Sharon Stone, may plague her, but the shiny,
slopey blonde package never blurs Krall's conquest of the keyboard,
nor her victorious vocal assertions.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for Besame Mucho
~Shears
New Day
Patti LaBelle
Soul diva ...
Patti LaBelle enjoyed one of the longest-lived careers in
contemporary music, notching hits in a variety of sounds ranging from
girl group pop to space-age funk to lush ballads. Born Patricia Holt in
Philadelphia on October 4, 1944, she grew up singing in a local Baptist
choir, and in 1960 teamed with friend Cindy Birdsong to form a group
called the Ordettes.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here to hear New Day
~Shears
One Wish
Hiroshima
A Very Smooth Sound From...
Hiroshima, a group whose music falls between R&B, pop, world
music, and jazz, has long had its own niche. The band integrates
traditional Japanese instruments into their musical blend and has
generally been both commercial and creative within its genre.
Hiroshima's founding members are keyboardist Dan Kuramoto (who
also played shakuhachi), June Okida Kuramoto on koto (a key part of
the group's sound), Johnny Mori on taiko drums, and Danny Yamamoto
on drums, percussion, and taiko. Other additions include keyboardist
Kimo Cornwell, bassist Dean Cortez, and singer Teri Koide (who was
later succeeded by Kimaya Seward).
Listen to the entire song:
Click here to hear One Wish
~Shears
Sign Your Name
Terence Trent D'Arby
Brash & Arrogant...
Terence Trent d'Arby emerged in 1987 amid a storm of publicity.
Claiming his debut record was the best since Sgt. Pepper, his brash
arrogance captured headlines throughout the U.K., eventually winding
their way back to America -- which, ironically, is the exact opposite of
how d'Arby conducted his career.
During the early '80s, d'Arby was a soldier for the United States Army.
While posted in Germany, he joined a funk band called Touch, which
marked the beginning of his musical career. After leaving the Army, he
moved to London, where he recorded the demo tape that led to his
record contract with CBS. D'Arby's first single, "If You Let Me Stay,"
rocketed into the U.K. Top Ten upon its release.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here to hear Sign Your Name
~Shears
Moments In Love
Art of Noise
Distinct Postmodern Soundscapes...
Anne Dudley, Gary Langan, and Paul Morley were members of
producer Trevor Horn's in-house studio band in the early '80s before
they formed the Art of Noise, a echno-pop group whose music was an
amalgam of studio gimmickry, tape splicing, and synthesized beats.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here to hear Moments In Love
~Shears
Love Calls
Kem
Inspired By The Best....
Nashville-born, Detroit-based singer/songwriter/musician/producer
Kem Owens is a smooth, spiritually oriented R&B artist inspired by the
likes of Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and Grover Washington Jr. His self-
released debut, Kemistry, sold 10,000 copies, and it was eventually
picked up by Motown for nationwide release. The album reached the
Top 20 of the Top Hip-Hop/R&B Albums chart. Owens has also done
outside writing and production work.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for Love Calls
~Shears
Cherish
Kool & The Gang
Funky Smoothness....
Formed as a jazz ensemble in the mid-'60s, Kool & the Gang became
one of the most inspired and influential funk units during the '70s, and
one of the most popular R&B groups of the '80s after their breakout
hit "Celebration" in 1979. Just as funky as James Brown or Parliament
(and sampled almost as frequently), Kool & the Gang relied on their
jazz backgrounds and long friendship to form a tightly knit group with
the interplay and improvisation of a jazz outfit, plus the energy and
spark of a band with equal ties to soul, R&B, and funk.
Robert "Kool" Bell and his brother Ronald (or Khalis Bayyan) grew up in
Jersey City, NJ, and picked up the music bug from their father.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Cherish"
~Shears
Englishman In New York
Sting
Literate, Intelligent & Smooth...
After disbanding the Police at the peak of their popularity in 1984,
Sting quickly established himself as a viable solo artist, one obsessed
with expanding the boundaries of pop music. Sting incorporated heavy
elements of jazz, classical, and worldbeat into his music, writing lyrics
that were literate and self-consciously meaningful, and he was never
afraid to emphasize this fact in the press. For such unabashed ambition,
he was equally loved and reviled, with supporters believing that he was
at the forefront of literate, intelligent rock and his critics finding his
entire body of work pompous.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here to hear "Englishman In New York"
~Shears
What A Fool Believes
Doobie Brothers
soul-inflected by Michael Mcdonald...
