Im US-fokussierten Smooth Jazz Markt spielt Saxophonist Gerald Albright eine gewichtige Rolle. Er spielte neben seinen Soloalben auch auf den CDs einer beeindruckenden Liste der "Who's who" des Pop, R&B, Soul und Jazz: Chaka Khan, Commodores, Whitney Houston, Quincy Jones, Phil Collins, Patti Austin, Take 6 um nur Wenige zu nennen. Auf seinen Solo CDs schlüpft er mit seinem Saxophon in die Rolle des Vokalisten. Wie seine Kollegen Saxophonist Dave Koz, Gitarrist Jeff Golub, Keyboarder Brian Culbertson und etliche andere Smooth Jazz Künstler sichert sich auch Albright für seine CDs - quasi als Sahnehäubchen - die Stimmen außergewöhnlicher Vokalisten, die wie er zwischen Sessions für Andere und eigenen Projekten hin und her pendeln.

"Sax for Stax" ist eine Reminiszenz an Memphis und den "Southern"-inspirierten Soul von Stax Records. Wer Albright kennt weiß, dass er es aber nicht bei den Arrangements der Originalkompositionen belässt. Jeder Stax Klassiker erhält den Albright-typischen Stempel.



Komplette Review für [Soulsite.de]

Welcome to the latest issue of Denis Poole’s Secret Garden, the page that offers a British perspective on the very best from the world of smooth jazz and classic soul. Over the last twenty years , and with the possible exceptions of Grover Washington Jr and Kirk Whalum, only Gerald Albright can be credited as having made a genuinely genre framing contribution to sax driven contemporary jazz. In fact Albright has been setting the agenda since the advent of his1987 solo debut Just Between Us. Since then he has released a succession of CD’s the latest of which is Sax For Stax, Albright’s tribute to the legendary record label that defined southern soul from the 1950’s to the mid 1970’s. The release of the album, which consists of eight passionately rendered covers of Stax classics plus three originals written with Memphis in mind, coincides both with the 50th anniversary of Stax and Concord Music Group’s re-launch of the famous label. It’s a collection with all the drive and energy one associates with the golden age of soul that Stax represents and the entire project is enhanced by the stellar array of guest performers who step up to play a part.

The revered reputation as a session musician that Albright still retains was crystallizing long before the launch of Just Between Us. Almost right out of college this native of South Central Los Angeles was working with Patrice Rushen, Anita Baker, Ray Parker, Jr., Atlantic Starr, Olivia Newton-John, The Temptations, Maurice White and many more besides. He played the famed signature tenor solo on Rushen’s smash hit ‘Forget Me Nots’ and in the early eighties struck up an enduring collaboration with Jeff Lorber when, as a young sax man, he replaced the soon to be famous Kenny G in The Jeff Lorber Fusion band. Albright has sold over 1,000,000 solo albums in the U.S. alone. He was one of the ten featured saxophonists who performed at President Clinton’s inauguration and has also featured at several private functions for the Clinton’s. Fact is Albright oozes class and with Sax For Stax he has never sounded better...

Read the complete review @ [SmoothJazzVibes.com]