Showing posts with label Ken Navarro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ken Navarro. Show all posts

Friday, May 4, 2018

Ken Navarro - Dreaming Of Trains

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:20
Size: 118,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:47)  1. Dream So Real
(4:46)  2. Self Propelled
(8:44)  3. True Stories
(8:28)  4. Dreaming Of Trains
(4:36)  5. The Buzz
(5:43)  6. Shared Air
(5:43)  7. Everything Being Is Dancing
(7:24)  8. The Stars, The Snow, The Fire
(3:05)  9. Gymnopedie No. 1

This is Ken Navarro's 19th CD release and is the follow up to his breakthrough release of 2008, The Grace of Summer Light which was named the #1 Contemporary Jazz CD of 2008 by Jazz Times magazine. Featured musicians include Jay Rowe from Special EFX and the Marion Meadows band, Tom Kennedy from the Al Dimeola band and the Mike Stern band and Joel Rosenblatt from Spyro Gyra. These 9 new recordings are built around strong melodic themes which flow perfectly within each composition. 

The reason a group of songs with this level of complexity can be so accessible is because they are beautiful, diverse, and there isn't the dissonance that is often the hallmark of progressive and fusion projects. Complex solos, arrangements and rhythms? Yes. Self serving edginess? No. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Trains-Ken-Navarro/dp/B002ZXZJDI

Dreaming Of Trains

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Ken Navarro - The Test Of Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:57
Size: 128.1 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[5:08] 1. Imagine
[3:51] 2. Little Martha
[6:06] 3. Just Like A Woman Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands
[4:34] 4. Message In A Bottle
[8:12] 5. Eight Days A Week/Ticket To Ride Day Tripper
[5:02] 6. The Days Of Wine And Roses
[4:23] 7. Wichita Lineman
[2:37] 8. Letter From Home
[2:40] 9. Caroline No
[6:41] 10. Europa
[3:24] 11. Bach Bwv 998
[3:13] 12. When You Wish Upon A Star

Solo guitar like you never imagined it. Genuine, flawless performances with melodies, bass lines, harmonies and percussion... all masterfully played simultaneously on just one guitar. Every song is an original Ken Navarro masterpiece.

The Test Of Time mc

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Ken Navarro - Bonfire

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 142,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. My Best Friend
(4:53)  2. Refuge
(5:30)  3. 4 Yawkey Way
(6:04)  4. Bar Lines
(3:58)  5. One Summer Day
(4:23)  6. Hammocks & Swings
(3:58)  7. You Have to Go Away to Come Back
(3:38)  8. Larriland
(7:53)  9. A Dozen Roses
(2:24) 10. Glen Echo
(4:12) 11. Soft Stuff
(4:28) 12. Machu Picchu
(4:44) 13. Bonfire

You know, there is no point in simply referring to Ken Navarro as a renowned guitarist any longer. This guy, who constantly proves his musical prowess on so many different instruments, again dazzles us with his multi-instrumentalism. Here on his new release Bonfire he composes on every traditional instrument imaginable from acoustic and electric guitars to drums to electric and acoustic bass, keys, and just on and on... including saxes and trumpets. Who needs a band when you are the band...and who better to know what you want than you? Bonfire is a potpourri of Navarro compositions, complete with what we have generally accepted as smooth jazz (Ken Navarro style) and more than a few nods to other styles and genres like fusion and world. For example, check out the moods and movements in A Dozen Roses. It s living art with so many moving pieces and parts... he s outdone himself here. There s also Bar Lines with its cool and intricate time signature and fusion feel. A classical approach using a woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon) for Glen Echo lends more diversity and insight into Navarro the innovator. These three alone let you know that Navarro just keeps evolving. Other tracks are more familiar looks at Navarro and are among my favorites here. They include the lead track My Best Friend, 4 Yawkey Way, the soothing One Summer Day, Soft Stuff, Machu Picchu, and the interesting combined Latin jazz flair and funk of Refuge. You will never ever be able to challenge Navarro s musicianship, his meticulous approach to music demanding perfection one amazing artist in that regard. Truly A+ work for such a bold, intricate, and sophisticated way of thinking and performing. ~ Ronald Jackson, The Smooth Jazz Ride - The Smooth Jazz Ride  - https://www.amazon.com/Bonfire-Ken-Navarro/dp/B01HN1A7NI

