Jeff Lorber - Philly Style
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CD Details
Artist: Jeff LorberEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2003-03-11
Music Label: Narada
Soundtracks:
- Under Wraps
- Gigabyte
- Regardless Of
- Philly Style
- Soul Food
- Laissez Faire
- Step On It
- Uncle Darrow's
- When She Smiles
- Serpentine Lane
Music reviews of Philly Style
Music Review: 2 plus 2 equals Jeff Lorber
Rating: 5 Stars
If you do the math, Jeff Lorber is undeniably one of the contemporary masters of fusion (a jazz genre combining the energy of rock with the improvisation that characterizes jazz). Lorber continues to move ahead melodically at the same time that he returns to his roots in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, on his eighteenth album since 1977.
Jeff definitely has a winner with this CD. Lorber, a keyboardist par excellence, does on this release what he has been doing for decades...making great music. While he has always favored the texture of the Fender Rhodes electric piano, on this disc Lorber puts together some really fine and classy piano playing on a so-called "acoustic piano" (the kind of piano made famous by Steinway, Baldwin and Benoit).
Other "Philly" natives collaborating with Jeff on this disc are producer and keyboardist/drum programmer Steve Dubin and drummer "Little John" Roberts. Throughout this CD, the widely regarded bassist Alex Al puts down a bass line that is pure funk.
While every tune is worthy of a little description, the high points begin with "Under Wraps." An irony of the title is that after this CD was released, Lorber's fine collaboration with Richard Elliot on this tune would no longer be a secret. This song is full of funk and soul and serves as a truly excellent introduction to the good vibes that come shining through the rest of the album.
"Philly Style," the title song, is played with some excellent keyboarding by Lorber and a really funkalicious horn arrangement.
"Soul Food" is truly a Philadelphia mainstay. This song proves that man does not live by bread alone but also by Lorber's Fender Rhodes doing a duet with the sax and featuring vocalist Naila.
"Laissez Faire" is characterized by the coolness and laid-back style that has always epitomized Jeff Lorber's jazz improvisation.
"When She Smiles" is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that settles into a really mellow groove. Some might characterize it as a love song and it could be. As you listen to the most excellent acoustic piano styling, this tune seems to capture the reflection of the famous Schuylkill River sliding and gliding along it's path through this neck of Penn's woods.
Ending it all, chronologically speaking, is the outstanding "Serpentine Lane" that is Lorber fusion at its best. This song, the second longest on the CD, captures a whole host of Philadelphia influence within its length. It is worth the wait.
As for the cover art...the soft pretzel. It's been said that buying a soft pretzel from a street vendor in Philly is truly throwing caution to the wind. There they are, stacked one on top of the other on a dowel rod exposed to the elements. A little crusty on the outside while soft with a hint of sweetness in the middle. Like the salt that covers them, Jeff Lorber has NOT lost his savor.
Description of Philly Style
Over the last decade, noted keyboard whiz Jeff Lorber has helped to fix Los Angeles as the locus of smooth-jazz sound. His geographical musical roots, however, stem from the historic wealth of jazz and soul he heard growing up in Philadelphia. With neo-soul all the rage at home, Lorber shows he's developed the same strain naturally in L.A., as his West Coast crew effortlessly plunders those grooves on "Uncle Darrow's," "Under Wraps," and the too-funky "Regardless Of," featuring singer Naila sounding a lot like Remy Shand. Over the last four releases, Lorber has had no stability with record labels, but in that time the consistent quality of his music has been higher than when he had long-term deals with Arista and Verve. Each record, in fact, has gotten better. This is Lorber at the top of the smooth-jazz game. The ballads here--"When She Smiles," and especially the laid-back "Laissez Faire"--are among the prettiest he's ever written, and of course it wouldn't be a Lorber record without great saxophone performances--and Gary Meek and Richard Elliot both deliver. --Mark RuffinJazz CDs
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