Nate White's new single, "Migration" is off of his album Up Close. Legendary 70’s Group RAMP (Roy Ayers Music Production) has spent his career making music that his fans sincerely enjoy. Nate is deeply rooted in Funk/Soul/Jazz music and has truly created a signature sound which you hear on each track of the jazzterpiece Up Close. This Cincinnati native has opened up for The Godfather of Neo-Soul Roy Ayers, Chuck Loeb, Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp, Euge Groove, Phil Perry, the nine GRAMMY®- nominated, platinum-selling artist, Dave Koz & Friends which includes: Aubrey Logan, Richard Elliot, Rick Braun, and Gerald Albright. The single off the Up Close album titled “Migration” was inspired by the many events that has taken place around the world, and here in America. Hopefully listeners can receive the smooth, gentle, calming effects of this delightful song.
An excellent set from Kevin Ford – best known as the leader of Chicago Afrobeat Project, but working here in a much more stripped-down setting – a funky trio mode that's filled with his own great work on keyboards, served up here with a very cosmic vibe! The drums and bass are nice and heavy – well-pointed and nicely focused – which leaves the keyboards plenty of space to soar over the top and do all these cool spacey things while the rhythms stay funky – in a mode that's clearly inspired by 70s funky jazz, fused through the leaner modes of the London scene, and delivered in a style that's very much the group's own! Titles include "Hashley", "Reduxion", "Type B", "Dillatente", "Strawberry Feels", and "Imperial 7". ~ Dusty Groove
Steve Knight's journey from Olathe, KS, to Chicago via Oklahoma, South Carolina, New York, and the Caribbean has been anything but linear or predictable. He’s now releasing his debut album, Persistence, a trio recording featuring seven of his originals as well as several compositions by other artists. Like most jazz guitarists, Knight was Influenced by the pantheon of jazz greats like Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, and Grant Green, but his greatest inspiration is George Benson. “I don’t like music that seems to be written just for other musicians,” says Knight. “A jazz guitarist is part poet and part athlete. I think Benson strikes the perfect balance. He’s an incredible technician on the guitar, but his music is very accessible for a general audience.” Indeed, Knight displays his considerable chops on Persistence, but never overwhelms the listener with mere showmanship. Joined by two stalwarts on the Chicago jazz scene, bassist Justin Peterson and drummer Jeff Stitely, the trio began playing together during the Covid-19 lockdown, presenting weekly concerts from Knight’s backyard in their idyllic, tree-lined. neighborhood. The impromptu jams became concerts with neighbors gathering at the fence and audiences growing quickly and reaching into the park across the street. The Alderman took notice, helped move the concerts to the park, and a whim turned into a weekly event. Playing for a live audience over the years gave the band insight into the music that people liked to hear, and the tunes on Persistence unfolded from those concerts.
If you even follow ear s& eyes Records slightly or how the jazz scene in Buenos Aires has been explosive these past years, you would definitely know the name Ernesto Jodos. He's one of those cats who has been teaching all young lions since they were teens. He's been such an important influencer and has guided what Argentine jazz is today. Yes, he went to Berklee years ago, and yes, his most recent album, Confluence, features Mark Helias and Barry Altschul, but he's taken those influences back to Argentina and transformed his take on jazz music with his own unique voice and vision. This new album is a grand culmination of this; Donde el Mundo Ocurre! The rest of his group on this are a mix of those young lions as well as one of the most influential and important voices in not only jazz, but also rock, Latin Grammy Award winner & drummer Sergio Verdinelli (another name that shows up quite a bit in the ears & eyes catalog including well-received No Me Digas Loco (as leader), and as sideman Rodrigo Dominguez' Borocotopo and Juan Bayon's Vidas Simples. Rounding it out is Inti Sabev (clarinets), Juan Pablo Hernández (guitar) & Diana Arias (contrabass).
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