Grady Nichols - Destinations

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:21
Size: 135,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:45)  1. London Baby!
(4:48)  2. Only Dreamin'
(5:39)  3. You Know Me
(4:26)  4. Beachside
(4:17)  5. Faithfully
(4:49)  6. Nothin' Better
(5:01)  7. Only You Can Love Me This Way
(4:10)  8. Superman
(5:18)  9. Tulsa
(4:30) 10. Coming Home
(5:15) 11. You With Me
(5:16) 12. Walk Thru My Dreams

It was in 2008 and the advent of the excellent CD ‘Take Me With You’ that I first latched onto the artistry of sax-man Grady Nichols. In fact the discography of Nichols stretches all the way back to 1996 when his debut recording ‘Between You And Me’ first hit the streets. Since then he has released five more albums with the latest being the superb ‘Destinations’. Co-written and produced by Chris Rodriguez, this hugely accessible body of work checks every box imaginable and not for the first time marks out Nichols as one to watch. Make no mistake the richness of Nichols full-bodied saxophone sound really is something to savor and the energy he seems to routinely generate is exemplified by the opening track (and the first to go to radio) the big, powerful and ‘in your face’ ‘London Baby!’ However Nichols can mix it up too and does so to impressive effect with the romantically inclined ‘Only You Can Love Me This Way’. It’s a song that shows off the depth of the entire collection and in this respect much the same can be said of ‘Beachside’. With a lilting reggae beat and the sound of steel drums you might be forgiven for actually feeling the sand between your toes. Nichols is on record as accepting that many listeners are not locked into only one genre and he acknowledges this and then some with the pop orientated ‘Nothin Better’ which includes an attention grabbing vocal duet from Rodriguez and Krista Branch. Later Nichols returns to that same pop vibe for ‘Superman’ where Teel Merrick does a nice job on vocals and elsewhere he deftly turns the Journey hit ‘Faithfully’ into a big impressive instrumental ballad which might best be described as stadium smooth jazz. With a banjo pulsing in the background ‘Tulsa’ is where country meets contemporary jazz in the most delightful of ways. Despite all the odds the combination really works and totally captures the mood of this Oklahoma city while another tune to evoke vast open spaces is the melodically pleasing ‘Coming Home’. This, together wth ‘Walk Through My Dreams’, provide a tender counter-point to some of the horn driven pyrotechnics that have gone before whilst in terms of personal favorites the mid tempo ‘Only Dreamin’ (with edgy production and a strong hook) delivers a choice example of textbook smooth jazz. Also worth a mention is ‘You Know Me’ which not only benefits from vocals and Hammond B3 from former Chicago band member Bill Champlin but also from more of Nichols high octane playing. However, all things considered, my Smooth Jazz Therapy top track is the easy grooving ‘You With Me’. Co-written and featuring contemporary jazz heavyweight Jeff Lorber (who also contributed to Nichols last album) this one is right up there with the best that ‘Destinations’ has to offer. https://smoothjazztherapy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/05/grady-nichols-destinations.html

Destinations

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Grady Nichols - Take Me With You

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:08
Size: 133,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:45)  1. Bellissimo
(4:37)  2. Runway
(3:47)  3. Every Kinda People - Feat. Leigh Nash
(4:41)  4. Dove, I'll Still Be Loving You
(4:15)  5. Take Me With You - Feat, Jenny Labow
(5:09)  6. Can't Get You Out Of My Head
(5:02)  7. Nashville
(4:11)  8. After The Rain - Feat. Tony Mason
(4:45)  9. Bad Attitude
(4:32) 10. Give Love - Feat. Toni Estes
(4:04) 11. Ascent, Something For The Common Man
(4:01) 12. Slow Motion
(4:13) 13. Take Me With You - House Mix By Andy Caldwell

