Matt Bianco Feat. Basia Trzetrzelewska - Matt's Mood

Styles: Vocal, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:18
Size: 101,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Ordinary Day
(4:51)  2. I Never Meant To
(4:01)  3. Wrong Side Of The Street
(4:05)  4. La Luna
(3:42)  5. Say The Words
(4:26)  6. Golden Days
(4:11)  7. Ronnie's Samba
(4:23)  8. Kaleidoscope
(4:20)  9. Slip & Sliding
(5:36) 10. Matt's Mood III

Polish vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska spent several years in the pop band Matt Bianco, an offshoot of Blue Rondo à la Turk, before launching a solo career in 1987. With the musical assistance of Matt Bianco's Danny White, she developed a subtle cocktail jazz-pop first showcased on her 1987 debut album, Time and Tide. Supported by the singles "New Day for You" and "Time and Tide," the record became a hit in Europe and America, where the album went platinum. Basia's second record, 1990's London Warsaw New York, was just as successful, but her third effort, 1994's Sweetest Illusion, failed to find an audience.

Clear Horizon: The Best of Basia followed in 1998 and proved to be her only release for several years, as the deaths of her mother and several close friends temporarily sapped Basia's drive to make music. Urged by her former bandmates Danny White and Mark Reilly to join the reunited Matt Bianco, however, she eventually returned to music in 2004 and issued Matt's Mood with the band. Basia then returned her focus to her solo career, releasing It's That Girl Again with White's help in early 2009.
~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/matts-mood/46814545

Personnel: Mark Reilly, Basia, Basia Trzetrzelewska (vocals); Tony Remy (guitar, vocoder); Tim Cansfield (guitar); Peter White (acoustic guitar, accordion); Andrew Ross (flute, saxophone); David O'Higgins (saxophone); Ronnie Ross (baritone saxophone); Kevin Robinson (trumpet, flugelhorn); Danny White, Danny White & Linda Nail (keyboards); Tony Mason (percussion).

Matt's Mood

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Peter White - Day to Day

Styles: Guitar
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:55
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:46) 1. Day To Day
(4:07) 2. I Need A Song
(4:41) 3. Where I Belong
(3:36) 4. Honay
(3:41) 5. 24/7
(5:01) 6. That's The Way
(4:03) 7. Where Do You Wanna Go?
(4:53) 8. Driving To The Grocery Store
(4:01) 9. You Can
(4:01) 10. Lullaby

A popular British electric and nylon-string guitarist, Peter White is known for his lyrical and inventive approach to contemporary smooth jazz and fusion. White initially gained fame in the 1970s as a collaborator with singer/songwriter Al Stewart before earning more widespread acclaim as a leader and soloist in his own right. Alongside collaborations with Richard Elliot, Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum, and Everette Harp, he has released a number of Top Ten Billboard Jazz Albums, including 1998's Perfect Moment, 2001's Glow, 2009's Good Day, and 2016's Groovin'.

Born September 20, 1954, to an English father and a French mother in Luton, a town north of London, England, White and his family moved soon after his birth to nearby Letchworth. His brother Danny was born a few years later. As a child, White loved sports, hiking, and tree climbing, but music was most special to him. His father encouraged him to learn many musical instruments recorder, clarinet, cornet, trombone, violin, harmonica, piano but the one instrument his dad couldn't help him with was the guitar; White was on his own. He learned to play simple chords by experimenting and listening with one ear glued to the radio. Like a lot of musicians, White was heavily influenced by the Beatles and the guitar-driven sound of the beat groups of the '60s. Around age 12, White would go over to schoolmate David Visick's house and listen to his large record collection. His favorites were Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix. In his early teens, he acquired his first electric guitar and amplifier, which survived just long enough to be burned in a fire. Forced to go acoustic, White developed a love of acoustic music. After leaving school at 18, White worked for a few months in a soup-canning factory before getting his first musical break, a summer engagement at a South of England holiday resort.

When summer ended, he went back to Letchworth, having whet his appetite for more musical adventures. Traveling to London, the guitarist ended up joining a group that was managed by Miles Copeland (Sting, R.E.M., IRS Records). Copeland also managed Al Stewart, so when Stewart's backup band disbanded, White got an audition call to back Stewart on keyboards. Brushing up on his finger dexterity, White learned a few of Stewart's songs, and soon the 20-year-old musician was touring England and the U.S. In the summer of 1975, Stewart asked White to play keyboards and acoustic guitar on his Year of the Cat album (Arista, 1976). Their collaboration lasted almost 20 years, with White co-writing "Time Passages" (number seven pop, number one adult contemporary, fall 1978) and co-producing Famous Last Words (Mesa/Rhino, 1993).