Bonfire

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Ken Navarro - Unbreakable Heart

Size: 122,3 MB
Time: 52:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Smooth Jazz, Fusion
Art: Front

01. Jaco Smiled (3:16)
02. One Night In Mumbai (4:10)
03. Unbreakable Heart (7:12)
04. Juliet (3:55)
05. Frenchmen Street (4:24)
06. Les Amis (5:21)
07. Kelleys Island (5:15)
08. Almost Home (4:51)
09. Until We Meet Again (5:20)
10. Hope (4:38)
11. Robin Fly Away (For Robin Williams) (3:52)

Eleven new contemporary jazz compositions from one of the genres most gifted and successful recording artists. Top charting and award winning contemporary/smooth jazz guitarist and composer Ken Navarro has created his 22nd album "Unbreakable Heart". Navarro's brilliant acoustic and electric work are featured throughout. Navarro's 2014 album "Ruby Lane" was in the top 10 at national radio and at Amazon.com for many months and his release from 2010 "Dreaming of Trains" was pre-nominated in 2 Grammy categories. Navarro has had numerous Top 5 songs at national radio for the past 25 years including "You Are Everything", "Smooth Sensation", "Ruby Lane" and "Eric's Dream".

Review:
From one of the most respected and critically acclaimed contemporary jazz guitarists in the world, comes an artful and heartfelt new collection of songs. Ken Navarro's 22nd album to date, UNBREAKABLE HEART, includes eleven new compositions, all gorgeous, all deeply moving, and all featuring Navarro's brilliant acoustic and electric guitar work. Delicate and introspective at times, upbeat and exhilarating at other moments, the instrumentation is rich and diverse and we're keen to mention that there is a lovely tribute to actor Robin Williams ("Robin Fly Away") and a notable nod to jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius ("Jaco Smiled"). From jazz to smooth, from classic to pop, the chart-topping, award-winning musician is certain to steal hearts, enthrall fans and capture new admirers with UNBREAKABLE HEART. --SANDY SHORE, Smoothjazz.com

Master guitarist, and on this project, multi-instrumentalist Ken Navarro continues to prove to be a truly prolific mastermind of melody on UNBREAKABLE HEART, an album where he reaches deep within to harness more of that magic that has kept him formidable and highly regarded in this marvelous art form we call jazz. With Navarro, there is a consistency of creativity on which you can rely. There are projects where he stretches out and tries different things and heads in a slightly different direction, but it's always another exciting side and expression of the Ken Navarro style. What's really cool and refreshing is the way he never abandons that smooth flavor he established so many years ago, as is evidenced on this silky, comfortable project that takes us on another delightful journey further into Navarroland. This time, he plays everything from all the guitars to piano to basses to violin to cello to string quartets and quintets and beyond. From note one to the end of this album, it's all unmistakably Navarro. ~Ronald Jackson, The Smooth Jazz Ride

Unbreakable Heart

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Ken Navarro - Labor of Love

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:48
Size: 112,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:25)  1. Hands On the Whee
(5:17)  2. The Labor of Love
(5:08)  3. After All These Years
(4:40)  4. Fortunate Son
(5:03)  5. From Now On
(4:23)  6. Night Light
(5:50)  7. What Could Be
(4:22)  8. Don't Give Up
(5:02)  9. One Wish
(4:35) 10. Taking Her Time

Ken Navarro is recognized as one of today's leading Contemporary Jazz guitarists. His impressive discography of top charting albums on Positive Music Records showcase his appeal to a wide range of listeners with inspiring compositions and superb guitar performances. Ken Navarro's album, "Old Friends - The Best of Ken Navarro" was released on June 5, 2001. It contains 13 remastered classics plus two new recordings for a total of 15 songs and 72 minutes of Ken's best music! His 2000 CD release "Island Life" scored two hits at smooth jazz radio including "Delicioso" as well as the title track keeping the CD on the airwaves for a solid 52 weeks!

