Given my passion for Jazz music, I will indulge for the next three episodes with jazzy tunes and inject some smooth tracks, including jazz, soul and fusion classics into your ears. Lean back, relax and enjoy!
| TITLE | ARTIST | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Go Away Little Girl | Richard “Groove” Holmes | “Go Away Little Girl” was written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1962 and the first hit by Steve Lawrence. Richard Holmes reinterpreted it as a soul-jazz organ instrumental. A bittersweet tune about resisting temptation. |
| I Got So Much Trouble | Charles Kynard | This Soul-jazz groove with gospel and funk influences, from the album Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui (Beautiful People), showcases Kynard’s organ-driven funk-jazz style. |
| Gone With the Wind | Tal Farlow | The Jazz standard “Gone with the Wind” was written by Allie Wrubel with lyrics by Herb Magidson and published in 1937. It is a wistful song about love lost; Tal Farlow’s (born Talmage Holt Farlow and nicknamed “Octopus” because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard) guitar version emphasises harmonic sophistication. |
| Shout It Right | Raf D Backer | This song is written and performed by Raphaël Debacker. Raf D Backer is a young Belgian contemporary jazz piano player who binds tradition and contemporary elements in a very natural, elegant and sophisticated manner. |
| Miccettina | Stefano Di Battista | Italian saxophonist Di Battista’s composition, from the album Trouble Shootin’, blends modern jazz with Mediterranean lyricism. Born February 14, 1969 in Rome, Stefano Di Battista was encouraged to go to Paris by the pianist Jean-Pierre Como who heard him during the summer of 1992 at the Festival of Calvi. The saxophone was designed around 1840 by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker born in Dinant who moved to Paris in 1842 to establish his musical instrument business. |
| Spend A Little Time | Rohn Lawrence | Written by Andrew Sherman and performed by US smooth jazz guitar player Rohn Lawrence from his 1998 album ‘See Ya Around’. |
| Bright Lights | Spyro Gyra | This Jazz fusion instrumental, evoking city nightlife energy, was written by Dave Samuels and features Jay Beckenstein, saxophonist and founder of the fusion band Spyro Gyra, formed in the mid-1970s in Buffalo, New York. |
| Montreux (ft. Toots Thielemans) | Sofie | This song was written by Hervé Martens and Sofie (born Sofie Verbruggen on May 8, 1956 in Antwerp). This smooth-jazz track honoring the Montreux Jazz Festival, features harmonica legend Toots Thielemans. |
| It Might Be You (Theme From “Tootsie”) | Stephen Bishop | A tender ballad about waiting for love, written for the film Tootsie by husband and wife songwriting team Alan and Marilyn Bergman. It is one of Stephen Bishop’s best-known songs. |
| Walkin’ | Herbie Mann Afro-Jazz Sextet | Herbie Mann’s sextet gave this jazz standard, written by Richard Carpenter and Jimmy Mundy in 1954, a Latin/Afro-jazz flavour. |
| Lily’s Lounge | Bert Joris | Bert Joris is a Belgian trumpeter, born 18 January 1957 in Antwerp, Belgium. Joris wrote ‘Lily’s Lounge’, an atmospheric modern jazz piece, blending lyricism with contemporary big-band textures. |
| A Swingin Safari | Bert Kaempfert | ert Kaempfert modeled this music on the sound produced by blowing penny whistles (brass flutes) in the same particular way as in South African Kwela music. The trumpet solo is performed by German Manfred “Fred” Moch. This light, playful instrumental became famous as the theme for TV’s Match Game. The son of a painter and decorator, Berthold Heinrich Kaempfert (nicknamed “Fips”) was born on 16 October 1923 in Barmbek, Hamburg. |
| Minor Swing | Martin Taylor | Cover of Django Reinhardt’s 1937 gypsy-jazz classic. “Minor Swing” is a gypsy jazz tune composed by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, first recorded by their group The Quintet of the Hot Club of France in 1937. A joyful swing instrumental with improvisational guitar solos. Taylor’s version showcases virtuoso solo jazz guitar. |
| Drive Time | Chris Botti | Chris Botti (born Christopher Stephen Botti on October 12, 1962 in Portland, Oregon) wrote this smooth jazz trumpet piece with contemporary groove. The title, which suggests late-night cruising, comes from his Night Sessions album. |
| Creepin’ | The Crusaders | The Crusaders is an American jazz group formed in Los Angeles in 1960. “Creepin’” was written by Joseph Leslie “Joe” Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) an American pianist, keyboard player, and composer born and based in Houston, Texas. He was one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 (not including the 2003 reunion album Rural Renewal). |
| Skyscrapers | Eumir Deodato | This funk-jazz instrumental with big arrangements is written by Eumir Deodato and appears on his album ‘Deodato 2’. Deodato (born Eumir Deodato De Almeida) is a Brazilian musician, composer, arranger, producer, and artist, known for fusing Brazilian rhythms with electric jazz. |
| This Is What You Are | Mario Biondi | “This Is What You Are” is undoubtedly Mario Biondi’s most celebrated work. Smooth, retro-styled jazz-soul ballad about love and admiration. Italian singer Biondi is praised for his deep, Barry White-like voice. This version features The High Five Quintet: Lorenzo Tucci-drums, Fabrizio Bosso-trumpet, Daniele Scannapieco -sax, Luca Mannutza-piano and Pietro Ciancaglini-bass. |
| I’m Ready for Your Love | Earl Klugh | Earl Wilbert Klugh Jr., born on September 16, 1953 in Detroit, Michigan, is known for melodic, crossover-friendly jazz. He wrote this smooth jazz guitar piece with romantic tone from his album “Dream Come True”. |
| Breezin | George Benson | This song is a cover of the original by Bobby Womack in 1971. George Benson’s instrumental guitar version became a huge crossover hit, defining smooth jazz. The title reflects a laid-back, carefree vibe. George Benson (born on 22 March 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) is an American guitarist, vocalist, composer. |
Sources
The information sources of the song facts include, but are not limited to, Wikipedia, songfacts.com, Discogs.com, secondhandsongs.com, YouTube and artists’ related websites.
