Obviously, a year spent touring together has made Lorber, Haslip and Marienthal into a tight unit, which is evident from this recording. “Big Brother” moves into hip hop territory, similar to Jeff's grooving “Rain Dance,” which became a huge hit for Notorious Big and Lil' Kim as “Crush on You.” “Montserrat” sounds like a mixture of Sly Stone and Tower of Power, with super funky horn arrangements by Dave Mann. The first track, “Live Wire,” blends a blistering house beat with extended solos by Lorber and Koonse and some amazing drum fills from Colaiuta. Lorber’s music reaches a new level by crystallizing jazz, funk, and Latin rhythms with some killer melodies that will certainly translate to live performance.
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and Larry Koonse, and drummer Dave Weckl. Core members Lorber, bassist Jimmy Haslip and saxophonist Eric Marienthal are in rare form, aided by the explosive playing of drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and guest appearances by trumpeter Randy Brecker, percussionist Lenny Castro, guitarists Paul Jackson Jr. The album takes the experiment that he started with his last GRAMMY®-nominated CD, Now is the Time, up a notch with 11 exciting and energetic new compositions performed by some of the biggest names in jazz today. His new recording, Galaxy, set for release January 31, 2012, on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, revisits a sound he helped pioneer.
Jeff lorber fusion rain dance singers full#
More than three decades after his earliest recordings, Lorber has come full circle. Still, he continued to explore the innovative, improvisational potential of grafting other musical forms to the jazz idiom. In subsequent years, Lorber dropped the term “fusion” from his billing as the movement evolved into what is currently known as contemporary jazz. Lorber and his band, the Jeff Lorber Fusion, first honed their craft in the Portland, Oregon, club scene and rapidly expanded their reach to a national and international audience via a combination of complex harmonies, unconventional time signatures and compelling rhythms. The trio did not play a long set - perhaps 90 minutes - but the audience left feeling we got our money's worth.By the late 1970s, trailblazing keyboardist/composer/producer Jeff Lorber had become a prominent figure in the new movement known as jazz fusion – a marriage of traditional jazz with elements of rock, R&B, funk and other electrified sounds. I don't recall any ballads during the show. Highlights included "What's the Deal" and "Test Drive" from his Grammy-winning album "Montserrat" from "Galaxy" and "Rain Dance", a song that has been sampled by multiple artists, including Notorious B.I.G., Ariana Grande, Ja Rule, and Mariah Carey. The energy remained high throughout the night and every song was great. Lorber played with a trio that included two local Chicagoans, including bassist Michael Manson (director of the Musical Arts Institute), who nearly stole the show with his amazing playing and a face that morphed like a jellyfish.īut it was Jeff Lorber's show and he did not disappoint.
Jeff lorber fusion rain dance singers professional#
Jeff Lorber is as professional as they come, and he brought technical proficiency with high energy jazz fusion throughout his set. It was entertaining half hour of music, but the performers definitely amateurs - many of them in their teens.
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The concert was a fundraiser for the Musical Arts Institute, so the evening began with performances by a number of members and students of the institute. Reserved seating was listed as "Sold Out" but I managed to get a seat at a table, thanks to someone canceling and me showing up an hour before the doors opened. "Prototype" by The Jeff Lorber Fusion won the award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album this January.Īnd it took just as long for me to finally see The Jeff Lorber Fusion in concert, which I did Wednesday night at The Promontory in Chicago's Hyde Park. It took 40 years of recording for Jeff Lorber to finally win a Grammy.