The Sounds of Summer :
Smooth Grooves from the Summer of '06!:
On our second annual instalment of The Sounds of Summer Review; we're checking out some of the hottest music from the past couple of months. Featured selections are by The Jazzmasters, Fourplay, Patrick Yandall and Lisa Hilton; also included are favourites from Oli Silk, Marion Meadows, Vince Mai, and Pamela Williams. New to the show is Larry Antonino and we're also introducing the vocalist calling herself Boca. And certainly no tribute to summer would be complete without the hot & funky sounds of Matt Marshak and Summerfunk. They're all right here. So be sure to catch the Sounds of Summer exclusively on CJ, your connection to all the greatest grooves from the summer of '06!!

Mornin' Noon & Night - Boca:
As a young girl, Boca dreamed of learning piano and with the support of her father, she set out in pursuit of her passion. Music provided a creative outlet and soon it became her main form of expression. Immersed in singing, composing, and performing thruout her high school years, Boca attended Humber College where she discovered a love for world music; the stylings of Jobim, Salsa, and Latin/Jazz in particular, became her focus. She graduated with highest honours and soon expanded her performing radius to include Detroit and LA. While living in Detroit, she released her debut wherein she accompanied herself on piano. Relocating to LA, Edge of the Night is now her third release and from it, we're featuring the exceptional lead single!!

CD: Edge of the Night
Label: Fuze Music Group
Site: Boca

Free As The Wind - Jazzmasters: It was back in the early 90s when Paul Hardcastle issued the first Jazzmasters project, an album that presented a unique hybrid of dance music and jazz and which featured Helen Rogers on vocals & Gary Barnacle on sax & flute. Although the cd was originally available only as a Japanese import, a few stations in the U.S. playing the smooth jazz format picked up the recording. In due course, the Sound of Summer, as Hardcastle later nicknamed the project swept across the US and around the world. The cd enjoyed overwhelming popularity being named jazz record of the year and remaining on Billboard's Contemporary chart for over 52 weeks.

So now, as we celebrate our own Sounds of Summer special, it's only fitting that we feature a track from Jazzmasters V and the latest installment in the series. Back again handling vocals as she has on all the previous Jazzmasters releases is Helen Rogers. Meanwhile, it's Snake Davis in the sax chair, a spot which has been primarily his since Jazzmasters II. From Jazzmasters V we have the liberating sounds of Free As The Wind !!

CD: Jazzmasters V
Label: trippin 'N' Rhythm Records
Site: trippin

Kind of In Love - Lisa Hilton: Self-taught on piano, Lisa Hilton was composing her fist simple songs at seven and by the age of eight, she was already studying classical and modern piano literature. Nevertheless, Lisa quit playing in her teens after becoming disillusioned with her education in music. Art and photography became Hilton's main interests in college and following graduation, she turned to art direction, designing for high profile clients like CBS and Twentieth Century Fox while writing and directing a successful children's book. However, in the course of things, it was David Foster reigniting Lisa's long lost love for music. Subsequently she released Seduction, her debut in 1997.

The Malibu based composer & pianist is back with yet another tasty assortment, now her 8th project since re-discovering her passion. On the disc entitled Midnight in Manhattan, Ms Hilton explores jazz in an acoustic setting presenting as elegant and refined a collection as you'll hear anywhere. From that release, we're featuring Kind of In Love, just one of several favourites. While the melody is delicate and pure, it's Ms Hilton's own playing, subtle, enchanting, and always impeccable, that makes this piece sparkle !!

CD: Midnight in Manhattan
Label: Ruby Slippers Productions
Site: Lisa Hilton