Grady Nichols cites his upbringing in rural Arkansas as the reason why he got into smooth jazz. He fell in love with the instrumental music that he heard played on the Weather Channel and contacted the broadcaster for its play list. Now, a few years and five solo albums later the rest, as they say, is history. Nichols latest offering is the eclectic ‘Take Me With You’ which looks set to cement his position as one of the best young saxophonists around. It includes notable contributions from Jeff Lorber and is, in every respect, the real contemporary jazz deal. A case in point is the hugely accessible title track that features vocals from Jenny Labow. It has a catchiness about it that is compelling and when, later in the album, it is reprised as a ‘house mix’ the result is equally good. ‘Take Me With You’ strikes a nice blend of original music and well crafted covers. Among the latter is the tender interpretation of the Robert Palmer classic ‘Every Kind Of People’ that is built around a picture perfect vocal from Leigh Nash and is, without doubt, a clear contender for ‘best cover version of the year’. Right up there with it is Nichol’s turned down instrumental take on Kylie Minogue’s hypnotic ‘Cant Get You Out Of My Head’ and when Nichols switches to his own compositions he comes up with ‘Nashville’ which has appropriately ‘country’ undertones, a pleasant melody and good smooth jazz credentials. ‘Bad Attitude’ offers up more edgy mid tempo jazz sax that drives to a thumping crescendo while in complete contrast is the thoughtful ‘Slow Motion’. Here Nichols is perhaps closest to discovering a mellow vibe but he does not stay there as with ‘Ascent (Something For The Common Man)’ he delivers a number that is in the best traditions of ‘feel good’ jazz anthems. It’s the sort of tune that is sure to delight legions of festival goers in the coming year and another winner comes in the form of ‘After The Rain’ which is blessed by soulful and uplifting vocals from Tony Mason. One of three collaborations that Nichols enjoys with Jeff Lorber it is, in this regard, in the company of the zesty ‘Runaway’ for which Lorber makes a significant contribution on keyboards and also ‘Give Love’ where down and dirty vocals from Toni Estes sets the scene for a jazzily funky concoction.‘Bellisimo’ is a wonderful chunk of textbook mid tempo smooth jazz with a nice vibe and a title that describes it to perfection whilst even better, and Smooth Jazz Therapy selection for ‘album’s best track’, is ‘Dove’. This tight and urgent rendition of what was one of the best club classics of 2003 takes contemporary jazz into an area where it might just engender a new generation of listeners. Grady Nichols has already been described by no less than Jeff Lorber as “the awesome new sax-star for a new millennium”. With ‘Take Me With You’ he is one step closer to making that a reality. https://smoothjazztherapy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/grady-nichols-take-me-with-you.html

Grady Nichols (alto sax), David John (guitar), Jo NathanWatkins (drums), Mike Wilson (keyboard), Chuck Tottress (bass).

Take Me With You

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Grady Nichols - Sophistication

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:44
Size: 109,3 MB
Art: Front + Back

(4:28)  1. Tuesday Morning
(3:47)  2. Livin' the Life
(5:01)  3. Sneak
(4:47)  4. End of the Night
(3:42)  5. All Right
(4:27)  6. Dinner and a Movie
(4:38)  7. Within the Blue
(4:27)  8. Behind the Scenes
(3:50)  9. Circle of Friends
(4:38) 10. Alone with You
(3:54) 11. Quiet Times

Saxophonist Grady Nichols is drawing some attention since his fourth CD is produced by Jeff Lorber, mixed by Paul Brown and boasts both Lorber and trumpeter Chris Botti's playing. The attention is deserved. Nichols has a polished alto sax voice, which he prefers for the most part on these ten songs, all co-written by Nichols and Lorber. Lorber knows talent when he sees it, and this wonderfully smooth CD signals the arrival of a fresh new talent. Nichols’ sax style is similar to Euge Groove’s, and although he doesn’t provide as many hooks as Groove, Nichols' main asset thus far is his superb playing. He obviously knows his way around his instrument, and isn’t afraid to hold long notes and dip and groove with those notes, all the while staying within the framework of his songs and never losing the melody. 

His alto works best, but he does switch to soprano on “Within the Blue“ and “Quiet Times.” But the alto is what he does best, which he shows on “Tuesday Morning,” the memorable radio hit “All Right,” “Livin’ the Life,” and “End of the Night,” which he duets with Botti to make some delightful sounds. While there’s plenty of generic sax stuff out there, Nichols is able to make a thoroughly modern smooth jazz recording without sounding derivative. That’s an accomplishment.
~ Brian Soergel  
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=13554#.Uv1SyYXYMbg

Personnel: Grady Nichols (alto, tenor, soprano sax); Jeff Lorber (keyboards, programming); Ray Fuller (guitar); Chris Botti (trumpet); Paul Pesco (guitar); Gene Morrison (trombone); Bill Gable (trumpet, Rhodes); Rich Gable (flute);

Sophistication

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