Poogie Bell: Poogie on Shuffle (2009)

This cd is for the real Poogie Bell fans and music fans all over the world! The musicains here are some of the best in world. Only 100 copies of this CD were made!

Personnel: Roberta Flack, David Sanborn, Kenny Garrett, Wallace Roney, Gerald Albright, Ron Cater, Marcus Miller, Maceo Parker, Poogie Bell, Hiram Bullock, Dean Brown, Patches Stewart, Vincent Henry, Bruce Flowers, Bobby Sparks, Keith Anderson, Rashard Barnes, Chris Parker, Dwayne Dolphin, Jeremy Mcdonald, Casey Benjamin, Josh Rosemen, Tony Depaolis, Gene Stovale, Sonji Woodward, Chris Hemingway, Andre Smith, Asa Livingston.

Playing and singing everything from funk, jazz, rock, R&b. Poogie on Shuffle is just what it means!

Tracklist:

01. Miss Alice 4:05

02. Brother J 4:47
03. Love Vibe 4:39
04. Sunshine 3:16
05. Sara Knows All 4:48
06. Joburgh 4:31
07. So! ?3:57
08. Kendras Blues 5:57
09. Forte Green 5:40
10. Brazillian Thing 4:47
11. Yaki Soba 5:59
Poogie On Shuffle
Hotfile / Uploading @ 192K

Gerald Albright: Pushing the Envelope (2010)

There are sax players and there is Gerald Albright. Gerald has this legendary signature sound, which contrasts him favorably from any other contemporary musician. He is Mr. Groove of R&B, contemporary and straight-ahead jazz. Since the ’80s Albright is a highly requested session musician and his busy tour schedule speaks for his unbroken popularity.

His recent albums are Groovology (2002) and Kickin’ It Up (2004) on GRP, followed by New Beginnings (2008) and Sax for Stax (2009) on Peak Records, both GRAMMY® nominated in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Album. His new album Pushing The Envelope is scheduled for release June 15, 2010 on Heads Up International.

Albright arranged and produced the album and performs soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flutes, bass guitar, and keyboards, and also handles synthesizer, EWI and drum programming. But he is not a one-man-band. Albright is joined by Tracy Carter and Luther “Mano” Hanes, guitarist Ricky Watford and drummer Ricky Lawson.

Gerald starts the album with the ultra-funky What Would James Do? Albright’s personal tribute to the godfather of soul James Brown features Fred Wesley, J.B.’s trombone player. This is triple A. Finest quality music.

Tracklist:

01. What Would James Do?

02. Get On The Floor

03. Bobo's Groove

04. Capetown Strut

05. Close To You

06. I Found The Klugh

07. Embrace The Spirit

08. The Road To Peace (A Prayer For Haiti)

09. Highway 70

10. From The Soul

Pushing the Envelope

Rapidshre / Hotfile @320K

Jeff Lorber: Kickin' It (2001)

Jeff Lorber's label debut on Samson Records is a typical jazz fusion effort that will sound familiar to fans of his band of the 1970s and '80s, the Jeff Lorber Fusion. Teaming with co-writer/producer/arranger Steve Dubin, Lorber constructs a series of upbeat rhythm tracks over which he plays melodically on either acoustic piano or Fender Rhodes electric. He is joined on nearly every track by a guest saxophonist and/or guitarist. Tenor saxophonist Gerald Albright sits in on "Snakebite," "Keep That Same Ol' Feelin'," and "Kickin' It" (with guitarist Stuart Wylen); soprano saxophonist Dave Koz on "Happy Endings" (with guitarist Michael Landau) and "The Bijou"; tenor saxophonist Steve Cole on "Chopsticks"; soprano saxophonist Gary Meek on "Reflections" (with Wylen) and "What It Is"; and tenor saxophonist Richard Elliot on "The 'In' Crowd." Lorber cedes considerable space to his guests, but he still finds room for his own improvisations. He also brings in a horn section on several cuts, notably "Keep That Same Ol' Feelin'," which sounds enough like a lost Steely Dan track that you keep expecting Donald Fagen to start singing on instead of Siedah Garrett, who intones the repeated lines "Keep on/Keep that same ol' feelin'." "Ain't Nobody" is the 1983 Rufus and Chaka Khan hit, here rendered with an appropriately funky feel, and "The 'In' Crowd" is, of course, the 1965 Ramsey Lewis Trio hit, a nod to an obvious predecessor of Lorber's. The keyboardist slows the pace for "Reflections," but most of these tracks are lively pieces with lots of interplay that is only ended when they fade out.-- All Music Guide

