Contemporary Vibes

Concertgoers braved rain and mud for the 12th Annual Capital Jazz Fest on June 4-6, 2004. Things may have been wet, but spirits were definitely high with the smooth jazz fans in attendance. Although it stormed all day, even the camping tents remained in place outside the festival area. The performance pavilion was packed with people, ...

As spring comes to a close, I’m reminded of all the great music festivals that will be held this summer. My personal favorite is the U.S. Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival in Clayton, Missouri from June 24-25, 2004. John Scofield, Wynton Marsalis, Aaron Neville and The John Pizarelli Trio are some of the acts that will ...

Marion Meadows, Chieli Minucci, Ken Navarro, Nelson Rangel, Rohn Lawrence and Jay Rowe! Man, what a lineup.

The top smooth jazz specialists rocked the coastal New England enclave of Milford, Connecticut in a 2nd annual show to benefit the city's music departments. Just call it good kharma. Giving something back. Exhalting the arts. Music.

Jay Rowe, ...

AAJ celebrates Spring, as we bring you another outstanding sampler from the music vaults. We do our best to offer a diverse mix of the current trends in contemporary jazz. Some of the artists will be familiar, while others will be new. You never know who we will review next, so stay tuned.

Moondance ...

Guitarist Peter White is set to release Confidential on March 23, 2003. Full of smooth grooves and romantic undertones, this CD features guest appearances by Chris Botti, Brian Culbertson, Christopher Cross, Mindi Abair, Paul Brown and Michael Paulo. White took the time to share with the Jazz Review his road of success that led to this ...

You never know what you will find in the vaults of the All About Jazz CD library. Rumor has it that there are a few missing staffers in there, but we're afraid to ask. In an effort to keep our readers in the know about recent releases, we thought we’d pull some of the contemporary titles ...

Irish poet William Butler Yeats once said, “In dreams begins responsibility.” These are the words that best describe soul jazz guitarist Richard Smith.

Richard Smith wasn’t always a jazz guitarist. Although Smith studied classical guitar for twelve years he found himself drawn to more groove oriented music. “I’ve always liked soul music and more ...

With the release of It Just Happens That Way, Mindi Abair has rocked the jazz scene. Daring to go where no sax gal has gone before, she’s taken the music world hostage. The singles, “Lucy” and “Flirt,” have managed to climb their way up the charts, while positioning Abair as one of the top players in ...

Dave Koz and a host of special guests have launched the annual Dave Koz Smooth Jazz Christmas Tour. Marc Antoine (guitar), Chris Botti (trumpet), Bobby Caldwell (vocals) and Brian Culbertson (piano/trombone) will be joining Koz for the festive holiday experience. After wowing audiences in Lake Tahoe and the West Coast, the tour will visit mostly major ...

Life in Madrid can be pretty carefree. You start your evening at about 9:30 p.m. with dinner and finish it off with light drinks at midnight. After heading to the clubs at about 2:30 a.m., you will party all night long . . . unless you are the father of a college student and a thirteen-month-old ...

Ambient or chill music was first declared a genre by composer Brian Eno in the late '70s. Eno’s style was more atmospheric, rather than obtrusive. With a softened tempo and subdued tones, his artistic statement of chill possessed a minimalistic quality. This would be the building blocks of New Age music for the future.

Coming to ...

Rick Braun SCSU - Lyman Center New Haven, CT September 26, 2003

Rick Braun knows how to get a crowd rockin'. He's an entertainer that's spent lots of time on the road, backing up everybody from Rod Stewart to WAR to Sade. As a trumpet player, he's got full-throttle energy ...

Greg Carmichael never really wanted to be a solo performer. “Didn’t think I had the personality or desire to do it. I was more interested in playing in a band. It was more fun to be part of a team,” said Carmichael before a recent St. Louis concert. This desire to be part of a much ...

Moving to the US from a successful touring career in his native Denmark was risky. Over 13 years later, saxophonist Michael Lington has graduated from being a working musician to being a performing artist on tour with jazz fireball Brian Culbertson. Lington is well on his way to becoming a major influence in the smooth jazz ...