Michael Franks - ' Rendezvous In Rio' - 2006, Koch Michael Franks - ' Dragonfly Summer' - 1993, Reprise Michael Franks - ' Blue Pacific' - 1990, Reprise Richard Elliot - ' Metro Blue' - 2005, ARTizen Richard Elliot - ' Crush' - 2001, Uptown, Universal Rick Braun - ' Esperanto' - 2003, Warner Bros.īrian Bromberg - ' Brian Bromberg' - 1993, Novaīrian Bromberg - ' Compared To That' - 2012, Artistry Musicīrian Bromberg - ' You Know That Feeling' - 1997, ZebraĮric Darius - ' Just Getting Started' - 2006, Narada Jazz Tim Bowman - 'Tim Bowman' - 2008, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Gerald Albright - ' Groovology' - 2002, GRPĬhris Botti - ' Night Sessions' - 2001, SonyĬhris Botti - ' Slowing Down The World' - 1999, Verve ForecastĬhris Botti - ' When I Fall In Love' - 2004, Sony Jeff Lorber - ' Worth Waiting For' - 1991, Verve Jeff Lorber - ' State Of Grace' - 1996, Verve Jeff Lorber - ' Philly Style' - 2003, Narada Jeff Lorber - 'Luna Rosarina' - 2012, ACM Records
He did not issue his first proper solo LP until 1991's Worth Waiting For, remaining both a prolific performer and producer for the rest of the decade. During the first half of the following decade, the band became one of the most popular jazz acts of the period, touring non-stop and even scoring a Best R&B Instrumental Grammy nomination for their radio hit "Pacific Coast Highway." 1984's Step by Step was their most successful outing yet, but at the Fusion's peak, Lorber disbanded the group, instead turning to production and session work. Lorber's infatuation with jazz began during his stay at the Berklee College of Music, and after forming the Jeff Lorber Fusion he issued the group's self-titled debut in 1979. Born in Philadelphia on November 4, 1952, he began playing the piano at the age of four, and as a teen performed with a variety of local R&B bands. With a smooth sound bringing together elements of funk, R&B, rock and electric jazz, keyboardist Jeff Lorber helped pioneer a genre of fusion later formatted under such names as NAC and Contemporary Jazz. Instruments: Leader, Keyboards, Composer, Synthesizer G's fans will immediately recognize his soprano tones on the dreamy "Tierra Verde" but will have a harder time picking his funkier style out of the slamming, discofied "Fusion Juice." This collection will also please audiophiles who have long desired to throw out their old scratched Lorber records and hear these classics remastered.Styles: Smooth Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Jazz-Pop While Lorber lovers and serious modern jazz collectors will no doubt thrill to get their hands on this wealth of classic material, fans of both smooth jazz and pop music who don't know Lorber from Count Basie may want to hear it for another reason - the early development of a then-obscure Seattle saxman known as Kenny Gorelick (later known as multi-million selling Kenny G). (The Fusion was together from the mid-'70s through the early '80s, and that includes warts and all.) Despite the glorious melodies, beautiful keyboard passages, and irresistible funk, a few spacey synth solos would be conspicuously cornball if they were played today. The 16 tracks perfectly represent a time that postdates the hardcore jazz fusion of the early '70s and predates smooth jazz. The buoyant funk tune "Fusion Juice" sums up the spirit and percussive energy the band had, and which the keyboardist has carried on into his popular '90s work. It was pop, it was soul, it was rock-fusion, with dashes of jazz, blues and - dare it be mentioned, yet of its time - a dash of disco. Long before the coining of the radio-generated buzzwords "new adult contemporary" or "smooth jazz," the composer/keyboardist Jeff Lorber was riding a creative wave of pop/jazz fusion, building a loyal following for a synthesis of sound so fresh and distinctive that only one name could really define it - the Jeff Lorber Fusion.