JohnnyLaSalsa [2024] - Soul Times [Arena Digital Net] (Full Album)

JohnnyLaSalsa is an alias for Cuban Salsa and Latin Jazz singer, producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, violinist, keyboardist Juan Antonio Portuondo Zayas.

He graduated as a violinist from the National School of Arts in Havana, Cuba in 1981 and now lives in Gran Canaria.

After releasing each track as a single over recent months, he has released his first solo smooth Latin jazz album, "Soul Times" which consists of seven covers of soul classics. Our pick is his version of the Roy Ayers classic "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" (1976).

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Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Smooth Jazz / Cover Version
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Arena Digital Net
Cat No:	None
Date:	03/04/2024
Price:	£6.93

Copyright © 2009-2024 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Igor Gerzina feat. Anya Alu [2024] - Georgy Porgy [Self Released]

A new version of Toto's "Georgy Porgy" was released last week by Croatian (Zagreb) saxophonist Igor Gerzina with vocals from Anya Alu.

The song was written by Toto keyboardist David Paich and featured on their debut, self-titled, album in 1978 as well as being released as a single. Whilst guitarist Steve Lukather performed lead, Cheryl Lynn provided backing vocals.

Many other versions have surfaced over the years notably from Charme feat. uncredited vocals from Luther Vandross ('79), Side Effect ('80) and Eric Benet feat. Faith Evans ('98). In fact last year we did a bit of a version excursion on the song with 16 different takes on the back of a remix/reworking of Toto's version that was released by DoctorSoul.

The new version is a respectable smooth jazz version.

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Smooth Jazz
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	19/01/2024
Key/BPM:	5A/90
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2024 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Kayla Waters [2023] - Presence [Shanachie] (Full Album)

A new name to these pages is Kayla Waters who really shouldn't be given that she is the daughter of smooth jazz saxophonist Kim Waters who has around 27 albums to his name since 1989, several of which she has featured on.

As you would expect then, "Presence" is a smooth jazz instrumental album by his classically trained pianist daughter. It's her third album, her first "Apogee" arriving in Feb 2017. It's her first for Shanachie who she has recently signed to.

Kayla learned to play piano aged six and graduated from Howard University with a degree in Piano Performance.

The track that drew us towards the album was "Undulation" which was released as a single on 2 Jun.

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Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Smooth Jazz / Instrumental
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Shanachie
Cat No:	None
Date:	07/07/2023
Price:	£7.49

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Andre Ward & K'Jon [2022] - Casualty of Love (Remix) [Orpheus Enterprises]

In August 2021 Chicago veteran jazz saxophonist André Ward released his first new music for four years in collaboration with Detroit's K'Jon who also hadn't released anything for eight years. It was a soulful smooth jazz tune "Casualty Of Love".

Last week (27 Oct)  they released a remix of it which ups the tempo slightly but also beefs it up a bit from the original with more depth. It is from a forthcoming album "Africa Rising" which will be his first album since "Jazzilicious, Vol. 2" in Feb 2016.

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Details

Rating:	7.9
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Smooth Jazz / Remix
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Orpheus Enterprises
Cat No:	None
Date:	27/10/2022
Key/BPM:	7B/87
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Nick Colionne [2022] - Step To This [Trippin N Rhythm Records]

This has just popped up on my Spotify feed and pricked up my ears immediately. One that seems to have slipped by on 12 Aug from Nick Colionne with a lovely jazzy guitar stepper "Step To This".

I think it may be a posthumous release as he died in Jan this year and can't see any evidence of it being previously released, however with a bit of digging it seems that just before his death he had completed recording an album "Just Like That" and this appears to be the second track released from it, the other being "What You Do To Me" in March, also included below.

Over the course of his career, Colionne hit No. 1 on Billboard's smooth jazz airplay chart eight times, and he was the only smooth jazz artist with five No. 1 hits from a single album, 2016's "The Journey". 

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Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Smooth Jazz / Instrumental
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Trippin N Rhythm Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	12/08/2022
Key/BPM:	12B/98
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Boney James [2022] - Detour [Concord Records] (Full Album)

On 5 Aug a second single "Coastin'" featuring Lalah Hathaway was pre-released from the then forthcoming album "Detour" by L.A. jazz saxophonist Boney James (James Oppenheim). It followed  "Bring It Back" featuring Baltimore trumpeter Dontae Winslow was released on 15 Jul.

The full album is released today (23 Sep 2022).

It's the four time Grammy nominee's 18th studio album since his first, "Trust", in 1992 and this year he's celebrating 30 years since his debut. 

A live video performance of "Coastin'" was uploaded to his YouTube channel (17 Aug) which is the only vocal track on the album.

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Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Smooth Jazz
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	Concord Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	23/09/2022
Price:	£8.99

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved