Highlights
Hour One
After Dark - Richard Elliot:
It was when he was
11 and in junior high that Richard Elliot took up the sax for the school
band. At 17 & while still in school, he landed his first professional
gig backing Natalie Cole and The Pointer Sisters on a European tour. That
was followed by a stint with the fusion band Kittyhawk, and with studio
work for Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and The Yellowjackets.
Following tours/playing with The Yellowjackets, Melissa Manchester, and
Rick Springfield, Elliot joined Tower Of Power in 1982. He spent 5 years
with the legendary ensemble and it was while he was with TOP that Elliot
played on a couple of Huey Lewis cds and released his own debut. The success
of that effort provided a spring board for the launch of Elliot's solo
career. The '94 After Dark release was cd #8 in his catalogue and his
3rd consecutive chart-topper - from that effort we have the steamy title
track! 
CD: After Dark (1994)
Label: Blue Note
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Trinidad - Boney James:
Known to millions
as Boney James, he was born James Allan Oppenheim. After graduating from
UCLA with a degree in history, Oppenheim found himself newly married and
out of work. He delivered pizza and played with up to five or six different
bands until he landed a spot touring with Morris Day as a keyboard player.
He later toured with Bobby Caldwell playing sax, but it was while he with
Randy Crawford that he picked up his nickname. Having difficulty in making
ends meet, Boney would save his per diem to pay the rent rather than spending
it on meals. With the rigors of life on the road, it wasn't too long before
a band mate observed and commented on his dwindling physique. Ultimately,
the diminishing challenges of sideman gigs pushed Boney in the direction
of recording a solo disc which was produced and recorded by Paul Brown.
Backbone followed in '94 and Boney was well on his way to stardom - from
that sophomore effort we've selected a tune with the flavor of the islands
called Trinidad!
CD: Backbone (1994)
Label: Warner Bros.
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Lazy Days - Paul Hardcastle:
Although a part
of the London music scene as far back as 1981, things didn't really start
to click for Paul Hardcastle until a few years later. In 1984, the track
Rainforest reached #1 in sales in the USA while his follow up in the track
19, went to #1 in 13 countries, and was one of the top single for '85!
Subsequent projects met with varied success with Hardcastle working as
a remix producer for Barry White, Hiroshima, & others while also composing
for TV. By the 90s, Hardcastle felt a need to almost re-invent himself.
In 1991, he initiated Kiss The Sky, a project that proved to be a proto-type
for his next effort called The Jazzmasters. That concept initially caught
on in Japan and in time, it swept the USA and the entire world! In the
period since, Hardcastle's music has helped define the smooth jazz genre.
Quick to recognize the virtually limitless variations on a smooth & soothing
laid-back sort of theme, Paul launched the first in a parallel series
identified only by his surname. From Hardcastle 1 we present vintage Hardcastle
in Lazy Days, a tune that rates as a personal all-time favourite!
CD: Hardcastle 1 (1994)
Label: JVC
Links:
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Hour Two |
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Wake Up Everybody - Peter White:
Early on Peter White
knew that music was his calling and he worked factory jobs until landing
his first gig at a holiday resort. Shortly after, he was hired by Al Stewart
after auditioning on piano and this began a 20-year association with Stewart.
In 1976 Peter was featured on guitar on the million-selling The Year of
the Cat, and then a couple of years later, he co-wrote the title track
for Time Passages. Peter followed Stewart over to America in 1979 and
in addition to this ongoing gig, he frequently guested with the LA band
Windows fronted by his neighbour, Skipper Wise. After a guest spot on
Basia's million-selling debut, and after 15 years as a sideman, in 1990
White finally released a cd of his own. That project and his subsequent
releases made White an instant fan favourite and a staple of the format.
From the Reflections cd, an album of some of White's personal favourites,
we have Peter with a nice read on Wake Up Everybody!
CD: Reflections (1994)
Label: Sin-Drome Records
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Nothing Stays the Same - Ken Navarro:
In the 80s, Ken
Navarro moved to the West Coast, where he developed as a sideman on the
LA session scene. Backing the likes of Doc Severinsen, John Pattitucci,
Dave Koz, and others broadened Navarro's perspective. Then in 1990, he
made a major move by releasing a solo debut and simultaneously launching
the Positive Music record label. Navarro's follow-up project earned Grammy
consideration while subsequent albums established Navarro as a perennial
fan favourite. Now with nearly 20 projects to his credit, we return to
a time earlier in his career for a tune which helped Navarro earn the
spot that he enjoys among today's smooth jazz elite!
CD: Pride & Joy (1994)
Label: Positive Music
Links: 
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Passions - Special EFX:
Chieli Minucci &
George Jinda met in NYC in 1982 during a series of jam sessions. The two
hit if off and soon began laying the groundwork for what became one of
contemporary instrumental's most endearing projects. Their debut initially
released in Holland as Special Delivery, was subsequently issued in 1984
as Special EFX. Then for nearly a dozen years, thru until '95, their blend
of jazz, new age, fusion & Latin music, made Special EFX a top group of
the day. In the course of events, Minucci & Jinda recorded 12 albums with
one additional release, a 1993 compilation, chronicling their first nine
albums. On this occasion we return to, their second from last collaboration
in Catwalk and Passions contained therein!
CD: Catwalk (1994)
Label: JVC
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our
Site and Select Affiliates : |
… our time-traveling adventure continues with
more of Wayback in '94 and the initial installment in our timeline series.
Included on this show are 3rd Force, Jeff Lorber, Gerald Veasley, Count
Basic, Pat Kelley, Michael White, and Acoustic Alchemy - all as part
of a 12-track set that helped define 1994 as a banner year for smooth
jazz … and to begin there's a flashback from Dan Siegel and Birds of
a Feather - from their earliest cd we have the aptly titled The Time
is Right with Larry Carlton guesting!
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