Around 1979, White moved to Los Angeles, where Stewart had relocated, formed a band called Shot in the Dark with other musicians who had played with Stewart, and established a music publishing company called Lobster Music. Meanwhile his brother Danny formed the group Matt Bianco, which included singer Basia Trzetrzelewska. Danny White and Basia eventually left the group to launch the singer's solo career. Danny asked Peter to tour with him and Basia in 1990, just as the guitarist released his first solo album, Reveillez-Vous (Chase). Made up mostly of unused songs that White had written for Al Stewart, the album became a DJ favorite at jazz and emerging smooth jazz radio stations. Epic exec Cliff Gorov was the man who first brought White's music to the attention of contemporary jazz radio. Former Al Stewart drummer Steve Chapman put down his sticks and became the guitarist's manager. White followed his debut with three albums for the Sin-Drome label, including 1993's Promenade and 1994's Reflections; the latter-of-which cracked the top twenty of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Around the same time, he contributed to albums by Richard Elliot, Warren Hill, Craig Chaquico, Rick Braun, Marc Antoine, Kirk Whalum, and Everette Harp.

In 1995, White signed with Columbia/Sony and returned the following year with Caravan of Dreams (which hit number four on the Billboard Jazz chart). A string of successful albums followed for the label with 1997's Songs of the Season and 1998's Perfect Moment (which peaked at number three on the jazz charts). In 2001, White again landed near the top of the jazz charts with Glow. The equally well-received Confidential followed in 2004. White then decided to revisit some of his favorite songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s in his 2006 release Playin' Favourites. The low-key Good Day followed in 2009.

Here We Go arrived in 2012 and featured guest appearances by such artists as David Sanborn, Andrew Neu, and Kirk Whalum. In 2014, White released his 14th studio album, the all-original Smile. 2016's Groovin', his 15th album as a bandleader, featuring reworkings of a number of classic songs from the '60s and '70s. Music for Starlux Airlines arrived in 2019 and featured songs White initially recorded for use by the luxury airline based in Taiwan. Included on the album was the song "Homeward Bound," which featured his daughter Charlotte White on violin. By Ed Hogan https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peter-white-mn0000844255/biography

Day to Day

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Rick Braun - Beat Street

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:32
Size: 124,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. Groovis
(5:14)  2. Papa Dee
(5:06)  3. Club Harlem
(5:25)  4. I'll Be There For You
(5:51)  5. Philadelphia
(4:26)  6. Cadillac Slim
(4:49)  7. The Promises
(4:09)  8. Natalie
(4:28)  9. Ian's Blues
(4:57) 10. Walk The Walk
(4:26) 11. Marty's Party

This good-natured release is a very enjoyable compilation of funk-inflected light jazz that fits Rick Braun's trumpet and flugelhorn around some excellent guitar playing (with lots of wah-wahs on show), steady bass and drums, and supportive keyboards (Braun also contributes the keyboard beds, but this aspect of his production tends not to be showy). Braun and his assorted players (who include Boney James, Jeff Golub and Peter White) have crafted some entertaining melodies that are often built on swaying, sneaky rhythms "Cadillac Slim" for one, and the devious "Papa Dee" for another. Braun's liner notes mention War (the band) more than once, and you can certainly pick up that influence this time around. In terms of approach, Braun kept things loose and improvisational for the recording no charts, no formalities, just a few ideas and a collaborative impulse that's paid off in the way the album flows together. Nice warm work that sneaks in under the guards. ~ Steven McDonald https://www.allmusic.com/album/beat-street-mw0000173372

Personnel: Rick Braun - Flugelhorn, Keyboards; G. Chang (track: 3) - Organ [B3];  Matt Harris (track: 7,10), Curtis Brengle (track: 9,11) - Piano; Boney James (track: 1) - Featuring, Tenor Saxophone; Jimmy Roberts (track: 7) - Tenor Saxophone; David Woodford (track: 11) - Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone; Lee Thornburg (track: 11) - Trumpet;  Nick Lane (tracks: 4,11) - Trombone; Carl Verheyen (tracks: 1,4), Jeff Golub (tracks: 5,6,11) - Guitar; Peter White (track: 3) - Acoustic Guitar; Carl Verheyen (track: 3,6,9) - Guitar [Wah Wah]; Stan Sargeant (track: 1) - Bass [On End]; Dave Morotta (tracks: 1,4,9), Cliff Hugo (tracks: 2,5-7,10,11), Jack Daro (track: 3) - Bass; Brad Dutz - Percussion (tracks: 1,7,8), Bongos (track: 3); Dave Palmer (tracks: 1,4-7,9,10), Dave Karasony (tracks: 2,11) - Drums. Fred White (tracks: 4,7) - Vocals.