As one of the most popular Californian pop/rock bands of the '70s,
the Doobie Brothers evolved from a mellow, post-hippie boogie band to
a slick, soul-inflected pop band by the end of the decade. Along the
way, the group racked up a string of gold and platinum albums in the
U.S., along with a number of radio hits like "Listen to the Music," "Black
Water" and "China Grove."
The roots of the Doobie Brothers lay in Pud, a short-lived Californian
country-rock band in the vein of Moby Grape featuring guitarist/vocalist
Tom Johnston and drummer John Hartman. After Pud collapsed in 1969,
the pair began jamming with bassist Dave Shogren and guitarist Patrick
Simmons.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here to hear "What A Fool Believes"
~Shears
Obsession Confession
Slash
Smoothing Out...
As the lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses, Slash established himself as
one of hard rock's finest and most soulful soloists during the late '80s,
technically adept yet always firmly grounded in the gritty Aerosmith and
Stones' licks he loved. Slash was born Saul Hudson on July 23, 1965 in
Stoke-on-Trent, England, to artistic parents both involved in the
entertainment industry; his mother was a clothing designer who worked
on David Bowie's film #The Man Who Fell to Earth, and his father
designed album art for such artists as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here to hear "Obsession Confession"
~Shears
Paradise
Kenny G
Smooth Caress...
Kenny G. has long been the musician many jazz listeners love to
hate. A phenomenally successful instrumentalist whose recordings
make the pop charts, G.'s sound has been a staple on adult
contemporary and smooth jazz radio stations since the mid-'80s,
making him a household name. Kenny G. is a fine player with an
attractive sound (influenced a bit by Grover Washington, Jr.) who often
caresses melodies, putting a lot of emotion into his solos. Because he
does not improvise much (sticking mostly to predictable melody
statements), his music largely falls outside of jazz. However, because
he is listed at the top of "contemporary jazz" charts and is identified
with jazz in the minds of the mass public, he belongs in this book.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here to hear "Paradise"
If a page pops up, click the play button.
~Shears
Let It Flow
Toni Braxton
Smooth, Sultry & Ravishing....
Toni Braxton was one of the most popular and commercially
successful female R&B singers of the '90s, thanks to her ability to
straddle seemingly opposite worlds. Braxton was soulful enough for
R&B audiences, but smooth enough for adult contemporary;
sophisticated enough for adults, but sultry enough for younger listeners;
strong enough in the face of heartbreak to appeal to women, but
ravishing enough to nab the fellas. Wielding such broad appeal, Braxton
managed to score not one, but two albums that sold over eight million
copies; naturally, they were accompanied by a long string of hit singles
on the pop and R&B charts, one of which -- "Un-break My Heart" --
ranks among the longest-running number one pop hits of the rock era.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Let It Flow"
~Shears
When I Give My Love To You
Michael Franks
Smooth west coast singer ....
An enormously popular performer in the late '70s and early '80s, though his
jazz credentials are in dispute. Franks performed folk/rock songs while in high
school, then became a literature student at UCLA and a part-time performer. He
taught undergraduate music courses in the early '70s at both UCLA and Berkeley,
then provided scores for the films Count Your Bullets and Zandy's Bride. He made
his first album in 1973, then enjoyed success with a string of late '70s albums on
Warner Brothers. He has worked with the likes of Flora Purim, Kenny Rankin, Ron
Carter, the Crusaders, David Sanborn, Toots Thielemans, Eric Gale, and others,
and has had songs recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Labelle, Carmen
McRae, and the Carpenters.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "When I Give My Love To You"
~Shears
War/What's Going On
Mindi Abair
Good Sax With Mindi....
Born on tour into a musical family, Mindi Abair was playing piano by
the age of five. Within three years, she was playing saxophone and
writing songs. She made her way through Berkeley performing all kinds
of music from jazz to rock and R&B. Upon moving back to Los Angeles,
Abair started her own band. She also took on session work with artists
as diverse as the Gap Band, Adam Sandler, Mandy Moore, John Tesh,
Teena Marie, and the Backstreet Boys. During this time, she worked on
creating her own sound and released her debut disc in 1999. The
Backstreet Boys connection really paid off for her, and her website and
CD (entitled Love) took off.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "War/What's Going On"
...and Click here for "Flirt"
~Shears
WE Walk The Same Line
Everything But The Girl
For Your Bedroom Needs....
