Ronnie Laws - Fever

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz 
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:22
Size: 105,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:31)  1. Let´s Keep It Together
(3:29)  2. Fever
(4:04)  3. All The Time
(7:24)  4. Stay Still (And Let Me Love You)
(4:07)  5. Strugglin´
(2:59)  6. Captain Midnite
(3:44)  7. Karmen
(6:30)  8. Night Breeze
(5:30)  9. From Ronnie With Love

When Ronnie Laws first started recording as a leader in 1975, one of the saxman's strongest allies was Wayne Henderson. That trombonist and founding member of the Crusaders (originally the Jazz Crusaders) was an expert when it came to combining the accessibility of soul and funk with the freedom of jazz, and his guidance proved to be a definite asset when he produced early Laws albums like Pressure Sensitive (1975) and Fever (1976). The popular Grover Washington, Jr. was a strong influence on Laws, whose appreciation of Mr. Magic asserts itself on everything from the funky "Let's Keep It Together" and the gritty "Captain Midnite" to Bobby Lyle's alluring "Night Breeze." 

This isn't to say that Laws was a Washington clone, or that he unaware of other soul-jazz saxmen like Eddie Harris and David "Fathead" Newman. Laws, in fact, was quite recognizable himself on both tenor and soprano. One tune that definitely isn't in the soul-jazz vein is "From Ronnie with Love," an angular, cerebral post-bop offering that isn't unlike something Jackie McLean would do. 

Because Laws has recorded so many throwaways, one has to approach his catalog with caution; but rest assured that Fever puts his talent to work instead of wasting it. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/fever-mw0000099049

Personnel:  Ronnie Laws - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute;  Donald Hepburn, Michael Hepburn, Bobby Lyle - electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer;  Marlin the Magician - guitar;  Wilton Felder, Nathaniel Phillips - electric bass;  Bruce Carter, Steve Guttierez - drums;  Bruce Smith - percussion;  Tony Ben - conga;  Murray Adler, Bonnie Douglas, Henry Ferber, Elliott Fisher, Ronald Folsom, James Getzoff, William Kurash, Joy Lyle, Gordon Marron, Paul C. Shure, Felix Sitjar, Carroll Stephens - violin;  Jesse Ehrlich, Nathan Gershman, Raymond J. Kelley, Victor Sazer - vocals;  Ronald Coleman, Augie Johnson, Esau Joyner, Michael Miller, Deborah Shotlow, Douglas Thomas - backing vocals

Fever

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Jazz Crusaders - Happy Again

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:54
Size: 151,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. Lock It Down
(5:59)  2. When You're So Far Away
(4:33)  3. Elephant Walk
(6:46)  4. Top Of The World
(3:39)  5. Fools Rush In
(5:37)  6. Are You Part Of Me
(5:44)  7. Slyzappit
(5:19)  8. Rock Slide
(5:55)  9. La luz Del Dia
(3:46) 10. Jamaica
(5:25) 11. Travelin' Inside Your Love
(3:19) 12. Young Tabbits
(5:11) 13. Uh-huh! Oh-yeah!

When trombonist/producer Wayne Henderson, pianist/keyboardist Joe Sample, sax-man Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper changed their name from the Jazz Crusaders to the Crusaders back in 1971, it signaled a more R&B-minded direction for the group they were always funky, but in the '70s, they became even funkier. And so, the names the Crusaders and the Jazz Crusaders came to stand for two different things if the Jazz Crusaders were synonymous with a funky yet acoustic-oriented approach to hard bop (à la Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers), the Crusaders were about electric-oriented jazz-funk and fusion. In 1995, Henderson (who left the Crusaders in 1975) resurrected the name the Jazz Crusaders and produced Happy Again for the small, Los Angeles-based Sin-drome Records. Sample objected to Henderson's use of the name the Jazz Crusaders, although Sample and Felder were still part of the Crusaders. Confused? Suffice to say that different improvisers used the two names on different projects in the '90s. On Happy Again, Henderson oversees a lineup that includes Felder as well as trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarist Larry Carlton, keyboardist Bobby Lyle, vibist Roy Ayers, flutist Hubert Laws, and percussionist Poncho Sanchez (among others). With such an impressive cast, Happy Again should have been exceptional; it isn't, although Henderson does give a generally decent album of electric jazz-funk and pop-jazz. Some might argue that if Henderson was going to resurrect the name the Jazz Crusaders, this album should have been more straight-ahead and bop-oriented and that tracks like "When You're So Far Away" and "Elephant Walk" are too pop-influenced to be called Jazz Crusaders recordings. But while Happy Again is hardly the work of a bop purist, it's still a pleasant, if imperfect, outing, and in 1995 it was nice to hear Henderson taking some trombone solos again.~ Alex Henserson http://www.allmusic.com/album/happy-again-mw0000646561

The Jazz Crusaders includes: Bobby Caldwell (vocals); Wayne Henderson, Wilton Felder, Bobby Lyle, N'Dugu Chancler, Larry Kimpel, Craig T.

