Music Previews Network - Star Tribune

Dave Grusin

Urban Knights

Donald Harrison

Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton

Boney James

Linda Eder

Herb Alpert

Boz Scaggs

Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny

Alfredo Rodriguez

Dave Grusin - Two For The Road

Dave Grusin grew up in Colorado and majored in piano at the University of Colorado. After touring with with Andy Williams in the early '60's, Grusin began releasing his own jazz recordings. Beginning with "Divorce American Style", Grusin also began composing music for films and television, earning several Academy Award nominations along the way. One of his friends and heroes in the world of film scores was the world-renowned composer Henry Mancini. Grusin's tribute album "Two For The Road" features unique interpretations of ten classic Mancini compositions.

Urban Knights - Urban Knights II

On their second album "Urban Knights II", the Urban Knights have changed their lineup but still include pianist Ramsey Lewis and producer Maurice White (of Earth, Wind & Fire fame). Rounding out the group is acoustic guitarist Jonathan Butler, saxophonists Gerald Albright and Najee and drummer Sonny Emory. The Urban Knights' goal is still to integrate the kindred spirits of jazz and soul. On this album, they take each player's gifts for melody and rhythm and develop a group chemistry that elevates their collective creativity to the next level.

Donald Harrison - Nouveau Swing

Donald Harrison's Impulse debut "Nouveau Swing" is a groove album--a funky, soulful CD that features Donald's richly romantic alto playing over a snappy, goose-loose rhythm section. It's a straight-ahead acoustic jazz album that subtly integrates the rhythms of today's dance floors--from Rio to Jamaica to Brooklyn--with the sounds of today's jazz vanguard. (Christian McBride, Carl Allen, Anthony Wonsey & others)

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Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton - Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton

Born in 1905, trumpeter Doc Cheatham played through several eras of music, working with many legends of jazz, such as Fletcher Henderson, Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman. Although he passed away in June of 1997, his music lives on, including this recording made with 23-year-old trumpet sensation Nicholas Payton. Although they were generations apart, the two musicians held a mutual admiration for one another's gifts. This album includes their interpretations of numerous jazz standards, with several cuts featuring Cheatham's charming, understated vocals.

Boney James - Sweet Thing

Boney James was born in Lowell, Massachusetts and grew up in New Rochelle, New York, where he first began playing clarinet. After switching to saxophone, he became a talented session player. Then came his own solo albums, and James' 1997 release "Sweet Thing" shows his growth as an instrumentalist. He says, "I wanted to explore new directions, while at the same time, touch on some of the music that was important to my own development --everything from jazz fusion to Steely Dan. The result is a sort of 'live meets loop' approach; modern and retro at the same time."

Linda Eder - It's Time

As a teenager, singer Linda Eder teamed with a pianist, and they toured America's "cocktail circuit", performing a variety of well-known standards. Later on, Eder enjoyed a 12-week winning streak on TV's Star Search and attracted the attention of composer Frank Wildhorn, who was staging his musical "Jekyll & Hyde". She won critical acclaim for her role in "Jekyll & Hyde" and has since begun recording her own solo albums. Her latest release is "It's Time", an album that features standards as well as all-new tunes composed by Wildhorn and Jack Murphy.

Herb Alpert - Passion Dance

Since the 1960's, Herb Alpert has established himself as one of the premier jazz trumpet players in the world. Whether with the Tijuana Brass or on his own, Alpert has shown an uncanny ability to get to the root of a melody and make it come alive. Along the way, he's earned several Grammys and sold millions of records as he's grown into a world-class musician and producer. His latest release is "Passion Dance", and Alpert uses a stellar group of players to continue his explorations into the world of Latin American rhythms.

Boz Scaggs - Come On Home

Boz Scaggs grew up in Texas but got early exposure to the blues of many regions, from New Orleans to Memphis to Chicago. He spent some time in the Steve Miller Blues Band (Steve was a high school classmate of his) before embarking on his solo career. Many albums later, he releases "Come On Home", an album with ten classic blues songs and four Scaggs originals. He says, "I've wanted to do this rhythm and blues album for a long time. I grew up on this music, and this record is a tribute to some of my heroes, some of the great R&B singers, songwriters and musicians."

Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny - Beyond The Missouri Sky

Bassist Haden and Guitarist Metheny have become among the most admired jazz artists on their respective instruments. Although they've played together on various albums before, they had never recorded a duet album until now. Their new release "Beyond The Missouri Sky" is an eclectic but appealing set of songs that show off the duo's extraordinary talents. Haden says, "The two musics that are this country's strongest art forms are ones I've been involved with all my life: hillbilly music, or country and western, and jazz. I think this record brings all of our musical art forms together."

Alfredo Rodriguez - Cuba Linda

Alfredo Rodriguez was born in Cuba, but his family moved to New York City in 1960. His love of jazz led to intense study of the piano. Over the years, Rodriguez has performed and recorded albums throughout the U.S. and Europe. For his latest album, "Cuba Linda", he returned to his island home to record songs full of Afro-Cuban tradition and history. Rodriguez says, "The recording was very emotional for me. It was great to get back to the source, to go back to some of the roots music that has been the basis for what I've played all my adult life. The energy level was incredible."

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