Search - Jeff Lorber :: Kickin It

The man who produced the very first albums by saxophonists Kenny G, Dave Koz, and Art Porter went into the studio with the intention of kickin' it on his Fender Rhodes piano along with a few of his horn-playing friends. He came out with his best album since his historic Arista Records heyday in the late 1970s. The two best soloists on the 40-minute, 10-song set are Gerald Albright and long-time Lorber band member, Gary Meek. Respectively, they kick off the first two tracks with the kind of unique jazz-funk that made Lorber a legend with acid jazzers and fans who were there in the late '70s when jazz-rock met urban R&B. The keyboardist pays nice tributes to two contemporary jazz icons, The Crusaders and Ramsey Lewis, with killer covers of "Keep That Same Ol' Feelin," featuring Albright, and "The In Crowd," featuring a perfectly subdued Richard Elliot. "Happy Endings," a ballad with Koz, seems to be Lorber's only appeasement to smooth-jazz radio, as the rest, including the only other ballad (the very pretty "Reflections"), are pure Lorber. They're tunes that are just as interesting harmonically as they are rhythmically, with great soloing, to boot. If more of his current keyboard peers delivered the same, smooth jazz would look a lot better overall. --Mark Ruffin