Contemporary jazz guitarist Chris Standring looks back while moving forward on Time of Change, an album shaped by nostalgia, personal loss and the major life changes that have marked the latest chapter of his life.
Released March 20 on Ultimate Vibe Recordings, Standring’s eighteenth album finds him drawing heavily from the sounds and textures of the 1970s, blending cool jazz, retro R&B grooves, sophisticated horn arrangements and his distinctive electric guitar work. The album’s first single, “Hollywood Hustle,” introduced that approach with an upbeat, horn-driven funk groove.
For Standring, however, Time of Change is about more than revisiting a musical era. Getting married for the first time, losing his father Alistair, and preparing to leave Los Angeles after 35 years have given the album a deeply personal dimension.
“As I get a little older, it's easy to reflect and reminisce about the past, the innocence of youth, the naïveté of decisions, good or bad, and perhaps idolize some of the glory days,” Standring said. “Much of the writing harks back to a familiar time, a nostalgic time. And things in life are different now.”
Standring wrote and produced all eleven tracks, surrounding himself with a core group that includes bassist Andre Berry, drummer Chad Wright and percussionist Lenny Castro. Several songs are expanded by a horn section featuring Brandon Fields on tenor sax, Tom Saviano on alto sax, Michael Stever on trumpet and Erik Hughes on trombone.
The album also brings in several longtime and notable collaborators, including GRAMMY-winning bassist Brian Bromberg, pianist George Whitty, drummer Dave Karasony and keyboardist Rodney Lee. Lee has a particularly personal connection to Standring, having worked with him in the innovative band Solar System roughly three decades ago, near the beginning of Standring’s recording career.
Time of Change opens with “Photographs,” a reflective piece that immediately establishes the album’s nostalgic character. Standring brings an atmospheric quality to his guitar playing while Whitty contributes an expressive piano solo.
Standring described the song in cinematic terms, imagining himself sitting beside a bay window and watching the rain while contemplating life. That imagery becomes something of a recurring theme throughout the album, where memories of the past continually intersect with thoughts about the future.
The upbeat “Magnetic” is built around just two chords and a tight rhythm section from Berry and Wright, with Standring citing the early Yellowjackets as an influence. “Slippin’ In These Streets” moves into a slower, funkier groove that Standring imagined fitting naturally into the soundtrack of a 1970s cop show.
The retro atmosphere continues on “All The Good Times,” while “Where Were You When” slows the pace and introduces strings, including violas and cellos. Standring has described the latter as one of his favorites on the album, particularly for its warmth and spaciousness.
“Hollywood Hustle” brings the funk back into focus before “A Good Game,” where Standring’s production reflects his admiration for the work of legendary producer Quincy Jones. Finger snaps replace a conventional snare pattern, creating a more intimate groove, while layered voices add warmth to the choruses.
The instrumental “One Of These Days” finds Standring looking toward another familiar source of inspiration, drawing on Tom Scott’s horn and string arrangements from Steely Dan recordings. “Remember The Day” returns to the album’s more contemplative side, with Brandon Fields contributing a poignant saxophone solo.
“All That To Say” was originally intended to close the album and carries a sense of resolution, although Standring acknowledged the sadness underneath the music. The album ultimately ends with its most personal statement, “A Song For Alistair,” written in tribute to his father.
Brian Bromberg’s upright bass gives the closing track an especially intimate character. Bromberg told Standring that he believed it was the guitarist’s most beautiful composition, a sentiment Standring considered carefully.
“I loved this melody so much I didn't want to improvise a guitar solo on it,” Standring said. “I just wanted to state the melody and end the song. That statement was enough in my mind.”
That restraint is fitting for an album centered on memory. Rather than simply recreating the sounds of the 1970s, Time of Change uses those influences as a backdrop for Standring’s reflections on youth, family, loss and the future.
Standring began his solo recording career with Velvet in 1998, which produced the breakthrough hit “Cool Shades.” Since then, he has accumulated more than fifteen Billboard top ten singles, including eight No. 1s. His previous album, As We Think, produced another Billboard No. 1 with “Top Hat & Tails.”
Now, with Time of Change, Standring finds himself looking toward what he calls his “third act.” After decades in Los Angeles and the loss of his father, he is preparing for a quieter chapter with his wife, Erica.
The album ultimately captures that transition in music: nostalgic without simply looking backward, reflective without losing its groove, and personal without abandoning the polished contemporary jazz sound that has defined Standring’s career.
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