Masato Honda: Accross the Groove (2008)

The former member of group T-Square - saxophonist and flutist Masato Honda is one of Japan’s all-time hottest contemporary jazz musicians. He is also a master of the EWI. Across The Groove is collaboration with the superstars of Fourplay - an unexpected and pleasant surprise for the jazz fans.

Tracklist:
01. Captain Giovanni [4:52]
02. Ha-Ru-U-La-La [5:50]
03. Heart Of Zipangu [6:23]
04. Stephanie [6:31]
05. Cool Bounce [6:12]
06. Diversity [7:08]
07. Prairie In The Morning [6:09]
08. Ocean Avenue [5:07]
09. Friends Of My Life [5:54]
10. My Ballad [7:23]
Personnel:
Masato Honda - Saxes, Flute, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Keyboard, Guitar
Bob James - Piano, Keyboard
Mike Miller - Guitars
Nathan East - Bass
Harvey Mason - Drums
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Jack Lee: Asianergy (2006)

Jack Lee is Korea’s most recognized world class Jazz musician, and has been at the vanguard of promoting Jazz in his hometown of Seoul, Korea, as well as in the Asian territory through his performances and recordings with many of the top name in Jazz today for almost twenty years.

With roots planted firmly in his Asian heritage, technique and sensitivity honed by his schooling and experience in New York, and with a singular voice propelled by an intense desire for a more complete artistic expression, Jack Lee combines formidable technique with a penchant for gentle, flowing lyricism that makes his music eminently appealing to both musicians and non-musicians alike.

Born in Seoul Korea, Jack absorbed the sounds of rock guitar heroes such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck before discovering the jazzier sounds of Pat Metheny, Larry Coryell, and Miles Davis. At 17, he traveled to the United States to pursue his passion and later enrolled as a computer science major at Columbia University. A stint as a disc jockey at the well-known station WKCR-FM exposed him to an extraordinary breadth of jazz music. Being a student in New York allowed him to experience first hand the living legends of jazz in the city’s renowned clubs, and also enabled him to study first-hand with such guitar luminaries as Larry Coryell, Emily Remler, Bill Connors, and John Scofield.

Becoming a professional musician after graduation, Jack has performed and toured all over the world with many top names in Jazz, and started making his mark in NY jazz scene, as the formidable Asian musician/ producer.

Currently Jack is involved as a producer/ guitarist on several noteworthy projects, which sets him apart from a conventional jazz musician.

On his project with the exciting new world music ensemble Asianergy, Jack summons up some of his most heartfelt, emotionally moving playing on record to date. Spurred on by an international cast of sidemen; Academy award winning Pianist Dave Grusin, Grammy winning pianist, Bob James, Bassist, Nathan East and a grammy winning drummer, Harvey Mason to record as well as another good friend , very talented multi instrumentalist, Norihito Sumitomo, a master of EWI (electric wind instrument) from Japan, under-rated percussionist from India-Malaysia, Lewis Pragasam and a great acoustic guitarist/composer from Brazil, Toninho Horta, and another great pianist from New York, Mr.Charles Blenzig.

At the core of this superb recording is the chemistry between Lee and kindred spirit Pragasam, whose powerfully polyrhythmic approach to hand percussion and the drum kit fuels the momentum of these sessions.

Tracklist:

01. Scenes From The Past [06:04]
02. An Episode Of Journey [06:13]
03. Asianergy [05:26]
04. Exotica [06:27]
05. Jeju Island [06:31]
06. Kamiyama [05:55]
07. All Of Those Things [04:37]
08. Sunrise In Mumbai [05:59]
09. The Reason [03:34]
10. Waiting In Rain [05:01]

Personnel:

Jack Lee - all guitar;
Toninho Horta - acoustic guitar;
Dave Grusin, Charles Blenzig - piano, keyboards;
Norihito Sumitomo - keyboards, EWI;
Melvin Davis - bass;
Harvey Mason, Lewis Pragasam - drums, percussion;
Bobby Singh, Suphala - tabla, percussion.
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Brecker Brothers: Brecker Bros. (1975)

First date for brothers from 1975. Side one is solid jazz/funk/fusion. They called it "skunk-funk." With David Sanborn (as) and Don Grolnick (k).

