Highlights Hour One
Savvy - C M:
Based in NYC, C M's roots are firmly grounded in his classical training on trumpet and French horn. For a period he performed with the Yale Jazz Ensemble as well as their Symphonic Band. C M was a member of a calypso band, did a fair bit of original composing and was also leader of his own group. Following a time away from music, he chose to re-launch his career in the year 2000. Now well into what could be considered the second phase of his life as a musician, the veteran of 25 years has issued 4 cds. It's Lucidity, the third of these that we go to on this occasion. Although released in 2002, we only recently discovered C M and this album, and since we make the rules for what we play, we're including the fantastic groove inflected opening track from that effort. In addition to C M's warm & inviting horn work, fellow New Yorker Bob Gaynor is featured on guitar, keys & programming on a track that he wrote & produced. This is definitely one of the finer musical gems that it's been our good fortune to unearth & present to you.

CD: Lucidity
Label: C M & Nkechi Music

Luquillo Beach - Urban Jazz Coalition:
Based in Columbus Ohio, "The Coalition" is one of the hottest groups to emerge on the contemporary jazz scene in quite some time. In past eight years they’ve appeared at over 750 live dates opening for some of the biggest names in the biz, such as The Rippingtons, Larry Carlton, & Rick Braun among others. They first broke onto the Smooth Jazz scene a few years back with the release of Into the Night, their sophomore project. The album presented a fresh mix of Jazz, R&B, and Latin styles that made many new fans for the group nationally in the US and thanks to programs such as our own Café Jazz, this has led to some international exposure as well. Contempo, their follow up project was recorded in conjunction with a contract that the group was awarded as winners of a Battle of the Bands contest sponsored by Jazziz magazine. Long Street is their latest foray into Smooth Jazz and continues the tradition of excellence that has become a hallmark of the ensemble.

CD: Long Street
Label: Major 6th Records
Site: Coalition RNB Jazz

Little Smile - Down to the Bone:
It's definitely all about the good groove with this release. This is now the fifth cd to be issued by the group that is not really a band in the strict sense of the word. Instead DTTB is a unique project spearheaded by composer and producer Stuart Wade. Although he doesn't play an instrument, Wade is the man behind the ensemble that has been hailed as the kings of the groove scene in the UK. To create the sound of the Bone, Stuart hooks up with a pianist and hums the melody that he has in mind. It is then the job of that keyboardist to interpret and transfer the melody to music. Wade oversees the recording of the project and has final say as to the finished product, a rather unusual approach to say the least but one that has met with terrific success.

CD: Cellar Funk
Label: Narada Jazz
Site: DTTB

Alone With You - Grady Nichols:
Out for just a short while, Sophistication is now Grady's fourth and latest cd. Nichols has definitely kicked things up a notch on this new endeavour, having enlisted the aid of Jeff Lorber who produced and co-wrote the album. Chris Botti & Ray Fuller both make guest appearances and Paul Brown the award-winning producer handles all the mixing duties. The completion of the project was spread out over a lengthy period and also spanned two major events as Nichols first got married and then became a father. This combination of circumstances and key personnel provides the perfect backdrop & all the right ingredients to make this release a winner!

CD: Sophistication
Label: Grady Nichols Ltd
Site: Grady Nichols

Across the Desert Sky - James Hollihan:
Now what can I say about a project that's called the Funky Misfit? First off, the title may be a bit of a misnomer. OK! So the dude definitely is funky, but quite frankly to my mind he's no misfit. While countless others toil in vain, Hollihan not only succeeds but indeed excels at a project that's highly creative and totally unique. Could Hollihan be a prodigy of sorts who cleverly disguises his brilliance in the trappings of a humble misfit? That may be close to the truth. Or perhaps the misfit moniker is an allusion to the fact that he's located in Nashville, the country music capitol of the world. Nevertheless, on this his initial solo outing, Hollihan is the proverbial one-man band, having not only composed all the tracks and played each & every instrument, but having also recorded and mixed the entire cd. In a time where much of what we hear is prepackaged and formula driven this one stands out from the rest!

CD: The Funky Misfit
Label: Nuevotron
Site: Nuevotron

Los - David Garfield:
Since relocating to LA in the mid 70's or so, Garfield has amassed an impressive set of credentials. He's scored and recorded for films and commercials, produced over 20 albums and appeared on nearly 80 additional projects as a session player. The list of people with whom he's worked includes such notables as Cher, Boz Scaggs, Larry Carlton, and literally a host of others. For a time Garfield toured with Earl Klugh and for about 5 years in the 80s he also acted as musical director for George Benson. In 1997, Garfield launched his solo career while spearheading an all star cast of players on a cd tribute to the late Jeff Porcaro (drummer for Toto & a first call session player). His latest effort, titled Giving Back, continues with more of Garfield's versatile approach to music. From that effort, we present a track titled Los which is dedicated to the late Carlos Vega. Vega & Garfield had been band-mates in the group Karizma back in the early 90s & also had been best friends.

CD: Giving Back
Label: Creatchy Records
Site: Creatchy