Bob Baldwin - Newurbanjazz.com

 

Since more than 20 years Bob Baldwin is fostering music market with his premium performance. Collaborating with music stars of high caliber like Roberta Flack,  Grover Washington, Tom Browne, Pieces of A Dream, Roy Ayers, George Benson, Marion Meadows, Chuck Loeb, Will Downing, Chieli Minucci, and Kim Waters, just to name a few, he has achieved the status of fame since a long time.

Bob had a fulminated start as keyboardist on Tom Brown's legendary Funkin' for Jamaica (1986). As featured artist he appeared on the album A Long Way To Go of the group The Dream (1988). And indeed after the review of the last 20 years Bob has recorded a big bunch of albums. Rejoice (1990) and Reflections of Love (1992) on Atlantic Jazz Records, on his own label City Sketches I/Welcome To The Games (1996) - one of the first jazz artists selling his albums on his own website -, Cool Breeze on Shanachie (1997), BobBaldwin.com on his own City Sketches (2000), For You on Expansion Records (2001), The American Spirit on Shanachie (2002), Standing Tall on Narada Productions (2002), Brazil Chill on A440 Music Group (2004), All In A Days Work on 215 Records (2005) and now Newurbanjazz.com (2008) on NuGroove Records. Bob sighs: "The last two deals I had, those labels went belly up and I had to scramble to buy back my rights. That's why I have not been mainstream for the past 3 years because the platforms I was on were unstable. Labels are flopping and flipping and consolidating. iTunes has everybody mixed up." Despite the fact that Bob frequently changed the label because many of those folded in the past I wish him much success for the future.

His new album Newurbanjazz.com is called after his new website. "New Urban Jazz is the next sound to emerge out of the Contemporary Jazz genre", means Bob. Bob takes his mission serious. Like artists as Dave Koz, Alexander Zonjic, Ramsey Lewis, or Marcus Johnson he is programming radio stations. His album is a summing of this fine program. The starting tune Jeep Jazz is featuring singer Zoiea. Zoiea Ohizep was already performing on several of Baldwin's albums like Brazil Chill and on Freddie Jackson's It's Your Move. The tune is typical for the R&B infected contemporary jazz which Bob is proclaiming as the new sound.

Most of you might remember Herb Alpert's legendary album Second Wind. Bob comments: "There's your second wind, then there's that Third Wind, the extra reserve." And indeed Joey Summerville and Bob Baldwin teamed up to give you that upright feeling. My Cherie Amour was an autobiographical account by Wonder about a woman he was fascinated with while in school at the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing, Michigan. Released in 1969 the tune became a huge hit. Bob presents his mesmerizing cover featuring the great Najee on sax. Bob: "It took us 20 years, but it's all good."

Somebody Else's Guy was Jocelyn Brown's breakthrough as a solo artist in 1984. Since this time she's is well known as disco our soul diva. Bob Baldwin glorious idea to let her sing the cover of her world hit was the result of an email from U.K., where Jocelyn resides. Bob discovered the song Take My Hand on a Spanish website of MySpace. Ragan Whiteside does the excellent flute part.

Seems Like One Of Those Daze is featuring singer Tyrone Iris. The song was already release in 2007 on the album The Sanctioned Bootleg Vol.1. Anyway the song is worth a second spin. Some already compare Tyrone with Luther Vandross. On She's All That! Marion Meadows performs the sax in his own way. Bob comments: "“Marion is smooth. His sound is soft, but fiery. He's got some Indian blood in him and it comes through in his playing. He's intense and a nice cat."

Bob Baldwin has a special connection to Phil Perry. He was the featured artist on Too Late, released on the album Standing Tall. On Newurbanjazz.com Bob offers a remix version of this song. All Nite is a collaboration with longtime friend Joey Summerville. Bob recall the fact that he is an excellent singer. That he invites so many guest-singer is a result of his networking ("Give and take"). For example Toni Redd, her newest album Straight From the Heart received high accolades.

On Natural Thing it's the inimitable Freddie Jackson. And who would forget the incredible Frank McComb on Flying High? His album The Truth Vol. One is still in good remembrance. This tune is a forced ride for synth and keyboards. The death of the great Joe Zawinul was the birth of this tune. Smell the essences of Zawinul's compositions like Birdland.

"One of the most compelling young Spoken Word Artist of our time" Asoulbourn is featured on Don't Keep Me Waiting. And Bob is diving deeper into New York Hip Hop on New Urban Jazz featuring rapper Della Croche.

More than 70 minutes of cool music is waiting for you on Bob's new album Newurbanjazz.com. If this sound cannot transform you into a funky music junky you will stay an eternal wet blanket.

 

 

 

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  • Title: NewUrbanJazz.com
    Artist: Bob Baldwin
    Year: 2008
    Length: 1:13:42
    Genre: Smooth Jazz
    Label: Nu Groove Music


    Tracks:
    01 Jeep Jazz / Bob Baldwin Feat. Zoiea [4:41]
    02 Third Wind [5:15]
    03 My Cherie Amour / Bob Baldwin Feat. Najee [5:27]
    04 Somebody Else's Guy / Bob Baldwin Feat. Jocelyn Brown [4:42]
    05 Take My Hand [4:23]
    06 Seems Like One Of Those Daze / Bob Baldwin Feat. Tyrone Iris [4:10]
    07 She's All That! / Bob Baldwin Feat. Marion Meadows [5:08]
    08 Too Late [Remix] / Bob Baldwin Feat. Phil Perry [6:10]
    09 All Nite / Bob Baldwin Feat. Joey Sommerville [4:15]
    10 It Is What It Is [5:08]
    11 Natural Thing / Bob Baldwin Feat. Freddie Jackson [3:50]
    12 Flying High / Bob Baldwin Feat. Frank McComb [5:36]
    13 Joe Zawinul / Bob Baldwin Feat. Ike Stubblefield [4:14]
    14 Don't Keep Me Waiting / Bob Baldwin Feat. Asoulbourn [5:12]
    15 New Urban Jazz / Bob Baldwin Feat. Della Croche [4:47]
    16 What Is New Urban Jazz [0:45]