Smooth Jazz | Musicosity

Smooth Jazz

Greg Osby

Saxophonist, composer, producer and educator Greg Osby has made an indelible mark on contemporary jazz as a leader of his own ensembles and as a guest artist with other acclaimed jazz groups of the past 20 years. Notable for his insightful and innovative approach to composition and performance of original jazz music, Osby is a shining beacon among the current generation of jazz musicians. He has earned numerous awards and critical acclaim for his recorded works and passionate live performances.

Read more about Greg Osby on Last.fm.

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Satellites of the Sun

Satellites of the Sun hail from Salisbury in the South of England. With drummer Andy completing the line up early in 2008 the band spent much of the year putting together a set of songs that mix power and melody, and can often climb from subtle beginnings to a crescendo of sound. The songs on this page were recorded live in the studio and are an attempt to capture the band in their natural environment - live performance. A handful of shows have already had people taking notice. Andy Clements - Drums / Vocals

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George Duke

Born 12th Jan 1946, San Rafael, California.
George Duke is a pianist and synthesizer pioneer, who also majored in the trombone. Early influences: Les McCann and cousin Charles Burrell. First gig was with the house band at the Half Note club and with vocal band Third Wave in 1968, from there he backed such musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Dorham and Don Ellis, playing session musician on Jean-Luc Pontys Pacific Jazz Albums.1970 was a milestone for Duke playing on The Mothers of Invention album 200 Motels.

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Be

Unsigned (but oh so close) ambient guitar band formed off the back of the shoegazer glory years who existed from 1994 to 1998. Members were Annie Rolph (Vocals/Guitar), Kate Lackenby (Bass/Vocals), Andy Jeffreys (Guitar) and Neal Rolph (Drums).

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Chris Botti

Chris Botti (born October 12, 1962) is a smooth jazz trumpeter. His famous muted trumpet is the same model that was once used by Miles Davis. He plays a Martin Committee trumpet made 1940 Handicraft and a mouthpiece from Bach made in 1921 Mt Vincent Bach Corp 3C. He has performed with artists such as Sting, Paul Simon, Josh Groban, Dave Koz, Jeff Lorber, Jill Scott, Michael Bublé and Brian Culbertson.

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Lee Morgan

Lee Morgan (10 July 1938 - 19 February 1972) was an American hard-bop jazz trumpeter. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Morgan was a jazz prodigy, joining the Dizzy Gillespie big band at 18, remaining a member for two years. In 1956 he began recording as a leader, mainly for the Blue Note label; eventually he recorded twenty-five albums for the company. Morgan's principal influence as a player was Clifford Brown, having had direct contact with him before Brown's premature death.

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Alyssa Graham

Alyssa Graham (born Alyssa Hope Altschul) is a singer-songwriter based largely in New York City. She plays guitar and piano. In 2005, she launched her solo music career with the release of the critically acclaimed album, What Love Is, which was heralded by All About Jazz as one of the “Best New Recordings of 2005.” Her subsequent studio album, Echo, released in 2008 was critically acclaimed and commercially successful debuting at #24 on the Billboard contemporary jazz charts. The New York Times named Echo a “Critics’ Choice CD” and iTunes named it one of the “Top 10 Vocal Albums of the Year.

Read more about Alyssa Graham on Last.fm.

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Brenda Russell

Brenda Russell is an adult-contemporary singer-songwriter that hit the music scene in 1979 with her debut album "Brenda Russell". Her sister is rumoured to be none other than, Donna Summer, the queen of Disco. The release featured her her first hit song, "So Good So Right". The story goes, it came up while washing dishes and, still wearing an apron, she rushed to the piano wrote it down. The album also featured the hit "If Only for One Night" which was later covered by Luther Vandross.

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James Carter

Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1969, James Carter began playing saxophone at age 11, first recorded with a Detroit student ensemble in 1986 and, by 1991, had recorded with legendary trumpeter Lester Bowie on The Organizer and contributed to the 1991 collection The Tough Young Tenors. Mastering a family of reed instruments, from sopranino to contrabass saxophones to contrabass and bass clarinets, James Carter mesmerized the jazz world after arriving in New York City in 1988 to play under the auspices of Lester Bowie.

Read more about James Carter on Last.fm.

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