Trumpeter and flugelhorn player Gordon James is from New Jersey and a much sought after composer, arranger, producer and artist, who is considered one of the top names in smooth jazz. Gordon is placed in the ranks of greats such as Chris Botti, Rick Braun & Greg Adams. In terms of style, he has been compared to Chet Baker, Miles Davis & Chuck Mangione. Gordon brings his own style of music with influences from jazz, Latin, R&B, hip-hop, soul and pop music. During the seventies and eighties he played with Johnny Guitar Watson, Stax artist Blue Aquarius, The Soul Survivors, saxophonists Eric Kloss and Paul Winter and cellist David Darling. He also supported and performed with Phyllis Hyman, Gato Barbieri, Pieces of a Dream, Bob Baldwin, Chuck Loeb, Angela Bofill, Roy Ayers, Bobby Caldwell, Walter Beasley and Alex Bugnon. In March 2020, when the pandemic brought everything to a standstill, he found himself out of work and a lot of free time. It was the impetus that led him to create his latest album, the perfectly titled 'Smooth Sunshine', a cool combination of instrumental tracks and vocals, which are alternately relaxing, cheerful and uplifting. The album features Gordon's warm tone on flugelhorn, trumpet and vocals. He also hears his wife Carol Selick, who wrote the lyrics for all vocal tracks and takes the lead with her sensual voice on ‘Warm Bodies’ and ‘Love for All Seasons’. Mark Minchello adds delicious electric and acoustic piano, and Leo Huppert lays down the funky bass and synth bass parts. The title track immediately shows a sunny sound that reminds you of the past summer, followed by the quiet 'Cafe Soul'. 'Warm Bodies' is thus sung by Carol Selick, followed by the light-hearted 'Free Flow'. With 'Brazilian Vibes' we go to Brazil swaying hips, followed by the sung 'On a Summer Day'. 'Day and Night' skips around merrily, after which 'Love for All Seasons' again gets vocals from Carol Selick. And 'Empress Rule' is more up-tempo, followed by the intimate and quiet 'Rainy Afternoon'. The vocal 'Everybody Loves to Complain' is the penultimate track, after which the cheerful 'Samba Majestuosa' closes. A very nice album, which, as expected, lives up to expectations. Relaxing smooth jazz of a high level!
		Website Gordon James Tracks: Smooth Sunshine Cafe Soul Warm Bodies Free Flow Brazilian Vibes On a Summer Day Day and Night Love for All Seasons Empress Rule Rainy Afternoon Everybody Loves to Complain Samba Majestuosa Copied with the permission of the author from culturmania.