Highlights !
What a fabulous show we have for you! On this edition, we're showcasing No Assembly Required, the latest from James Lloyd, Curtis Harmon, & Pieces of a Dream. This, their 3rd release on Heads Up, continues to set and may well contain some of their finest work to date. The FT segment follows in hour 2. If you're looking for new music, that falls a bit outside of the fair that you may normally hear on commercial radio, no doubt this segment will have something that's just right for you!

One of the highlights is the advance single by David Benoit & Russ Freeman and The Benoit Freeman Project II. We have brand new music as well from Patrick Yandall & Ricardo Scales, and we're also introducing the music of Italy's Doctor Jazz & guitarist Craig Boyd.

Showcase CD
No Assembly Required - Pieces of a Dream:
Back in 70s, fusion was a major force in jazz. Towards the end of the decade though, its popularity had already peaked and was beginning to wane. In various pockets of the US however, there were handfuls of musicians paving the road from what contemporary jazz was at that time to what it is now, more than a quarter of a century later. In Philadelphia, one of these was the band Pieces of a Dream.

The group was first formed when two of the founding members, James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon, were still teenagers. Initially, they performed as The Classic Touch. Later however, they adopted Pieces of a Dream as their name, basing it on a tune by Stanley Turrentine that was part of their repertoire. One day as they were practicing their cover of a Grover Washington Jr. track, they were spotted by Grover himself. Washington enjoyed their playing so much that he joined them on Mister Magic, one of his own signature selections.

First Dance - Patrick Yandall:
Over the years Yandall has built a reputation as the consummate working musician, but to quote Patrick, "recording (my own) albums is truly what I live for". The San Diego based guitarist is soon due to release his fifth solo cd. The project is dedicated to all the families that lost their homes in the San Diego fires just last year. Yandall himself was forced to evacuate although his home was spared. Hence the title, From the Ashes. With the support of several top shelf players, including such notables h as Scott Wilkie, Spyro Gyra's Joel Rosenblatt, Kimo Cornwell (Hiroshima) and Randy Brecker (among others), Yandall delivers what is arguably his most consistent and finest effort to date. From that release we've selected First Dance a beautifully expressive piece and one which features the saxwork of CJ favourite, Jason Weber.

CD: From the Ashes
Label: Apria Records
Site: Patrick Yandall

Palmetto Park - David Benoit / Russ Freeman:
The pairing of 2 of the top artists in SJ results in what is destined to be one of the top reunion albums for the year. The two first worked together back in the mid 80s on Moonlighting, the landmark debut from The Rippingtons, and then again on a full fledged collaboration that was appropriately titled The Benoit Freeman Project. The latter was released in 1994 and achieved a fair degree of critical acclaim as well as commercial success. Although there have been other occasions on which they have participated on various tracks, now a decade later, the time seemed right for another major effort from the two. The focus is appropriately placed on the pleasing interplay between their ideas & instruments. From their second album as The Benoit Freeman Project we're featuring Palmetto Park, the delightful advance single.

CD: Benoit Freeman Project II
Label: Peak Records