Happy Again

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Bobby Lyle - Joyful

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:18
Size: 138.0 MB
Styles: Smooth jazz
Year: 2002/2007
Art: Front

[4:52] 1. You And I
[4:27] 2. Give Me Your Heart
[4:56] 3. Sweetest Taboo
[5:15] 4. Rain Walkin
[4:50] 5. Don't Make Me Wait
[5:21] 6. Genie In A Bottle
[4:27] 7. Spankin
[5:10] 8. Caught Up
[3:54] 9. I Love Your Smile
[4:51] 10. Millennium Dance
[4:30] 11. T.S.F
[4:17] 12. Midnight
[3:21] 13. How Do You Keep The Music Playing

This master of the elegant funk tune launched a promising solo career in the late '70s, long before the term "smooth jazz" was coined, then hit again in the late '80s and early '90s with a series of hits on Atlantic. Bobby Lyle has been out of the loop in that radio format for a few years, but pianist/Three Keys Music founder Marcus Johnson -- a big fan from childhood -- had the insight to sign the versatile Lyle on to help launch his new label of music best described as "metropolitan smooth." No doubt Lyle's old fan base would have come out of the woodwork to support a recording with 13 fresh tracks that range from radio friendly to wild, jamming, and improvisational, but a little big-name support couldn't hurt. Fortunately, Lyle doesn't let his popular cohorts overshadow the melodic foundations of his keyboards and acoustic piano. He enjoys doubling with Norman Brown's crisp guitar licks on the easy funk of "Give Me Your Heart," then going to the high register for a few extra notes. The song plays like a laid-back conversation between old pals. "Rain Walkin" is a bright and bouncy retro-soul piece that also plays like happy chatter between Lyle's catchy melody and Peter White's responsive acoustic guitar harmony. Lyle jumps squarely into the new millennium groovewise on the chunky "Spankin," whose melody harks back to his early days via Fender Rhodes. He plays all the verses, then joins with Rick Braun's trumpet and Gerald Albright's sax for a jamming, percussive chorus. The same trio effect works well on the more lighthearted acoustic piano jaunt "Millennium Dance," which features a unique call and response by Lyle's own high- and low-register lines. Not that he needs cover tunes, but his take on Sade's "Sweetest Taboo" is fairly sensual, though less thoughtful than "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" Bridging today's pop scene with his own history (his 1977 debut was called The Genie), he can't resist a feisty, blues-drenched romp through Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle," featuring a few bars of Middle Eastern exotica and Everette Harp on sax and EWI. ~Jonathan Widran

Joyful

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Bobby Lyle - Rhythm Stories

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:55

Size: 134.9 MB

Styles: Piano jazz

Year: 1994

Art: Front

[5:20] 1. Cool Walk

[4:58] 2. Here We Go Again

[5:14] 3. On The Spot

[5:50] 4. B's Mood

[5:14] 5. Junk Street

[5:05] 6. Higher Ground

[5:45] 7. Exotic Love

[5:25] 8. Don't You Know

[5:14] 9. Tonight We Love

[5:25] 10. Anthem

[5:18] 11. Love Suite

Bass – Reggie Hamilton, Marcus Miller; Drums, Programmed By – Sonny Emory; Guitar – Dwight Fills, Carl Burnette, Paul Jackson, Jr.; Keyboards – Bobby Lyle; Percussion – Lenny Castro; Saxophone – Everette Harp; Vocals – Darryl Phinnessy, Dorian Holly, Fred White,Ali Rock, Bobby Lyle, Exhibit, Robin Lyle, Thomas Lyle.

Bobby Lyle's success since the release of 1989's classic Ivory Dreams has been due chiefly to his astonishing ability to combine acoustic piano elegance with relentlessly funky grooves, always on the same album, often on the same cut. That album's juxtaposition of "Lush Life" and "Loco-motion" offers a great case in point. While Lyle draws brightly on tradition, he loves to go wild and urban any time he gets a chance, yet while most of his albums since then have been solid, he has never seemed to measure up to the promise of that auspicious debut. "Pianomagic," a collection of piano solos, in particular missed the mark. No such trouble these days. The subtitle of one of the feistier tracks on Lyle's endlessly electric Rhythm Stories "jazz hip-hop funky bebop, " perfectly summarizes the multi-faceted keyboardist's range and influences. On his most satisfying and eclectic outing to date, he alternates bass-driven soul that won't quit with artsier, romantic musings, fusing synergetic ensemble lightning with quieter reflections. When not limiting himself to his premier weapon, those magical 88s, he enjoys toying with a wide variety of keyboard sounds, most notably the organ effects on two dashing Stevie Wonder covers. "Higher Ground" and "Here We Go Again" offer a flair of familiarity, but are only two of the reasons to buy this genre-transcending collection. A melodic ace, Lyle saves his memorable hooks for slick ballads like "Exotic Love," while leaving ample openings on the jams for each member of his "who's who" ensemble room to expand, grow, whet their chops, etc. Jazz-meets-hip-hop projects usually possess a certain canned, synthetic production sheen about them, so Lyle also merits gold stars for the extraordinarily live sound he achieves blowing with every cat from Kirk Whalum and Gerald Albright to Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke, among a cast of thousands. OK, why not mention a few more -- Everette Harp, Paul Jackson, Jr., Sonny Emory, and Peter White. ~Jonathan Widran

