Imagine the good fortune of being the wife of master saxophonist Wayne Gutshall. A few years after scoring a remarkable five #1 singles on SmoothJazz.com’s World Listener Chart, the multi-talented Miami based composer/musician finds a fascinating way to pay loving homage to her with a sweet, sensual nod to her Spanish heritage. On the perfectly titled, balmy and breezy “Spanish Love,” he not only plays his passionate heart out, but also uses his emotional sax melody as the foundation for a gorgeous, dreamy conversational duet with the soulful acoustic guitar flow of genre great Steve Oliver. Like in previous solo works, the slow danceable “Spanish Love” draws on Gutshall’s extensive resume playing with Latin artists like Ed Calle, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres and the late Dave Valentin.
Closing in on 25 years since he first graced us with his impeccable, melodic and rhythmic acoustic guitar as part of the Latin fusion duo Young & Rollins. Lawson Rollins is a Billboard Top 10 ranked world music guitarist whose sense of adventure and invention has earned him Guitar Player Magazine’s designation as one of the 50 Best Acoustic Guitarists of all time! The multi-faceted artist/composer keeps the intricate six-string fire burning on his latest solo album Heartwood. It’s a robust, high-spirited, ensemble driven collection that celebrates the material foundation of his instrument featuring Grammy winning violinists Charlie Bisharat and Mads Tolling, veteran jazz saxophonist Mary Fettig, Brazilian percussionist Marquinho Brasil, virtuoso bassist Dan Feiszli, multi-instrumentalist Stephen Duros, keyboardist Michael Bluestein, cellist Joseph Hébert and drummers Colin Douglas and Davo Bryant. The pack depart on sensual, high flying and improvisational excursions into bossa nova, rumba and samba – with a frolicsome homage to Spanish classical virtuoso, Segovia included for good measure.
More than just a clever name, Doc City is a dynamic, multi-faceted all-star contemporary jazz/R&B ensemble led by real MD, Dr. Clarence Taylor, who is a practicing internal and emergency medicine physician at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Foundation – and is also a versatile multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Two decades after being nominated as Best R&B/Soul Band by the Cleveland Free Times Music Awards, the powerhouse, lushly romantic and wildly grooving 19-piece (15 instrumentalists, 4 vocalists) band featuring trumpeter Sean Jones and singers Evelyn Wright, Tina Farmer, and Reggie Kelly returns with a Deluxe Edition of their sophisticated project, Welcome To Doc City. It’s a stylistically expansive set of music that rolls like a sexy party mix featuring soul, hip-hop, jazz and pop and features beautifully crafted songs as well as vibey dance mix of a Sade classic!
The quote on Michael “Amandus” Quast’s About section on his website says it all about what the veteran, multi-talented German composer and keyboardist philosophy is, “Believe In Your Dreams and They Might Come True.” The title track to his forthcoming EP HER LOVE, is a super fun, exotic and fashionable jam that promise to make his musical dreams come true. Amandus attributes his relationship with his wife as a stabilizing, motivational force in his life that has taken his innate talents further than he could have fathomed. This smooth and upbeat tribute offers a highly improvisational piano romp with hypnotic, percussive textures along with sexy, singing support of Trinidad-born and German-based vocalist Klyive, giving the tune buoyancy and soul! ~ www.smoothjazz.com
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