Super group Fourplay delivers another solid, straight-ahead meets contemporary jazz with the release of ESPIRIT DE FOUR. The follow up to 2010s LET'S TOUCH THE SKY, this is the second album to feature the groups newest member, guitarist Chuck Loeb. One of the more notable tracks on the album is the Bob James composition "Put Our Hearts Together" which he wrote for a concert in the region severely impacted by the devastating Japanese tsunami of 2011.
Nearly Two Decades After Her Grammy -Nominated Recording Debut in 1990, Saxophonist Candy Dulfer Has Earned a Reputation As a High-Energy Performer with Charisma and Sex Appeal to Burn. Dulfer Bares It All the Brassy and Edgy, Along with a Few Mellow Touches with Funked Up! The 12-Track Set Features the Revved-Up Funk and R&B Typical of Her Legendary Live Shows, Laced with a Few Cooler, Quieter Grooves to Keep Things Interesting. Front to Back, Funked Up! Is a Snapshot of All the Benchmarks That Make Up Candy Dulfer's Live Performances Lots of High-Energy, In-Your-Face Grooves, Punctuated By Intriguing Moments of Subtlety and Nuance. There's Something Sweet and Sexy Happening Here. Get Some Candy and Get Funked Up.
In a career that spans nearly four decades and includes gigs with Return to Forever, Rite of Strings and a variety of other solo and collaborative projects along the way, bassist Stanley Clarke one of the most prominent voices in electric jazz and fusion had seemingly covered every possible corner of the jazz landscape. But there was one avenue he had yet to explore. This long-overdue dream project becomes a reality with JAZZ IN THE GARDEN. For his first straight-ahead acoustic jazz trio recording, Clarke assembles two brilliant collaborators at the top of their respective games: pianist Hiromi Uehara and drummer Lenny White. Each represents a distinctly different generational and cultural perspective, but given the range and versatility of both, the net effect is superb. Indeed, the synergy resulting from all three of these luminaries makes for one of the most refreshing Stanley Clarke recordings in recent years.