Beat Street

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Rick Braun - Kisses In The Rain

Styles: Trumpet And Flugelhorn Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:28
Size: 100,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:51)  1. Car Wash 2000
(4:33)  2. Kisses In The Rain
(3:44)  3. Use Me
(4:40)  4. Grover's Groove
(4:29)  5. Your World
(4:45)  6. Middle Of The Night
(4:30)  7. One For The Girls
(4:26)  8. Song For You
(4:37)  9. Simplicity
(3:49) 10. Emma's Song

Rick Braun is in high demand these days, both as a trumpeter and a producer he certainly has his thumb on the pulse of today's adult contemporary music. His solo debut on Warner Brother, hot on the heels of last year's successful collaboration with Boney James on Shake It Up, should further extend his mastery of the idiom. The first four tunes are the most jazz-oriented and satisfying; they come complete with catchy melodies, infectious live rhythms, and thoughtful arrangements clean but not overly glossy. Braun alternates between open and muted trumpet, and turns in solos that are a bit more adventurous than you might expect from a commercially-oriented album. About half-way through, the program turns more to the programmed background tracks and moves more into the "romantic evening" groove. To my ears, the sweet-soul vocals ("Your World" and "Song for You") seem a bit formulaic and lower the bar on creativity a couple notches. 

"Middle of the Night" is sort of "Chuck Mangione meets the click track." There are tasty touches here and there, such as a nice tenor solo and interesting background brass parts on "Simplicity," and Braun's expressive balladry on the closer, "Emma." Overall, this is an enjoyable and well-executed program of contemporary work by one of the genre's leading proponents. ~ Dave Hughes https://www.allaboutjazz.com/kisses-in-the-rain-rick-braun-warner-bros-review-by-dave-hughes.php

Personnel: Rick Braun (trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, keyboards, programming); Sue Ann Carwell (vocals, background vocals); Mindy Stein, Shai (vocals); Peter White (guitar, acoustic guitar); Tony Maiden (guitar, electric guitar, wah-wah guitar); Fred Clark , Norman Brown , Ross Bolton (guitar); Larry Williams (strings, tenor saxophone, keyboards); Doug Norwine (flute, saxophone); Euge Groove, Steve Grove (tenor saxophone); Marty Grebb (baritone saxophone); Jerry Hey (flugelhorn); Nick Lane, William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. (trombone); Al Forman, Mitchel Forman (piano); Ricky Peterson (Wurlitzer organ, keyboards); David Woods (keyboards, drum programming); Johnny Britt, Roberto Vally (keyboards); Harvey Mason, Sr. , Lil John Roberts (drums, percussion); Luis Conte, Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Paul Brown (programming); Yvonne Williams (background vocals).

Kisses In The Rain

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Richard Elliot - Chill Factor

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:09
Size: 115,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Moomba
(4:58)  2. Chill Factor
(4:36)  3. Deep Touch
(4:55)  4. This Could Be Real
(4:18)  5. Who?
(4:34)  6. On The Fly
(4:47)  7. Adia
(4:42)  8. Like Butter
(5:13)  9. Kick It Up
(4:51) 10. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing
(2:15) 11. Mikayla's Smile

Richard Elliot chose to go with the production expertise of Steve Dubin on his Chill Factor, but the silky, simmering soul influence of Paul Brown who produced the veteran saxman's previous hit, Jumpin' Off  has stuck. Where Elliot once routinely went for the jugular and blistering approach to his tenor, he lives up to this disc's name by bringing out some of his best hooks in a gentler, restrained mode. In the past, you might never mistake an Elliot horn lick for one by the master of funky cool, Boney James, but he's in that zone from the first easygoing notes of the bluesy opening track "Moomba." That's not to say he won't let out occasional gushes of the old intensity during certain break points in a tune, but it has to be the right occasion, like wrapping around Tim Heintz's bouncy Rhodes and Rick Braun's sassy flügelhorn on the title track. With other guests like Peter White, Elliot sets the example; rather than let White chime in with nylon string gymnastics, he instead asks the acoustic guitarist to simply embrace his gentle sax melody so tightly that you can hardly tell he's there. The most remarkable evidences of the new, more mature Elliot are the low bass tone he uses on the smoky ballad "Deep Touch" (what Gerry Mulligan might have sounded like on tenor) and the elegant, folksy duet "Mikayla's Smile," where he picks up his rarely used soprano and wraps a loving melody around the swaying acoustic guitar harmony lines of Dwight Sills. ~ Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/chill-factor-mw0000247170

