Brian Culbertson “Dreams”

Born on January 12, 1973 Brian Culbertson is a musician and instrumentalist from Decatur, Illinois. He is the son of jazz band director and trumpeter Jim Culbertson. Brian plays the keyboard and trombone. Brian’s music is heavily influenced by funk. He has been putting more vocals in his music. Some of the vocalist he has used is Trey Lorenz, Marc Nelson, Kenny Lattimore and Avant. Brian has worked as a composer and arranger for some well-known jazz artist like Dave Koz, Peter White, Richard Elliot, Jeff Lorber, Michael Lington and legendary A&M Record’s composer and producer Herb Alpert. The cast of musicians he has on this album are Alex Al, John "Jubu" Smith, Eric Marienthal, Michael Stever, Ray Parker, Jr., Rex Rideout, and Rob "Fonksta" Bacon. The songs I really enjoy on this album are “Later Tonight”, “No Limits”, and “Still Here”, “You’re My Music”, “Dream”, “Lights Off and The Journey. Brian has blended adult-oriented R&B with contemporary jazz on the “Dreams” album. On vocals he has Staley Williams (Mint Condition), Vivian Green, and Noel Gourd in. This album is worth buying, it is smooth jazz and R&B at its best.

LM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Culbertson

Lakecia Benjamin “RETOX”

Lakecia Benjamin is a jazzy, soul, funky, sultry alto saxophone playing lady that can blow the saxophone. Lakecia is a native of New York City, raised in Washington Heights. Lakecia picked up the saxophone while attending Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. Lakecia joined the renowned jazz program at New York's New School University. While attending the university she was playing with known jazz musicians Clark Terry and Reggie Workman. While playing with them she gained notoriety. She got to tour and arrange the horn section for a variety of artists. Some of them are Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, Vanessa Rubin and James "Blood" Ulmer, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Macy Gray, The Roots, and Anita Baker, Santigold, Maurice Brown, the Clark Terry Big Band, Krystle Warren and Talib Kweli, among others. Lakecia debut album “Retox” will be released on June 12, 2012. This album has a different kind of soul/funk sound. Lakecia has Chinah Blac featured on the single “Jump and Shout” she has that Chaka Khan vibe. Lakecia is also singing on some of the songs on the album. Lakecia says "This album is really a fruition of years of songwriting as much as it is a showcase for my sax playing and horn arrangements and I was more concerned with doing justice to my compositions than putting a sax solo in every song." If the album is anything like the song “Jump and Shout” I can’t wait to hear it. Streetwise Radio will be playing her single “Jump and Shout”. You can also listen to Streetwise Radio on iTunes, live365, Athena365 and MyGen365.

LM

http://www.lakeciabenjamin.com/bio

Roy Ayers

Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s I was exposed to all types of music. My parents had a reel to reel tape player. I remember my father sitting in the living at night and transfer his albums to the reel to reel tape player. One of his favorite artist was Roy Ayers, I remember my dad playing the “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” album. My favorite song was and still is “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”, that song is a song that is still inspiring today.

Roy Ayers grew up in Los Angeles, California in "South Central", back then it was called "South Park". This was where the black music scene for musicians’ in Los Angeles back then. When Roy was five years old Lionel Hampton gave him his first pair of vibraphone mallets for the xylophone. Roy Ayers over the decades have put out some amazing albums. Another one I remember is the “Mystic Voyage” album it had an R&B vibe not like “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” jazz sound. Another one of my favorite songs was "Evolution" from the “Mystic Voyage”. I can always tell when I hear a Roy Ayers song; his signature xylophone sound takes me back to my childhood days. The Roy Ayers Project featuring Ayers and many Hip Hop producers is a documentary that is supposed to be released sometime in 2012.

Tune into the Jazz Café 12-1pm Monday through Friday on Streetwise Radio and catch one of Roy Ayers songs. You can also listen to Streetwise Radio on iTunes, MyGen365, Athena365 and live.365.

LM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Ayers