What's New at ChiTownSmoothJazz.com

Santa Koz is coming to town December 5. Tickets go on sale this Saturday.

Just added to the ChiTownSmoothJazz.com playlist:

Boney James - "Touch"

CD: Send One Your Love (Concord)

John Klemmer--remember him?--was a fixture in contemporary jazz back in the '70s. He was a musician, poet, philosopher and something of a renaissance man, a thoughtful artist of many layers. Now, nearly 35 years after John Klemmer caught the ear of the jazz world with his debut "Touch," Boney James reminds us of why so many of us were entranced by the tune in the first place.

Jessy J - "Tropical Rain"

CD: True Love (Peak)

This is Jessy's much anticipated follow-up to her chart-topping debut, Tequila Moon.

Paul Jackson Jr. - "Easy Like Sunday Morning"

CD: Lay It Back (Branch)

Paul is one of the busiest first-call studio musicians on the left coast, and no wonder. The late Luther Vandross dubbed him "The Picasso of Guitar" for his uncommon abilities on the six-string. Here, Paul delivers the old Commodores' song that's ideal for our new Sunday Brunch channel.

Jackiem Joyner - "I'm Waiting For You"

CD: Lil' Man Soul (Artistry)

Virtually unknown back when he was touring with Marcus Johnson and Bobby Lyle from 2001 to 2004, Jackiem is establishing himself as a rising solo star of Smooth Jazz. This is his breakthrough CD.

Dave Koz - "And Then I Knew"

CD: Dave Koz Greatest Hits (Capitol)

You won't want to miss the Smooth Jazz concert event of the year, Dave Koz & Friends' Smooth Jazz Christmas, coming to the Auditorium Theater December 5. Dave will be bringing the original group with him: Rick Braun, Peter White, David Benoit and Brenda Russell. Tickets will go on sale September 19 at Ticketmaster.com.

Phillip Martin - "Realization"

CD: Realization (Zephryn)

It's new talent coming into Smooth Jazz that will guarantee the future of the genre, and Phillip, a native Hoosier, shows great promise on his latest CD.

Paul Taylor - "Burnin'"

CD: Burnin' (Peak)

Seems like just yesterday Paul was making his Chicago debut at the House of Blues as a member of Keiko Matsui's traveling band. Here in 2009, he's firmly established as a groove master whose live performances have raised the bar for passion and romance.

Enjoy!

Rick O'Dell

Operations Manager, ChiTownSmoothJazz.com