jazz2love

Album:  I Remember You:  The Music of Nat King Cole Artist:  Nicolas Bearde Label:  Right Groove Records Website:  www.nicolasbearde.com I Remember You: The Music of Nat King Cole is Nicolas Bearde’s newest endeavor and the sixth CD he has released on his own label, Right Groove Records.  His re-imaginings modernize the formula for swing music from the days of Nat King Cole.  Bearde's R&B enriched voicing helms the tracks, engaging the listener's melodic sensibilities.  Creamy and debonair, Bearde's renditions move the music of Nat King Cole into the 21st century in time with Cole's 100th birthday celebration. Supple and smooth, Bearde's treatment of "That Sunday, That Summer" displays his sensual phrasing and even keel.  Moving deeper into the recording, the emotive tone of his voice in "Funny (Not Much)" rings like a nightingale as Eric Alexander's saxophone twirls float with a lingering peal above the melodic verses of the piano k...

Album:  The Art of Life Artist:  Norman Johnson Label:  Self-Released Website:  http://normanjohnsonguitar.com Guitar fusion, R&B/soul, and dance funk come together on guitarist Norman Johnson's third solo effort The Art of Life .   Johnson demonstrates his intuitive nature to play to the grooving beat, cultivating a symbiotic rapport that engulfs the listener in harmonious rhapsodies.  Johnson's performance crosses over the music spectrum from smooth jazz to dance pop, adding to each genre. The mid-tempo grooves of "Sing On" are modulated with a touch of reggae, complementing the bopping chord movements of Johnson's guitar.  The tune is further layered in intervals of lobbing splashes from the tooting horns.  The smooth sensations emitting from Johnson's guitar infuse light rivulets along the title track, producing a succor effect on the listener.  Conversely, "Old School" is seared by a dance funk groove laced in the light trem...

Album:  Intimate Journey Artist:  Michael C. Lewis Label: Cybervision websites:  www.michaelclewis.com                  www.karigaffney.com Creamy jazz isn't technically a genre on the music spectrum but listeners know it when they hear it, and it is indisputable that trumpet player/vocalist Michael C. Lewis has made a mold for it on his sophomore offering Intimate Journey .  A fusion of soul, soft funk, R&B, adult contemporary pop, and cool jazz, the recording finds diversity in the simple pleasure of staying within the confines of its single mission.  A mission to make music that soothes the soul, caresses the body's rattled nerves, and relaxes the overactive mind. The music is richer than the style of smooth jazz that is heard over the intercoms of coffee houses, shopping malls, casino rooms, or cabarets.  It is music that is conducive to intimate moments, being alone with a spe...