This Just In ...

Goodnight everyone and have another of those smooth weekends!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on July 30, 2010

It's Friday night. Time to unwind with our regular Friday night feature on This Just in.

The weekend has finally arrived. The sun has set. The evening sky has erupted. 

Let's put controversy and provocative blogs aside for the rest of this work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday.

Tonight, we feature three big stars from the world of smooth jazz.

Our first guest grew up not that far from these parts, in Gurnee, Illinois, and began playing piano at the age of 10. He majored in piano at Northern Illinois University and played, naturally, in the award-winning school big band.

After moving to Los Angeles, he started hanging out and jamming at local clubs where he met future smooth jazz stars Boney James and Norman Brown. For a time, he left his beloved field of jazz and toured with Teena Marie, Janet Jackson, and Sheena Easton before venturing out on his own in 2006. He’s been the musical director for Dave Koz the past eleven years.

The title track of his debut album went to #1 on the Radio & Records Smooth Jazz Airplay chart and stayed in the top 5 for four months. Here’s Brian Simpson with that very catchy tune.



 




Next up is a performer with an impressive resume. This five time Grammy nominee has been a guest pianist and conductor with numerous top symphonies and philharmonics, has had four performances at Carnegie Hall, and has performed on the steps of the Capitol Building with the National Symphony for the annual PBS July 4^th concert.

Born in Bakersfield, California, he studied piano at 13. One of his trainers was Abraham Fraser, who was the pianist for Arturo Toscaninni. He studied orchestration, film scoring and conducting, and in 1976 became Musical Director and conductor for Lainie Kazan, assuming similar roles later with Ann Margaret and Connie Stevens. He has performed at the White House for three U.S. Presidents: Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and George Bush, Sr. and has arranged, conducted and performed music for many popular pop and jazz artists.

Here’s David Benoit with one of his many familiar smooth jazz tracks.


 

  

And smooth jazz star #3....



 

  

 

That's it.

Goodnight.

Sleep well.

Have a great weekend.

We close with a jazzy saxophonist playing this Sunday night at African World Festival.