Tracklist:1 Some Skunk Funk - Brecker 5:52
2 Sponge - Brecker Brothers, Brecker 4:06
3 A Creature of Many Faces - Brecker Brothers, Brecker 7:43
4 Twilight - Brecker 5:45
5 Sneakin' up Behind You - Brecker, Brecker, Grolnick, Lee… 4:55
6 Rocks - Brecker Brothers, Brecker 4:40
7 Levitate - Brecker 4:33
8 Oh My Stars - Brecker 3:16
9 D.B.B. - Brecker 4:46

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Tom Scott: Target (1983)

Target is one of those Tom Scott records that gets forgotten about a lot. Certainly it comes from the middle of the 1980s just before the GRP era, when Scott was still leading the Saturday Night Live Band on occasion and looking around for a new sound. It's the sound of a restless musician who gets the pop game, or at least has gotten it and is not sure of where to shift his focus next. The band is big and full of killer players: Harvey Mason, Ernie Watts, Ian Underwood, Victor Feldman, Paul Jackson, Neil Stubenhaus, Jim Horn, Trevor Feldman, Pete Christlieb, and Michael Boddicker, among others. The sound is a tad warmer than what Atlantic was releasing at the time, too. But the material, as good as some of it is -- like the funky title track -- also contains half-hearted pop ballads like "Come Back to Me" with Kenny James on vocals. "He's Too Young," with a fine vocal performance by Maria Muldaur, is marred by a terribly dated -- and it was for the time -- synth drum sound. There is also a truly bizarre moment when Lee Ving, former lead singer of Los Angeles hardcore band Fear raps and plays blues harmonica on "Gotta Get out of New York." Then there's "Lollipoppin'" which, while it contains the same dumb synth drum sound, also has some killer Rhodes by Feldman, synth work by Underwood, and a happening keyboard bassline. The grooving muted horn section on this reading of Dan Peck's "The Biggest Part of Me," has a wonderfully soulful feel with great kit work by Mason. The horn arrangements are in the pocket but restrained, allowing that lithe melody to shine through and, along with the title cut, it's a contender for best tune on the set. The set closes with the stone-gone funky groover "Burundi Bump" by Scott and Feldman with excellent basslines, pulsing Rhodes work, a boatload of percussion, and Mason running the ensemble from his kit; the entire tune is rhythm based. So Target is, ultimately, a mixed bag, a hold-over record that was throwing everything at the wall to see what worked. Interestingly, what did was the basis for Scott's sound at GRP. ~ Thom Jurek

Tracklist:
01. Target 4:03
02. Come Back To Me 4:13
03. Aerobia 4:43
04. He's Too Young 4:15
05. Got To Get Out Of New York 5:15
06. Lollipoppin' 4:09
07. The Biggest Part Of Me 4:11
08. Burundi Bump 3:58
Rersonnel:
Tom Scott - tenor and soprano saxes, lyricon
Harvey Mason, Sr. - drums, percussion
Neil Stubenhaus - bass
Carlos Rios - electric guitar, percussion
Paul Jackson - electric guitar, percussion
Victor Feldman - acoustic piano, Rhodes, synths, percussion
Ian Underwood - synths
Michael Boddicker - synths, vocoder, lyricon
Michael Fisher - percussion, synth percussion
Trevor Feldman - Rhodes
Jerry Hey - trumpet, flugelhorn
Jim Horn - baritone sax, flute
Ernie Watts - tenor, alto and soprano saxes
Pete Christlieb - sax, clarinet
Dick Hyde - bass trombone, bass trumpet
Bill Reichenbach - trombones
Lee Ving - harmonica, lead vocal on track 5
Maria Muldaur - lead vocal on track 4
Kenny James - lead vocal on track 2
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Joe Farrell: Night Dancing (1978)

After his association with CTI ended, Joe Farrell made two weak and rather commercial sets for Warner Bros., of which this LP is the second. Although Farrell gets in a few good spots on tenor, soprano and flute, the strictly for-the-money arrangements of Trevor Lawrence and the excess of musicians sinks this effort. The version of Stevie Wonder's "Another Star" is dominated by dull "background" vocalists; most songs have instantly dated funk played by the rhythm section, and the talents of keyboardists Herbie Hancock and Victor Feldman are wasted. Only a three-and-a-half-minute unaccompanied tenor solo on "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Farrell still sounds good 20 years later.

Tracklist:
A1 Katherine - Written-By – Jeff Lorber 6:36
A2 Silver Lace - Written-By – Joe Farrell 8:15
A3 How Deep Is Your Love - Written-By – Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb & Maurice Gibb 4:19
A4 Come Rain Or Come Shine - Written-By – Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer 3:24
B1 Another Star - Written-By – Stevie Wonder 5:30
B2 Casa De Los Sospensos - Written-By – Joe Farrell 7:30
B3 Night Dancing - Written-By – Trevor Lawrence 5:49
B4 You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - Written-By – Rod Stewart 3:13
Personnel:
Joe Farrell – Soprano and tenor saxophone, flute
Herbie Hancock – Piano, electric piano
Victor Feldman – Piano, electric piano
Michael Boddicker – Synthesizer, Clavinet
Lee Ritenour – Guitar
Jay Graydon – Guitar
Richard Greene & Beryl Marriott – Violin, viola
Robert W. Daugherty – Bass
Abraham Laboriel – Bass
Mike Porcaro – Bass
Chuck Rainey – Bass
John Guerin – Drums
Jeff Porcaro – Drums
Harvey Mason, Sr. – Drums
Airto Moreira – Percussion, cuica
Paulinho Da Costa – Conga
Joe Romano – Tenor saxophone
Oscar Brashear – Trumpet
Garnett Brown – Trombone
Quitman Dennis – Baritone saxophone
Chuck Findley – Trumpet
Lew McCreary – Bass trombone
Flora Purim – Vocals
Andrea Robinson – Vocals
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Harvey Mason: Stone Mason (1982)

