Bob James & David Sanborn: Double Vision (1986)

David Sanborn's saxophone complements Bob James' keyboards perfectly on the appropriately titled DOUBLE VISION. Sanborn, James, and bassist Marcus Miller all contribute compositions, and the listener encounters a wonderful variety of musical styles throughout the album's seven tracks. DOUBLE VISION opens on its highest note with Miller's "Maputo," a lush and moody song that highlights Sanborn's skills and sets the pace for the rest of the recording.

Miller also penned the romantic "More than Friends". James and Sanborn join compositional forces on "Moon Tune" and "Never Enough." Sanborn contributes the popular "It's You," a tune that features James prominently. "Maputo" may be the DOUBLE VISION's instrumental highlight, but Al Jarreau's vocal on "Since I Fell for You" is the album's romantic peak. This 1986 collaboration ranks top among contemporary jazz albums.

Tracklist
01. Maputo
02. More Than Friends
03. Moon Tune
04. Since I Fell For You
05. It's You
06. Never Enough
07. You Don't Know Me
Personnel
Bob James - keyboards
David Sanborn - alto saxophone
Al Jarreau - vocal on track 4
Paul Milton Jackson, Jr. - guitar
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
Marcus Miller - bass
Steve Gadd - drums
Eric Gale - guitar
Double Vision
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Steps Ahead: Step by Step (1980)

This killer group consists of Michael Brecker (ts), Steve Gadd (d), Eddie Gomez (b) Don Grolnick (p), and Mike Mainieri (vibes). One of three releases available from Japan only, this excellent recording was recorded in the studio under the name Steps.

Tracklist

01. Uncle Bob
02. Kyoto
03. Belle
04. Bullet Train
05. Six Persimmons
Depositfiles / Rapidshare @ 320K

Michal Urbaniak: Fusion III (1975)

With song structures similar to Mahavishnu Orchestra and electric-era Return to Forever, Michal Urbaniak's Fusion III appealed to the same fusion-buying clientele. What most distinguishes this music from that of its contemporaries was the unique vocalizing of Urbaniak's wife, Ursula Dudziak. She could sound at times like a Polish Flora Purim, at other times like a synthesized presence from another world. On this recording, Urbaniak's playing is fresh and engaging, and his compositions occasionally sound like Frank Zappa's instrumental work from this same era. John Abercrombie and Larry Coryell turn in blistering guitar passages, and bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Steve Gadd provide a funkified rhythmic foundation.
Fusion III (RS) / Fusion III (MU) @ 256K

David Sanborn: Voyeur (1981)

This 1980 recording is an excellent example of David Sanborn's music. The highly influential altoist is joined by familiar studio veterans (including guitarist Hiram Bullock and drummer Steve Gadd) with bassist/composer Marcus Miller being a key figure in creating the funky rhythms and colorful backgrounds. Miller, who shared the writing chores with Sanborn, not only contributed his powerful bass, but backed the altoist during a duet version of "Just for You" on piano. Easily recommended to fans of R&B-ish jazz.

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Voyeur

David Sanborn: Heart to Heart (1978) mp3 @ 320K

By the time of his third album, altoist David Sanborn's popularity and influence was growing month by month. Most of these numbers feature Sanborn with an enlarged rhythm section (with such studio vets as guitarists Hugh McCracken and David Spinozza, Don Grolnick or Richard Tee on keyboards, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, bassist Herb Bushler and drummer Steve Gadd). However, "Short Visit" is something special, for Sanborn was joined by what was mostly the Gil Evans Orchestra; Evans even wrote the chart. Otherwise, this is a typical Sanborn release with plenty of danceable rhythms and the focus on his passionate alto.

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Heart to Heart

Cannon Re-Loaded: All Stars Celebration of Cannonball Adderley (2008)

Cannon Re-Loaded is simply that: a collection of tunes closely associated with Cannonball Adderley interpreted by an all-star collection of players on the current scene, with bandleader Tom Scott (who co-produced with Gregg Field) on alto saxophone (an instrument he doesn't play that often anymore), trumpeter Terence Blanchard, pianist George Duke (who was actually a member of the Adderley quintet and who also plays Rhodes and Wurlitzer), drummer Steve Gadd, bassists Marcus Miller and Dave Carpenter, and Larry Goldings on the Hammond B-3. Vocalist Nancy Wilson also guests on a pair of cuts that reprise her performances with Adderley from the Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley set released in 1962. In his liner notes, Scott claims Adderley as a major influence on his own playing, and that what he and his dream band wanted to convey was not only Adderley's brilliance as a musician, but also his sense of humor, one that welcomed the audience in to the music he made.There is no doubt that this quintet gets the tunes right. They open with "Jive Samba," move toward a fast-paced "Work Song," and then of course to "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" before Wilson joins the band for "Save Your Love for Me." The music has plenty of swing and groove, and it's tight. And maybe that's the problem. Adderley's best records (we could all argue forever about which records those were) had a sense of looseness and a vibe inherent in them that is lost on this group — with the exception of Duke, who uses his own sense of humor, percussive flair on the keys, and angular bits here and there to dress these jams up for the bandstand instead of the studio. The sound is so utterly pristine and shiny it contains none of that laid-back approach that made the Adderley groups so enjoyable.

L'Image: 2.0 (2009) mp3 @ 320K

L'Image are: Mike Mainieri (vibraphone), Warren Bernhardt (keyboards), David Spinozza (guitar), Tony Levin (basses, chapman stick), Steve Gadd (drums). The album is recorded 28 September - 4 October 2008 at NRS Studios Catskill, NY. Contains 8 tracks plus one bonus (L'Image 8:23 by M. Mainieri).

Highly recommended!!!