Personnel:  Richard Elliot (saxophone); Siedah Garrett, Robbie Nevil (vocals); Steven Dubin (various instruments, drums, programming); Rick Braun (flugelhorn); Mitch Forman, Tim Heinz, Leon Bisquera (keyboards); Peter White (acoustic guitar); Wah Wah Watson, Dwight Sills, Paul Jackson, Tony Maiden, Michael Simms (guitar); Alex Al (bass); Lil' John Roberts (drums); Lenny Castro, Luis Conte (percussion).

Chill Factor

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Basia Trzetrzelewska - The Sweetest Illusion

Styles: Vocal, Jazz Pop
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:52
Size: 121,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:46)  1. Drunk On Love
(5:01)  2. Third Time Lucky
(5:22)  3. Yearning
(4:52)  4. She Deserves It / Rachel's Wedding
(5:00)  5. An Olive Tree
(4:58)  6. The Sweetest Illusion
(3:51)  7. Perfect Mother
(4:13)  8. More Fire Than Flame
(4:53)  9. Simple Pleasures
(4:54) 10. My Cruel Ways
(4:58) 11. The Prayer Of A Happy Housewife

The sweet voiced Polish girl continues to set the standard by which other, less inventive adult contemporary vocalists should be measured. Her tender yet powerful feelings take listeners' hearts to places with fascinating, sometimes surreal imagery. 

Basia and partner/producer Danny White's real gift is rhythmic diversity, and the tandem take the artsy route on a big, brassy tour through Brazil and Latin America, employing jazzy touches that keep even the most staid tune hopping. The ballads are sweet as well. Nobody in this crowded genre outclassed or outperformed Basia, but as welcome as this comeback after four years was, the singer never followed up with another full-length studio project.~Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/sweetest-illusion-mw0000115018

Personnel: Basia Trzetrzelewska, Trey Lorenz (vocals); Peter White (guitar, accordion); Andy Ross (guitar, mandolin, bandurria); Gavyn Wright (violin); Tony Pleeth (cello); Chris Margary (flute, alto flute, baritone saxophone); Patrick Clahar (alto & tenor saxophone); Steve Gregory (tenor saxophone); Ronnie Chamberlain (baritone saxophone); Kevin Robinson (trumpet, French horn, flugelhorn, vocals); Fayyaz Virji (trombone); Danny White (keyboards, vocals); Julian Crampton, Andres Lafone, Randy Hope-Taylor (bass); Andy Gangadeen (drums, percussion); Karl Vanden Bossche, Bosco De Oliveria (percussion), Mark Anthoni (background vocals).

The Sweetest Illusion

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Peter White - Smile

Size: 101,0 MB
Time: 42:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Smooth Jazz
Art: Front

01. Smile (3:37)
02. In Rainbows (4:17)
03. Floating In Air (4:53)
04. Head Over Heels (5:11)
05. Coming Home (2:54)
06. Nightfall (4:30)
07. Hold Me Close (4:25)
08. Beautiful Love (4:57)
09. Don Quixote’s Final Quest (3:21)
10. Awakening (Jordan’s Song) (4:21)

In the era ruled by the electric guitar, British-born, LA-based Peter White reigns supreme as one the world's greatest masters of the nylon-string acoustic guitar. From the time he burst on the scene with rock legend Al Stewart in the seventies and singer Basia in the eighties to his session work with Richard Elliot, Jeff Golub, Lee Ritenour, Kirk Whalum and Boney James, White's fabulous fingers continue to showcase the timeless tones and timbres that come from wood, skin and an expansive musical imagination.

Smile, set for release on October 7th, is White's fourteenth recording as a leader, and his scintillating, contemporary jazz sound is buttressed by his equally-impressive command of several instruments and augmented by an impressive array of special guests, including vocalist Mindi Abair, trumpeter Rick Braun, soprano saxophonist Euge Groove, keyboardist Philippe Saisse, bassist Nate Phillips, violinist (and daughter) Charlotte White, Ramon Yslas on bongos and vocalist Stevo Theard.

Smile

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