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New Releases-Billboard Top 3-Classic Old Smooth Jazz-Tribute Song To Wes Montgomery By Bob James & Earl Klugh

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Our program on January 11th ended with the Art Good story. It was a  story of how Art, almost by accident, was able to capitalize on an opportunity and forge a very successful career. He played a huge part in the growth and success of the smooth jazz format.  If you missed that story it is available in our archives 24/7.  

Art has been in charge of the Catalina Island Smooth Jazz Festival in October for 33 years. This past year he booked a couple of big bands, The Count Basie Orchestra and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band in remembrance that in the 1930’s and 1940’s big band concerts were broadcast from the Avalon Casino on Catalina by CBS Radio to the entire country.

I was very familiar and have played Count Basie but not so familiar with Gordon Goodwin. He and his band have been nominated for thirteen Grammys and have won three times. Among many members that have played with this band as well as on this show include Eric Marienthal, Grant Geissman, Dave Grusin, David Sanborn, Johnny Mathis, Lee Ritenour, Nathan East, James Morrison, and others. Morrison in review had a crucial part in the beginning of the career of our special in studio guest last spring, Sarah McKenzie. 

The music begins this week’s program with Gordon Goodwin,  a little out of our format but we are all about good listening, interesting music. Last October his band released the album The Gordian Knot. Originally receiving A 2006 GRAMMY Award for Goodwin’s Instrumental Arrangement of “Incredits” from the movie The Incredibles, this is his new albums version of The Incredibles.

For this week’s classic among classic segment, we travel back to 1981. This is a great collaboration from the guitar of Earl Klugh and the keys of Bob James. From the album Two Of A Kind, it is titled Wes, undoubtedly a tribute to jazz great Wes Montgomery whose music influenced so many. 

Thank you for your support of this program and KKRN.

 


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