… it's a special
edition and the second in the timeline series. On this segment we
defy the laws of physics and time with a feature called Wayback
in '95 courtesy of our time travelling Wayback machine. We've set
the controls and appearing on the screen up ahead are the likes
of 3rd Force, Fantasy Band, Rick Braun, and Brian Culbertson while
also included are The Jazzmasters and Gregg Karukas plus Tom Scott
and Paul Taylor - as we hurtle Wayback to '95 !
|
|
|
| |
|
Highlights
Hour One
Blue Light - Fantasy Band:
The inspiration
for the Fantasy Band came about by pure happenstance when a last minute
cancellation for an NYC concert promoter in the summer of 1988 sent him
scrambling to fill the slot. He was able to gather a handful of solo artists
who were performing for him on other dates and who later became the all-star
collective known as The Fantasy Band. The core of the group was comprised
of Chuck Loeb, Dave Samuels, Marion Meadows and John Lee with George Jinda
acting as the unofficial leader until he suffered a debilitating stroke
in 1997. From the second of their three releases, we have the Chuck Loeb
composition Blue Light!
CD: Sweet Dreams (1995)
Label: DMP
Links: 
|
 |
|
|
Two Hearts Make One - Gregg Karukas:
Gregg Karukas is
one the brightest talents operating in the smooth genre. He's played piano
since the age of six, and had his interest in jazz ignited while he was
in his teens. After working the clubs and studios in the Baltimore/DC
area, Karukas relocated to LA in 1983 where he became a cog in the local
pop jazz scene. Performing with the likes of Patti Austin, Richard Elliot,
and Grant Geissman, Karukas ventured onto the solo front with his debut
in 1987 and later that same year, he became an original member of The
Rippingtons. Early efforts later in the 80s and 90s included Dave Koz
and Boney James, who at the time were largely undiscovered sax talents.
Additionally, Karukas gained extensive experience in Brazilian music playing
with Ricardo Silveira, while he also working freelance as a producer and
sideman for Peter White and a host of others! Already well into a significant
career by the mid 90s, Gregg gives us one of his prettiest ballads in
Two Hearts Make One, written for his wife Yvonne and featuring Boney James!
CD: You'll Know It's Me (1995)
Label: Fahrenheit.
Links:
|
|
|
Vital Connection - 3rd Force:
On the most creative
and unique bands to appear as part of the 90s music scene was the combo
known as 3rd Force. At its nucleus, was the trio of William Aura, Craig
Dobbin, and Alain Eskinasi. Aura, who was the group's producer and main
writer, had enjoyed a significant solo career thru the 80s and early 90s.
Meanwhile Dobbin was classically trained on piano, while Eskinasi had
studied African drums in Gambia for 6 years. Propelled by their synergy,
3rd Force emerged with their debut in 1994 and with frequent appearances
by varied guest musicians known to the smooth jazz genre they made an
unprecedented impact on the genre and one that has near really been equaled.
Presenting an eclectic amalgam from New Age & smooth jazz to dance beats
& African rhythms, 3rd Force straddles a multitude of styles with the
vibrant Vital Connection!
CD: Force of Nature (1995)
Label: Higher Octave
Links:
|
| Highlights
Hour Two |
|
|
Groovis - Rick Braun:
Rick Braun toured
with the group War in the mid-80s and wrote the pop hit Here With Me for
REO Speedwagon before setting out on an 18-month stint with Rod Stewart
and backing Sade on her "Love Deluxe" tour. After these brushes with greatness,
Braun found his niche on the smooth jazz circuit. The charismatic horn
player issued a string of chart toppers and for a time, he was ubiquitous
at festivals and in the studio as a producer and guest musician. From
Beat Street, Braun's 3rd effort and a time when his popularity was already
beginning to snowball, we have the steady but loose flow of the album's
opening track!
CD: Beat Street (1995)
Label: Mesa/Bluemoon
Links:
|
|
|
Midnight Sun - Brian Culbertson:
Before he became
the smooth jazz icon that he is, Brian Culbertson broke onto the scene
as one of the most promising performers in a decade filled with promise!
He more or less single-handedly recorded his debut album, Long Night Out,
in the bedroom of a Chicago apartment and scored a huge hit with the track
Alone With You, which lingered in the top five for ten solid weeks! At
the same time, Culbertson's subsequent commercial successes have tended
to overshadow the more progressive aspects of his music, particularly
of many of his earliest efforts. A case in point is the phenomenally avant-garde
Midnight Sun featuring the soprano sax of Mark Colby!
CD: Modern Life (1995)
Label: Bluemoon
Links: 
|
|
|
Catina - Tony Gable & 206:
Inspired to take
up percussion after seeing Santana's performance in the movie Woodstock,
Tony Gable bought a pair of plastic bongos and taught himself how to play.
Moving to nearby Seattle, Gable joined the band Cold, Bold & Together
which also featured the future #1 instrumentalist in Kenny G. When the
sound of the 'The G-man' broke around the world, Gable became part of
G's touring band but in time he was moved to record on his own. Gathering
an assembly of many the Emerald City's finest players, the group took
its name for the area code from whence they hailed, and so it was that
Tony Gable & 206 came into being. Their debut in 1993 brought their soulful
sound out from the Pacific Northwest and to the top of charts nationwide.
From the Seven Hills sophomore release, the title being a reference to
the seven hills upon which Seattle is built we have the very pretty Catina,
written by guitarist John Raymond and dedicated to their wives, Cathy
Raymond and Gina Gable!
CD: Seven Hills (1995)
Label: Heads Up International
Links: 
|
| After Hours ~ Exclusive
to our Site and Select Affiliates : |
… travelling thru time continues with Brian
Simpson, Boney James, George Jinda, Toledo, Val Gardena, Ray Obiedo,
Greg Vail, Urban Knights, The Rippingtons, and Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg
- all as part of a 12 track set that helped define 1995 as a golden
year for smooth jazz … and to begin there's a flash back from the original
configuration of Fourplay with Lee Ritenour in the guitar chair!
|
