CHILL GROOVES & SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS: SIMPLY RED, KEIKO MATSUI, JEFF LORBER & MORE...

Look out for a new album from Simply Red on March 12. It’s called Stay and it features the smooth jazz hit So Not Over You. Simply Red lead singer Mick Hucknall has just announced that he will soon become a father. Hucknalll, who is 46, and his partner Gabriella Wesberry, who speaks six languages and is in her 30’s are expecting a daughter in June……….Keiko Matsui releases her new album, Moyo, on April 24. The album was recorded in South Africa and the 12 songs on Moyo evoke a sense of freedom and independence. For this special project, Matsui invited other artists into the creative process, including legendary trumpeter Hugh Masakela, tenor sax player Gerald Albright, soprano sax player Paul Taylor, Richard Bona on bass and vocals Akira Jimbo on drums and Waldemar Bastos on vocals. Matsui is also scheduled for a series of concert appearances, with dates beginning in March in cities around the world, including stops in South Africa, the Ukraine, Los Angeles, and New York……….Grammy-nominated keyboardist and producer Jeff Lorber has just wrapped up production of a brand-new CD that is mixed by Paul Brown and produced by Blood, Sweat & Tears original member Bobby Columby, who produced the last two best-selling CDs by trumpeter Chris Botti. Guest artists on this project include Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum, Brian Bromberg, Randy Brecker, Paul Jackson Jr., the Blood Sweat and Tears horn section, Hubert Laws, and Tom Scott.