Jeff Lorber at Wikipedia

Kickin' It (HF) / Kickin' It (DF) lossless

Ricky Lawson: Ricky Lawson & Friends (2001)

Grammy Award winning writer and former member of Yellow Jackets, Ricky Lawson, hailed as Modern Drummer's Best R&B Drummer of the Year (1999), with the help of his 'friends' conjures up a unique and engaging blend of R&B, Pop and Jazz quaranteed to satisfy a wide range of musical appetites. The list of participants is impressive: Phil Collins, the Emotions, Vesta Williams, Robben Ford, Al Jarreau, Sheila E., George Duke, James Ingram, and Donald Fagen are among the people who join Lawson on this CD.

Buy at Amazon.com

Ricky (RS) / Ricky (HF) @ 320K

Various Artists: To Grover with Love (2002)

Arguably, only David Sanborn has had as much influence on the current crop of smooth-jazz sax stars as Grover Washington Jr., and on this tribute album, we get ample proof of Washington's impact. It's a testament to his talent that Gerald Albright, Dave Koz, and Everette Harp, playing three different horns--alto, soprano, and tenor, respectively--all sound exactly like the G-Man. His sway over the three younger players is so dominant on many of their own recordings, particularly Albright's, that the licks that are nods to Washington are indistinguishable from the originals. All of the instrumental tracks on this 14-song set play like Grover Washington Jr.'s greatest hits, with outstanding arrangements by the producer, keyboardist Jason Miles. On a couple of numbers, the arrangements are stronger than the performances. Tracks that work best are Regina Belle, Steve Cole, and George Duke doing "Just the Two of Us"; Herbie Mann working out on "Mister Magic"; and the Brecker Brothers teaming up with Joe Sample and Joey DeFrancesco on "Loran's Dance." Ronnie Laws and Richard Elliot, two players not influenced by Washington, also offer interesting performances. --Mark Ruffin

Buy at Amazon.com
To Grover with Love

Richard Elliot: Rock Steady (2009)

Richard Elliot has a history of picking the right tune and wrapping his signature sax sound around it -- witness People Make The World Go Round from Metro Blue, which topped the radio charts for 11 weeks. Now it's time to Rock Steady ¬ featuring the famed Aretha anthem, as well as first radio single Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up. Rock Steady also boasts appearances by: Gerald Albright, Rick Braun and Jeff Lorber among others. "I think calling this new album Rock Steady was an obvious and inspired choice for many reasons," Elliot says. "The music that inspired the CD has an enduring quality and is part of our American musical heritage. Beyond that, it's the perfect metaphor for the good fortune I have had to be doing what I love to do for so many years. I took a risk leaving TOP for a solo career and never dreamed at the time that I would still have these wonderful opportunities to record and tour over 20 years later. I don't gauge my career based on sales, popularity and money. However, what matters most is my personal and artistic growth and the opportunities that reveal themselves as I evolve."

Rock Steady

George Benson - Songs and Stories (2009)

George Benson is truly a legend; a guitarist of unparalleled chops and a vocalist with great emotional range and sophistication, and his latest release finds him at his very best! Songs and Stories is a collection of tunes penned by some of the most prolific and enduring songwriters of the last half-century such as James Taylor, Smokey Robinson, Lamont Dozier, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, and several others. The album also includes guest performances by David Paich, Gerald Albright, Lalah Hathaway, Lee Ritenour, Norman Brown, Patti Austin, Steve Lukather, Tom Scott and many more.