Rare album of the fantastic drummer Harvey Mason who played with the best jazz funk musicians during the 70s. This album was only issued in Japan and was produced by Lee Ritenour and Harvey Mason. This LP includes a killer modern soul tune "What goes around" and a good remake of Donny Hathaway's song "Someday We'll All Be Free".

Tracklist:
A1 It All Comes From You
A2 Appassionata
A3 Autumn Flow
A4 Grusin's Groove
B1 What Goes Around
B2 Love Letters
B3 Hot Summer Nights
B4 Someday We'll All Be Free
Personnel:
Backing Vocals – Arnell* (tracks: B1), Deon Estus (tracks: B2), G. Kronstadt (tracks: B2), Harvey Mason (tracks: B1, B2), J.D.* (tracks: B1), King Floyd (tracks: B2), Pages (3) (tracks: B3), Ray Parker* (tracks: B1)
Bass – Abe Laboriel* (tracks: B4), Anthony Jackson (tracks: A3, A4), Gary King (tracks: A1, A2), Scott Edwards (2) (tracks: B1), Welton Gite (tracks: B2)
Drums – Harvey Mason
Engineer – Don Murray, Humberto Gatica, Joe Jergenson*, Keith Seppanen, Peter Chaiken
Flugelhorn – Kenny Mason (tracks: A3)
Guitar – Cash McCall (tracks: B2), John Tropea (tracks: A2), Lee Ritenour (tracks: B3, B4), Ray Parker* (tracks: B1), Steve Kahn (tracks: A1 to A4)
Lead Vocals – Karen Floyd (tracks: B2), Kelly McNulty (tracks: B1), Lisa Nemzo (tracks: B3)
Lyricon – Rod Zantey (tracks: A1, A2)
Marimba, Bells [Orchestra] – Harvey Mason (tracks: A1)
Percussion – Harvey Mason (tracks: A1, A3, A4), Jack Ashford (tracks: B1)
Piano – Bob James (tracks: A1, A2)
Piano [Accord] – Bernard Wright (tracks: A3, A4), David Paich (tracks: B3), Teuneson Stevens (tracks: B2)
Piano [Fender] – Bob James (tracks: A1)
Piano [Rhodes] – Dave Grusin (tracks: A3, A4), David Foster (tracks: B4), Sylvester Rivers (tracks: B1), Teuneson Stevens (tracks: B2)
Producer – Harvey Mason, Lee Ritenour (tracks: B3)
Recorder – Phil Ayling (tracks: B4)
Saxophone [Alto] – Dave Boruff* (tracks: B2)
Saxophone [Tenor] – Tom Scott (tracks: A2)
Synthesizer – Bob James (tracks: A2), Dave Grusin (tracks: A4), Harvey Mason (tracks: B1, B2), Ian Underwood (tracks: A1), Jeremy Lubbock (tracks:
A1, B4), Jerry Peters (tracks: B1, B2), Steve Pocaro* (tracks: B3)
Synthesizer [Keyboard Bass] – David Paich (tracks: B3)
Vibraphone – Harvey Mason (tracks: A3, A4)
Vocals – Harvey Mason (tracks: A1), Stephanie Spruill (tracks: B4)
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Harvey Mason: Groovin' You (1979)

Classic smooth sounds abound in this ablum. Released domestically in 1979, the only song to make single status was the song, "We Can". We Can's strong vocals (by Bunny Hill & Charles Veal Jr.) along with ideal wedding lyrics make for a perfect Wedding song. If your tired of the usual standards like "We've only just begun" or "Close to you" by the Carpenters wedding music, and want the perfet song to state your love then youd better give this one a listen .