Originating at the turn of the 1980s as a leader of the lite-jazz
movement, Everything but the Girl became an unlikely success story
more than a decade later, emerging at the vanguard of the fusion
between pop and electronica. Founded in 1982 by Hull University
students Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, the duo took their name from a
sign placed in the window of a local furniture shop, which claimed "for
your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl." At the time of
their formation, both vocalist Thorn and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
Watt were already signed independently to the Cherry Red label; Thorn
was a member of the sublime Marine Girls, while Watt had issued
several solo singles and also collaborated with Robert Wyatt.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "WE Walk The Same Line"
~Shears
I'll Be With You
Grover Washington Jr.
The Master Of Smooth....
One of the most popular saxophonists of all time (even his off records
had impressive sales), Grover Washington, Jr. was long the pacesetter
in his field. His roots were in R&B and soul-jazz organ combos, but he
also fared very well on the infrequent occasions when he played
straight-ahead jazz. A highly influential player, Washington was
sometimes blamed for the faults of his followers; Kenny G. largely
based his soprano sound on Grover's tone. However, most of the time
(except when relying on long hit medleys), Washington pushed himself
with the spontaneity and chance taking of a masterful jazz musician.
Grover Washington, Jr., whose father also played saxophone, started
playing music when he was ten and within two years was working in clubs.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "I'll Be With You"
~Shears
Mediterranio
Marc Antoine
Smooth Classical Sound....
Contemporary jazz guitarist Marc Antoine blends his classical training
with a multi-cultural urban groove. After studying at the Edouard
Paiteron College and the International School of Classical Guitar, he
played with a typically varied cast of artists: pop stars like Sting, Basia
and Selena, rappers like Guru's Jazzmatazz project and Queen Latifah,
plus acid jazz hipsters the Solsonics and DJ Greyboy. Signed to the New
York City subsidiary of GRP Records, Antoine recorded his solo debut
Classical Soul in 1994.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Mediterranio"
~Shears
Crazy
Seal
Smooth Brit....
Seal emerged from England's house music scene in the early '90s to
become the most popular British soul vocalist of the decade. Although
his earliest material still showed signs of acid house, by the mid-'90s he
had created a distinctive fusion of soul, folk, pop, dance, and rock that
brought him success on both sides of the Atlantic.
The son of Nigerian and Brazilian parents, Seal was raised in England.
After graduating with an architectural degree, he took various jobs
around London, including electrical engineering and designing leather
clothing. After a while, he began singing in local clubs and bars. He
joined an English funk band called Push, touring Japan with the band in
the mid-'80s. When he was in Asia, he joined a Thailand-based blues
band. After a short time with that group, he traveled throughout India
on his own.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Crazy"
~Shears
FM
Steely Dan
A Smooth Sophisticated, Distinctive Sound ....
Most rock & roll bands are a tightly wound unit that developed their
music through years of playing in garages and clubs around their
hometown. Steely Dan never subscribed to that aesthetic. As the
vehicle for the songwriting of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely
Dan defied all rock & roll conventions. Becker and Fagen never truly
enjoyed rock -- with their ironic humor and cryptic lyrics, their eclectic
body of work shows some debt to Bob Dylan -- preferring jazz,
traditional pop, blues, and R&B. Steely Dan created a sophisticated,
distinctive sound with accessible melodic hooks, complex harmonies
and time signatures, and a devotion to the recording studio.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "FM"
~Shears
Ordinary People
John Legend
Smooth Neo Soul....
Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend combined the raw fervor of
contemporaries Cody ChesnuTT and the burning precision of D'Angelo.
Born John Stephens, Legend was a child prodigy who grew up in Ohio,
where he began singing gospel and playing piano at the tender age of
five. Legend left Ohio at 16 to go to college in Philadelphia, and it was
there that he first found a larger audience. Not yet out of his teens,
Legend was tapped to play piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is
Everything" in 1998. After completing college, he moved to New York,
where he began to build a loyal following playing in nightclubs and
releasing CDs that he would sell at shows.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Ordinary People"
~Shears
Soul Swing
Paul Hardcastle
"19" From Vietnam To Smooth....
