#crossoverjazz

Bob James – One

Oneis the first solo album by jazz musician Bob Jamesreleased in 1974. It was an important album in the early smooth jazz genre and is famous for its end track, “Nautilus”, which became culturally important to hip hop as one of the most sampled tracks in American music. Released on April 17, 1974 this album charted at number two on the Jazz Album Charts.

Reception

Grover Washington Jr. – Inner City Blues

Inner City Blues is the debut studio album by saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. It was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in September 1971 and released in 1972 via Kudu Records.

Reception. Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars and stated: “This is an amazing debut in so many ways, and it was followed by a run of albums for the label through the end of the ’70s when Washington left for Elektra. Inner City Blues remains standing today as a landmark and a turning point in jazz.”

Joe Sample – Carmel (Album)

Spyro Gyra – Fast Forward

Fast Forward is the fourteenth album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1990 by GRP Records. On this album only, the band was billed on the album cover as “Spyro Gyra featuring Jay Beckenstein”.

At Billboard magazine, the album peaked at No. 117 on the Top 200 Albums chart.

Personnel: Spyro Gyra:

Jay Beckenstein – saxophones Tom Schuman – keyboards Jay Azzolina – guitars Oskar Cartaya – bass Richie Morales – drums Dave Samuels – vibraphone, marimba, mallet synthesizer Marc Quiñones – percussion

Additional Personnel:

Michael Franks – Skin Dive

Skin Dive is a jazz vocal album by Michael Franks, released in 1985 with Warner Bros. Records. It was Franks’ ninth studio album, and the first he co-produced himself. The single off this album, “Your Secret’s Safe With Me”, is his biggest Adult Contemporary hit, peaking at No. 4.

Reception.

Yellowjackets – Samurai Samba

Samurai Samba is the third album of the American jazz group Yellowjackets, released in 1985. The album reached a peak position of number 179 on the Billboard 200 and number 10 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.

Personnel: Yellowjackets:

Russell Ferrante – keyboards Jimmy Haslip – 5-string bass Ricky Lawson – acoustic drums, Simmons drums Marc Russo – alto saxophone

Additional musicians:

Bob James – H

“H” is the eighth album by jazz keyboardist Bob James.

Personnel: Bob James – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Oberheim Polyphonic synthesizer, arrangements and conductor Hiram Bullock – electric guitar, vocals Bruce Dunlap – acoustic guitar solo, acoustic guitar David Brown – acoustic guitar solo, acoustic guitar Gary King – bass Doug Stegmeyer – bass Buddy Williams – drums Liberty DeVitto – drums Airto Moreira – percussion Leonard “Doc” Gibbs – percussion Ralph MacDonald – percussion

Reception.

Spyro Gyra – Rites of Summer

Rites of Summer is the twelfth album by Spyro Gyra, released in 1988. At Billboard magazine, No. 104 on the Top 200 Albums chart.

Personnel:

Jay Beckenstein – saxophones, wind driven synthesizer

Tom Schuman – keyboards

Julio Fernández – guitars

Oskar Cartaya – bass

Richie Morales – drums, percussion

Dave Samuels – vibraphone, marimba, percussion

Steve Shapiro – synthesizer programming

Reception

The AllMusic review by Stewart Mason rated the album 3 out 5 and stated:”1998’s Rites of Summer is the album on which Spyro Gyra once and for all abandons every pretense toward being anything other than a slickly commercial instrumental pop outfit with occasional feints toward the smoothest of smooth jazz. As always with Spyro Gyra, the slower and more impressionistic tunes are much more interesting than the upbeat songs. … Fans who admired the more complex and occasionally even edgy sound of Spyro Gyra’s earliest albums will be disappointed, but those who liked the rest of their ’80s releases will find this comfortingly familiar.”