Special Presentation:
The Quarterly Review - The Cool Groove of Summer !
Things are definitely heating up on this edition! Typically the summer months provide us with some of the finest listening of the year. That was especially true this past summer. We had new music from a few of the big names in the genre. Boney James & Norman Brown had brand new releases. Jeff Kashiwa issued his new one, and David Lanz had one as well. True to form we have something from each of those. But we don't stop there. We're also delving a bit more deeply into some of the albums that we've featured over the past few programs. As such, we'll be hearing from CJ favourites like Steve Oliver & James Vargas. We've also included music from Frankie Cendejas & Garner Thomas, a couple of promising young artists that we've discovered. And as if that wasn't enough, we have two of the hottest tracks of the season from Tim Bowman

Nosotros - Frankie Cendejas:
Frankie Cendejas was moved to play music by his family who had been performing for generations. Born in Los Angeles and raised in nearby Norwalk, California, Cendejas began on drums and then later switched to the trumpet, an instrument that came very naturally to him. He played in a marching band and then started performing professionally while still in high school. It was also during this period that his dad would take him to sit in at various clubs where his Uncle Jimmy & his band were gigging. Cendejas lists his Uncle & also his grandfather Rudy, as the two individuals who were the most inspirational to him in his career.

Frankie later played with a Gospel group, a time which helped him mature not only as a musician but perhaps even more so as a person. In the course of things Cendejas was signed to a record deal. He performed locally & internationally with many jazz, R&B, and Latin based bands and worked with a variety of artists such as Juan Carlos Quintero, Greg Vail, & Tony Guerrero (all familiar names to our show) as well as with a lengthy list of others. Through it all though, Frankie has always remained passionate about performing the traditional Latin music that he grew up with. It was through the encouragement of family & friends that Cendejas has just completed his debut release and we have a selection from it for you. Enjoy this superb romantic ballad from the 2004 Winner of the Orange County Award for Best Traditional Latin Artist !

CD: Del Pasado al Presente
Label: HMP
Site:Cendejas.com

Fragile Heart - Michael van Droff:
Perhaps more than anyone else, Michael van Droff is the man who is most responsible for the growth of Smooth Jazz in Germany. Michael was heavily influenced as a vocalist by Gino Vannelli, his first music idol. He hoped to get a record deal on this side of the Atlantic but, when he was unable to do so, he launched California Sunset Records in his homeland. Van Droff's contributions to the music scene however, go well beyond that. He's been a driving force in pioneering the cause of the genre in Germany. Indeed, without Michael's activities as a musician, producer, label-owner, promoter, radio-DJ, and entrepreneur, the music that he loves would still be largely unknown in that country. He's earned the recognition and respect of the Smooth Jazz community both nationally and abroad. And, although he's still never released an entire solo project, Michael has recorded several superb tracks including the one that I'm playing on this program.

True to Myself - Incognito:
Although the majority of their recorded material was performed in the 1990s, Incognito can trace its history back to the late 70s or so. The band was formed by Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick and Paul Williams. Both had been leaders of Light of the World, a group in the disc-funk vein who scored a few modest hits in Britain during that period. Just after the release of their 3rd album, Maunick & Williams changed the personnel and renamed the ensemble Incognito. Incognito debuted in 1981, and although Maunick continued to write material for the band, they were relatively inactive during the remainder of the 80s. In the meantime, Williams left England for Finland. In the early 90s however, Incognito singed to a record deal. Their first single became a hit as part of Britain's burgeoning acid jazz scene. This prompted the release of their sophomore album, which was for the most part, a studio-based affair.

Since that time, Incognito has essentially represented the musical vision of one man, namely Bluey Maunick himself. Rather than sporting a set line-up of musicians, in excess of 50 musicians have been creatively involved in the music of Incognito since its inception. One of the key members in this regard has been Maysa Leak, who has appeared on & off on several cds as their lead vocalist. After winning an audition, Maysa made her debut singing back up to Stevie Wonder on the Jungle Fever soundtrack. Shortly afterward, her name was forwarded to Bluey. After singing to Maunick over the phone, Maysa soon found herself flying off to London to become the featured vocalist for Incognito and first appeared on 1992's Tribes, Vibes + Scribes.

Workin' Late - Garner Thomas:
A native of Petersburg, Virginia, Thomas began studying classical piano at the age of eight. It was Thomas's mother who first urged him to try the sax and it was his father who exposed Garner to classical and jazz recordings. The combination of these factors influenced Thomas greatly so that by the time he was eighteen, he had won various competitions and had performed in a number of honour bands around the world. Eventually, relocating to Seattle, Thomas began to compose and perform in clubs, concerts, and jazz festivals where he earned a reputation as an exciting soloist. Garner now resides in Valley Village, California where he's become well known on the music scene as a performer, studio player as well as for his work in movies and television. He's appeared with Prince, Diane Schuur, Sammy Davis Jr., The Temptations, The Four Tops, and Little Richard and has been warmly embraced by audiences on three continents. Noted for his circular breathing technique and for his ability to play two saxes simultaneously, When You Hold Me is his just released debut. From that effort we have a track that is sure to have you moving all around the room. Check out the hot sounds of Garner Thomas as he puts in some overtime on an energetic track titled Workin' Late !

CD: When You Hold Me
Label: Garner Thomas Music
Site: GThomas.com

Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - Wayman Tisdale:
Wayman Tisdale's love affair with the bass began in his youth. He saw some players in his hometown church standing in the back, doing their thing and thought they were the coolest cats in the band. Wayman's father was minister at that church and had noticed Wayman's interest. So it was that when he brought Wayman and his two brothers a Mickey Mouse guitar each, Wayman was ecstatic. He began teaching himself how to play and hasn't stopped since. Tisdale has always considered that gift as the greatest that his dad ever gave him.

At the same time the native of Tulsa, Oklahoma developed as a gifted basketball player. He played for the Sooners from 1983 to 1985 and was selected to the All-American Team for each of those years. He was also the first player in Sooners' history to have his jersey retired. As well, in 1984 Tisdale became a gold medallist as a member of the victorious Olympic U.S. team. Tisdale was selected as the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft in 1986. The 6 foot 9 inch forward played for a total of 12 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns and over the course of his career was chosen as an all-star on several occasions.

Prior to his final years in basketball, Tisdale had already begun to move to a career in music. In 1995, he released his debut CD, which went to No. 4 on Billboard's contemporary jazz charts. Similarly, his follow up efforts all landed in the top 10 with 2001's Face to Face reaching #1. Hang Time is now Wayman's 5th release over all and his debut on Rendezvous Entertainment, the label co-founded by Dave Koz. From that effort we have one of the most popular hits of the past summer with Wayman's excellent cover of Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now, the classic #1 R&B hit from 1979.

CD: Hang Time
Label: Rendezvous Entertainment
Site: Tisway.com