Paul Hardcastle is a producer and keyboardist from London. He
recorded solo in the mid-'80s with his "19," a record featuring news
reports and other sources on Vietnam, becoming a major hit in Britain.
Later, he produced and did remixes for artists such as Ian Dury and Phil
Lynott. He sells well in the specialty dance market and occasionally
releases records as part of the duo Kiss the Sky (with Jaki Graham), as
well as names like the Def Boys, Beeps International, and Jazzmasters.
Among his releases: 1985's Zero One, 1994's Jazzmasters II, and
1996's Hardcastle 2.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Soul Swing"
~Shears
Forget Me Nots
Patrice Rushen
Smooth Groove....
Keyboardist/singer/songwriter/arranger/musical director Patrice
Rushen has had an outstanding career with several Top Ten R&B hits,
including "Haven't You Heard," "Forget Me Nots," "Feels So Real,"
and "Watch Out." "Forget Me Nots" was the basis of Will Smith's "Men in
Black" from the blockbuster movie of the same name on Big Willie
Style. R. Kelly's "Remind Me" was sampled from her "You Remind Me,"
a popular radio-aired LP track from Straight From the Heart. Others who
have sampled Rushen's music are Def Jeff (Rushen's "Hang It Up") and
Zhane ("Groove Thang").
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Forget Me Nots"
~Shears
Can't Hide Love
Earth, Wind & Fire
Smooth Harmony....
Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished,
critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the '70s.
Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and
occasional vocalist Maurice White, EWF's all-encompassing musical
vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth
soul, gospel, pop, ock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music,
and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra
dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to
funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth
Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.'s, or improvise
like a jazz fusion outfit.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Can't Hide Love"
~Shears
Lately
Stevie Wonder
Smooth Musical Genius....
Stevie Wonder is a much-beloved American icon and an indisputable
genius not only of R&B but popular music in general. Blind virtually
since birth, Wonder's heightened awareness of sound helped him create
vibrant, colorful music teeming with life and ambition. Nearly everything
he recorded bore the stamp of his sunny, joyous positivity; even when
he addressed serious racial, social, and spiritual issues (which he did
quite often in his prime), or sang about heartbreak and romantic
uncertainty, an underlying sense of optimism and hope always seemed
to emerge. Much like his inspiration, Ray Charles, Wonder had a
voracious appetite for many different kinds of music, and refused to
confine himself to any one sound or style.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Lately"
~Shears
I Can't Make You Love Me
Bonnie Raitt
L.A. Smoothy....
Born to a musical family, the nine-time Grammy winner is the
daughter of celebrated Broadway singer John Raitt (Carousel,
Oklahoma!, The Pajama Game) and accomplished pianist/singer Marge
Goddard. She was raised in Los Angeles in a climate of respect for the
arts, Quaker traditions, and a commitment to social activism. A Stella
guitar given to her as a Christmas present launched Bonnie on her
creative journey at the age of eight. While growing up, though
passionate about music from the start, she never considered that it
would play a greater role than as one of her many growing interests.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "I Can't Make You Love Me"
~Shears
Kisses In The Rain
Rick Braun
Another Smooth Operator ...
A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, trumpeter Rick Braun first
surfaced as a member of the jazz-fusion outfit Auracle, formed while he
was a student at the prestigious Eastman School of Music. After two LPs
the group disbanded, and Braun turned to songwriting, scoring a hit with
REO Speedwagon's "Here with Me; " in time he directed his focus to
contemporary jazz, issuing his solo debut Intimate Secrets in 1993.
After touring with Sade, he returned in 1994 with Night Walk as well as
the seasonal release Christmas Present.
Listen to the song:
Click here for "Kisses In The Rain"
~Shears
Biggest Part Of Me
Ambrosia
Like A Smooth Soul Symphony....