Tracklist:
1. I'd Still Be There (3:44)
2. Groovin' You (4:49)
3. The Race (3:15)
4. We Can (5:06)
5. Never Give You Up (3:41)
6. Say It Again (5:02)
7. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (4:16)
8. Wave (6:18)
9. Kauai (4:57)
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Harvey Mason: Earth Mover (1976)

In the 1970s, Harvey Mason was one of those busy L.A.-based sessions players who had one foot in jazz and the other in R&B. The drummer backed his share of soul heavyweights (including Earth, Wind & Fire, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and the Brothers Johnson), but he never lost his jazz chops. Recorded in 1976, Earthmover is among the mostly instrumental albums that Mason provided during his stay at Arista. This self-produced LP, which finds him trying to balance commercial and creative considerations, is a mixed bag. Some of the material is strong, especially the cerebral fusion item "No Lands Man" (which boasts Jan Hammer on keyboards) and the funky "Bertha Baptist." And the contemplative "First Summer" is an enjoyable track that reminds the listener of the underrated Hawaiian funk/fusion outfit Seawind, which isn't surprising because it was co-written and arranged by Seawind's Bob Wilson. Meanwhile, some of the more commercial jazz-funk and pop-jazz tracks are less impressive and tend to sound overproduced. But while Earthmover is uneven, it has more ups than downs. Overall, this isn't a bad record, although Mason is capable of being more consistent.

Tracklist:
1 K. Y. And the Curb-Mason, Peters 4:58
2 Sho Nuff Groove-Johnson, Mason 3:56
3 The Mase-Mason 4:13
4 Sweet Mercy-Mason, Peters 5:54
5 Earthmover Prelude-Mason 0:58
6 Bertha Baptist-James 5:46
7 First Summer-Mason, Wilson 6:12
8 No Lands Man-Hammer 4:22
9 When I'm with You-Mason 4:25
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George Benson: Guitar Man (2011)

Grammy-winning legend George Benson brings his guitar to the forefront in his newest album Guitar Man. The 12-song collection includes a mix of jazz and pop standards - some in a combo setting and some solo, but all of them tied together seamlessly by Benson's soulful and exploratory signature sound. Lending a hand on this recording is a solid team made up of veterans and newcomers alike - pianist Joe Sample, keyboardist and musical director David Garfield, bassist Ben Williams and drummer Harvey Mason. Williams is one of the hottest up-and-coming new artists on the jazz scene. Mason is a regular member of Fourplay, and a studio collaborator with Benson all the way back to Benson's 1976 blockbuster album, Breezin'.

In a career that spans five decades, more than 30 recordings as a leader and ten Grammy Awards, Benson has used his jazz roots as the foundation for an engaging mix of pop, R&B and other shades that add up to a style that appeals to a broad mainstream audience. Along the way, he has also established himself as a formidable jazz singer - one whose biggest career hits have showcased his vocals. But Guitar Man is just what the title implies - an album that highlights Benson's unparalleled guitar playing, perhaps more than any other album he has released in decades.

For the new project, the crew came together in the studio with a minimum of prior rehearsal time but an eagerness to jump in and lay down tracks in something very close to the live experience - what Benson describes as an "old school" approach. The impromptu sensibility comes across in the final product, much of which came together with minimal takes in a single day of recording.

"We figured that we would get the best energy if we went into the studio with some live musicians who are savvy and flexible," says Benson, "and boy, did we accomplish that." On Guitar Man, Benson's mastery of the guitar is demonstrated in a variety of styles and settings, all with legendary jazz roots. Benson has never been one to shy away from innovation or experimentation. For this guitar man, putting a jazz spin on pop standards - not just on this recording but throughout his career - is less of a taboo when you're willing to dispense with labels and the limitations that come with them. ~ amazon.com

Tracklist:
01. Tenderly [2:01]
02. I Want To Hold Your Hand [5:10]
03. My Cherie Amour [4:08]
04. Naima [3:41]
05. Tequila [4:31]
06. Don't Know Why [2:45]
07. The Lady In My Life [4:30]
08. My One And Only Love [3:24]
09. Paper Moon [2:44]
10. Danny Boy [3:26]
11. Since I Fell For You [2:58]
12. Fingerlero [3:40]
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Chuck Loeb: Plain N' Simple (2011)

2011 album from the Jazz guitarist. The music is swinging, funky, lush and exciting from note one, and stays that way to the very last drop. Chuck's fans will find the excellence in playing, sound, and production that they have come to expect from him, as well experiencing a side of the artist that they may have never heard before.

Tracklist:
01. D.I.G. (Deep Inner Groove) 6:19
02. Organeleptic 4:25
03. Red Suede Shoes 8:12
04. The Blues App 5:54
05. Plain N' Simple 7:02
06. E Com Esse Que Vou Eu 4:51
07. You Got It 4:43
08. Skylark (For Tweety) 5:19
09. Bebop Betty 4:55
10. Annie's Song 6:35
11. It's About You 5:27
12. The Hello 6:38
Plain N' Simple
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