1999's "In My Wildest Dreams" continues to be one of Ken's top sellers and 1998's live CD & Video "Ablaze in Orlando" won the Smooth Jazz Oasis Award for best video of 1998 and has been acclaimed as one of the best live jazz CDs of the decade. "Smooth Sensation, released in 1997, was in the Top 10 of Radio & Records' Smooth Jazz chart for 12 weeks, helping to make the CD the #17 Smooth Jazz album of 1997! Other recent releases from Ken Navarro include his 1996 album, When Night Calls, featuring Eric Marienthal on saxophone, and Christmas Cheer, a holiday album of contemporary jazz guitar and acoustic piano duets. Ken's 1995 album, Brighter Days, was voted the #9 album of the year by Smooth Jazz radio. Brighter Days heralded a bold step forward for Ken, bringing to the forefront the strong R & B elements that have always been a part of his music, and enlisting a powerhouse of support from featured solo artists including former Rippingtons sax man Brandon Fields. Brighter Days reached the national radio top 5 and held a position in the top 20 for six months in 1995. His 1991 release, After Dark, was selected for screening by the 1991 GRAMMY nominating committee. His successive albums, The Labor of Love(1992), I Can't Complain(1993), and Pride and Joy (1994), all reached the top 5 in national radio, firmly establishing Ken Navarro as a mainstay on Smooth Jazz radio playlists. Ken began his recording career in Los Angeles as a premier session guitarist, performer and composer, performing and recording with artists as diverse as Doc Severinsen, Nell Carter, John Pattitucci and Dave Koz. In 1990, Ken established his own musical identity with the release of his debut album, The River Flows. With each successive album, Ken has received increasing acclaim and recognition as a leading stylist in Contemporary Jazz. 

Ken maintains an active schedule of concert appearances as part of his quartet, the Ken Navarro Group. Highlights of his tour schedule have included appearances at the World Trade Center in New York, the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, D.C., Merriweather Post Pavillion in MD, Jacksonville Jazz Fest, Clearwater Jazz Holiday, the Pleasure Island Jazz Fest, the Venetian Festival, the Winter Park Arts Festival, and concerts where the group shared the stage with artists such as Eric Marienthal, The Rippingtons, Joe Sample, Jean Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke/Larry Carlton, George Howard, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Fattburger, Marion Meadows, Keiko Matsui, Slim Man, Nelson Rangell, David Benoit, Alex Bugnon, Boney James and many others. Ken's contribution to Contemporary and Mainstream Jazz goes beyond his personal artistry. As founder of Positive Music Records, Ken is responsible for launching and furthering the recording careers of saxophonist Brandon Fields and guitarist Grant Geissman. Ken handles all of the A&R for Positive Music and is actively involved as a producer on many of the label's albums. Ken's vision of a musician's record label has enhanced the genre with over 35 new artists and over sixty releases in ten short years.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kennavarro3

Personnel: Ken Navarro (guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, nylon-string guitar, keyboards, drum programming); Phil Mathieu (guitar, nylon-string guitar); Mike Tomaro (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Stefan Scaggiari (piano, keyboards); Dave Wundrow (acoustic bass); Jay Dulaney (electric bass); Mike Aubin (drums); Steve Bloom (congas, bongos, guiro, shaker, tambourine, triangle, percussion, wind chime, drum programming, percussion programming).

Monday, June 16, 2014

Ken Navarro - Love Coloured Soul

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:46
Size: 111,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. You Are Everything
(4:48)  2. You Did It Again
(3:33)  3. Glass Dolphins
(4:50)  4. Stoned Soul Picnic
(4:19)  5. Love Coloured Soul
(3:52)  6. Breathe
(5:28)  7. Parallel Lives
(4:35)  8. Gentle Soul
(5:37)  9. Let It Go
(4:43) 10. Summer of Love

Contemporary jazz guitarist Ken Navarro began his career as a Los Angeles session player, working on projects headlined by everyone from Doc Severinsen to Nell Carter to Dave Koz. He made his solo debut in 1990 with The River Flows, issued on his own Positive Music Records imprint; the follow-up, After Dark, earned a Grammy nomination. Now he presents 10 all new recordings, including a beautiful rendition of Laura Nyro's classic Stoned Soul Picnic and Ken's interpretation of the John Klemmer gem from Touch titled Glass Dolphins. ~ Editorial Reviews   http://www.amazon.com/Love-Coloured-Soul-Ken-Navarro/dp/B000787ZSK

Personnel: Ken Navarro (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, drum programming, percussion programming); Ken Navarro (programming); Rob Holmes (saxophone); Jay Rowe (piano, electric piano, keyboards); Gary Grainger (bass instrument); Andre Webb (drums); Kevin Prince (percussion).

Love Coloured Soul