Los Angeles quartet Ambrosia, whose founding members included
guitarist/vocalist David Pack, bassist/vocalist Joe Puerta, keyboardist
Christopher North, and drummer Burleigh Drummond, fused symphonic
art rock with a slickly produced pop sound. The group was discovered in
1971 by Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Zubin Mehta, who featured
Ambrosia as part of a so-called All-American Dream Concert. However,
it took them four more years to get a record contract; Ambrosia was
released in 1975 and spawned the chart singles "Holdin' on to
Yesterday" and "Nice, Nice, Very Nice." The latter was based on %Kurt
Vonnegut Jr.'s -Cat's Cradle.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Biggest Part Of Me"
~Shears
Waited All My Life
Raul Midón
A Remarkable Smooth Talent ....
Singer/guitarist Raul Midón is a contemporary soul singer whose
impassioned acoustic guitar playing -- a mix of rock, classical, and
flamenco -- has gotten him just as much attention as his smooth voice.
Blind since birth, Midón was born in Embudo, NM, to an Argentine father
and American mother. He began playing drums early in his childhood
before switching to guitar, taking in flamenco, jazz, and classical styles
on his chosen instrument. He relocated to Miami for college in the '90s
and while there moonlighted as a background vocalist for Latin pop
recording sessions. A remarkable talent even then, word quickly spread
of Midón's talent as a singer and guitarist. Eventually he relocated to
New York, where he concentrated on a solo career. His major-label
debut, State of Mind, featuring guest appearances from Stevie Wonder
and Jason Mraz, was released by Manhattan Records in June of 2005.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Waited All My Life"
~Shears
That's The Way Love Goes
Janet Jackson
Smooth & Sexy ....
Few celebrity siblings can emerge from the shadows of their already
famous relations to become superstars in their own right and with their
own distinct personalities. That's exactly what Janet Jackson did in
becoming one of the biggest female pop and R&B stars of the '80s
and '90s. Since her breakthrough in 1986 with the album Control,
Jackson's career as a hitmaker has been a model of consistency,
rivaling Madonna and Whitney Houston in terms of pop-chart success
over the long haul. A big part of the reason was that Jackson kept her
level of quality control very high; her singles were always expertly
crafted, with indelible pop hooks and state-of-the-art production that
kept up with contemporary trends in urban R&B.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "That's The Way Love Goes"
~Shears
Fantasy
Earth, Wind & Fire
Smooth Harmony....
Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished,
critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the '70s.
Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and
occasional vocalist Maurice White, EWF's all-encompassing musical
vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth
soul, gospel, pop, ock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music,
and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra
dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to
funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth
Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.'s, or improvise
like a jazz fusion outfit.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "Fantasy"
~Shears
You're The Only Woman
Ambrosia
Smooth Blue eyed Soul....
Los Angeles quartet Ambrosia, whose founding members included
guitarist/vocalist David Pack, bassist/vocalist Joe Puerta, keyboardist
Christopher North, and drummer Burleigh Drummond, fused symphonic
art rock with a slickly produced pop sound. The group was discovered in
1971 by Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Zubin Mehta, who featured
Ambrosia as part of a so-called All-American Dream Concert. However,
it took them four more years to get a record contract; Ambrosia was
released in 1975 and spawned the chart singles "Holdin' on to
Yesterday" and "Nice, Nice, Very Nice." The latter was based on %Kurt
Vonnegut Jr.'s -Cat's Cradle.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "You're The Only Woman"
~Shears
The Way You Move
Outkast
Smooth & Nasty ....
OutKast's blend of gritty Southern soul, fluid raps, and the rolling G-
funk of their Organized Noize production crew epitomized the Atlanta
wing of hip-hop's rising force, the Dirty South, during the late '90s.
Along with Goodie Mob, OutKast took Southern hip-hop in bold,
innovative new directions: less reliance on aggression, more positivity
and melody, thicker arrangements, and intricate lyrics.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "The Way You Move"
~Shears
All This Love
Lee Ritenour
Smooth Impressive Technique....
Lee Ritenour has long been the perfect studio musician, one who can
melt into the background without making any impact. While he
possesses impressive technique, Ritenour has mostly played
instrumental pop throughout his career, sometimes with a Brazilian
flavor. His few jazz efforts have found him essentially imitating Wes
Montgomery, but despite that he has been consistently popular since
the mid-'70s. After touring with Sergio Mendes' Brasil '77 in 1973,
Ritenour became a very busy studio guitarist in Los Angeles, taking
time off for occasional tours with his groups and in the mid-'90s with
Bob James in Fourplay.
Listen to the entire song:
Click here for "All This Love"
~Shears
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