Rhythm Stories    

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Willie Bobo - Hell Of An Act To Follow

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 36:19

Size: 83.2 MB

Styles: Latin jazz, Funk

Year: 1978

Art: Front

[5:08] 1. Always There

[5:11] 2. Keep That Same Old Feeling

[3:42] 3. Together

[3:50] 4. Pisces

[6:18] 5. Dindi

[4:23] 6. Snort Of Green

[4:21] 7. Fairy Tales For Two

[3:23] 8. Sixty-Two Fifty

Keyboards – Bobby Lyle, Stuart Elster; Percussion – Victor Pantoja, Willie Bobo; Saxophone, Flute – Ernie Watts, Gary Herbig; Bass – Donny Beck, Nathaniel Phillips; Drums – Steven Guiterrez; Guitar – Roland Bautista; Trombone – Thurman Green; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Oscar Brashear, Ronald King; Vocals – Alex Brown, Alicia M. Howard, August Johnson, Deborah D.Thomas, Mortonette M.Jenkins, Sylvia St. James, Willie Bobo.

Hell Of An Act To Follow was produced by Wayne Henderson. The album featured some great musicians including Bobby Lyle and Conga/Latin percussionist Victor Pantoja. Henderson gave Bobo a more sophisticated production style and the album has become a Jazz Funk classic.

Hell Of An Act To Follow

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Bobby Lyle - The Way I Feel

Size: 135,6 MB
Time: 58:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz: Hammond B-3
Art: Front

01. The Cat (4:51)
02. Feelin Wes (6:49)
03. Baby It's Cold Outside (5:53)
04. Diddley Boom Boom (French Quarter Strut) (5:46)
05. B's Bop (5:11)
06. Horizon (6:16)
07. The Way I Feel (5:24)
08. On The Fly (5:15)
09. Hard Workin Man (5:56)
10. Walk On The Wild Side (7:01)

Pianist and composer Bobby Lyle's first encounter with the great Hammond B-3 player Jimmy Smith was in a Minneapolis nightclub called Big Al's, where the then-teenaged Lyle performed as the "local talent" on the downstairs stage. Upstairs, Smith was playing as the headliner and Lyle, after finishing his set as quickly as possible, raced upstairs to hear Smith and perhaps shake his hand.

"Jimmy was a black belt in karate," says Lyle of that first meeting. "So when he shook my hand, he almost broke my little fingers!"

Lyle would go on to teach himself the organ on the job by playing organs he came across in Minneapolis' nightclubs, including the occasional strip club. There are some things you just can't learn in a music conservatory.

The Way I Feel, is Lyle's tribute to Smith—who, shortly after that memorable first handshake, became a personal mentor and friend to the young organist/pianist. This recording, Lyle's first since 2006, may come as a surprise to those who know him only for his beautifully arranged and produced chart-topping albums of jazz, funk, fusion, and so-called smooth jazz, as it is the first album where Lyle plays Hammond B-3 organ on every track.

The CD is also a tribute to the great guitarist Wes Montgomery, who recorded several popular, genre-busting albums with Smith back in the sixties. Houston-based guitarist Brennen Nase steps up and steps into Montgomery's role and his playing is a joy to hear. Montgomery's sound and technique—not to mention right hand thumb—were truly one of a kind. Nase easily navigates what amounts to several decades of guitar history, channeling Montgomery on the standard "Baby It's Cold Outside" and the Lyle-penned tribute, "Feelin' Wes," bringing some inspired funk to Lyle's "Horizon," and stepping on the distortion pedal for "Hard Workin' Man," which includes some vocals from Lyle and the CD's featured drummer, Patrick Williams.

Not content to just recreate a 1965 Verve recording session, Lyle brings the Hammond B-3's legacy into the 21st century for a program that includes New Orleans second line, gospel, and even sixties-era go-go music. The playing on The Way I Feel is tight and inspired and Lyle's organ playing burns throughout.

Smith may arguably be responsible for making the Hammond B-3 a "viable lead jazz instrument," but with The Way I Feel, Lyle and his co-conspirators carry that legacy and kick it into a funky future. ~Review by Chris Becker

Personnel: Bobby Lyle: Hammond B-3 organ, acoustic piano, synthesizer; Brennen Nase: guitar; Patrick Williams: drums; Mark Simmons: drums; Mark Prince: drums; Keith Vivens: bass; Milton Comeaux: percussion.

The Way I Feel

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