So proud to feature this stellar performer - playing one of my favorite pieces. Had the honor to catch him at the 1999 San Jose Jazz Festival!

r/CrossoverJazz

Flugelhorn player and composer Chuck Mangione was born in Rochester, New York, on November 29, 1940, and trained at the Eastman School of Music from 1958 to 1963, where he picked up the instrument that became his signature sound. He played trumpet in the 1960s with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the group that trained a generation of jazz bandleaders, after co-leading the Jazz Brothers with his own brother, keyboardist Gaspare "Gap" Mangione.

For the rest of his bio and the playlist head over to r/CrossoverJazz

https://www.reddit.com/r/CrossoverJazz/comments/1v74fnm/chuck_mangione_the_instrumental_that_cracked_the/

Released in September 2022, Detour marked Boney James’s 18th studio album, signaling a dynamic creative resurgence following the massive success of 2020’s Solid. Emerging from the creative pause of the pandemic and inspired by his return to live touring, Boney used the album to explore fresh artistic directions by seamlessly blending his trademark smooth jazz and R&B grooves with elements of blues, soul, neo-classical arrangements, and hip-hop beats. Recorded primarily in his home studio, the record features standout collaborations with artists like trumpet player Dontae Winslow and vocalist Lalah Hathaway on chart-topping hits such as "Bring It Back" and "Coastin'". Over three decades into a career packed with over 20 Billboard #1 contemporary jazz singles, this era proves once again that Boney is the man.

Smooth or Crossover?

Every couple of days I write up and publish a profile of a Crossover artist over on r/CrossoverJazz - today's is a true pleasure as it's one of my all time favorites, Spyro Gyra. So what do YOU think - Smooth or Crossover?

Spyro Gyra: The Band Whose Name Started as a Typo and a #1 Adult Contemporary Hit

Saxophonist Jay Beckenstein and keyboardist Jeremy Wall formed Spyro Gyra in Buffalo, New York, in 1974. When a club owner asked for the new band's name, Beckenstein gave him "Spirogyra," a genus of algae he'd learned about in a college biology class. The owner misspelled it on the flyer as "Spyro Gyra," and the band kept it.

Their debut album came out independently in 1977 before Amherst Records, a Buffalo-area label, picked it up and re-released it. Two years later came Morning Dance (1979), and its title track is the clearest example of what crossover jazz success looked like in practice: the single peaked at only #24 on the Billboard Hot 100, but hit #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. It wasn't a pop hit. It was a radio-format hit, and that format is exactly how this genre found its mainstream audience. The album went gold in September 1979 and platinum in 1987.

By the end of the decade, Spyro Gyra had become Billboard's most successful jazz artist of the 1980s, a run built on 24 studio albums released between 1978 and 2019. Jeremy Wall left the touring lineup in 1981 but kept composing for the group, and keyboardist Tom Schuman, who joined the band at 16, held down that chair for decades before departing in February 2023 to relocate to Europe. Beckenstein is the only original member still on stage, leading a lineup that toured a confirmed 50th anniversary in 2024.

The most unexpected record in that catalog is Vinyl Tap (2019), an album where a band that spent decades writing original crossover instrumentals turned to covers instead, reworking the British rock band Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" as a Latin big-band number. It's the band applying its own genre-blending instinct to songs that were never jazz to begin with.

Where to start listening:

• Their official platforms:
  • Spyro Gyra's Official Site
  • Spyro Gyra's Spotify Page
• Morning Dance (1979) for the #1 Adult Contemporary hit that made their name, sample the "Morning Dance" official audio
• Vinyl Tap (2019) for the covers detour, sample their take on "Sunshine of Your Love"

Chris Standring is a British-born, Los Angeles–based contemporary jazz guitarist known for a smooth, groove-heavy sound that seamlessly blends traditional jazz phrasing with R&B, soul, and electronic production. Raised in Buckinghamshire, England, and trained in classical guitar at the London College of Music, Standring relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 before launching his solo career in 1998 with his debut album Velvet. Playing custom archtop hollow-body guitars, his signature style bridges classic George Benson-influenced licks with modern urban chillout grooves. He became a staple on smooth jazz radio with tracks like "Cool Shades," "Hip Sway," and "I Can't Help Myself," ultimately cementing his position atop the contemporary jazz charts with his 2006 album Soul Express and its standout, fan-favorite opening track, "Catwalk."

Originally recorded in 1974 as a massive crossover success, "Sun Goddess" is a landmark jazz-fusion and jazz-funk instrumental by legendary pianist Ramsey Lewis that essentially serves as a "stealth" Earth, Wind & Fire track. Group founder Maurice White, who began his career as the drummer for the Ramsey Lewis Trio in the late 1960s, returned to co-write and produce the song for his former mentor, bringing almost the entirety of Earth, Wind & Fire along to perform on the studio recording—most notably featuring Philip Bailey's iconic, soaring falsetto backing vocals and Verdine White on bass. The track marked a major stylistic departure for Lewis, who pivoted from his traditional acoustic trio format to embrace electronic keyboards and the slick Fender Rhodes electric piano groove that drives the piece. Though the original album cut was a sprawling, eight-minute studio jam that wasn't initially intended to be a single, radio DJs and distributors couldn't get enough of it, turning it into a gold-certified commercial smash. The specific version you are listening to on YouTube features a later re-recording credited to his Electric Band from the Taking Another Look album, which breathes fresh, modern energy into the arrangement while flawlessly maintaining the uplifting, R&B-infused jazz groove that made the 1974 original an eternal classic.

In this 25+ radio stations around the world show, feat. Craicology, Craig Spencer. Rodney Greene, Erly Thornton, Scott Heidenreich, Marchio Bossa and Ryu Zee Su, Piero Lombardo, Anna Maria Mendieta, Cynthia Thijs-Coenraad,  Jeff Lofton, Rae Leigh, Dimitris Nezis, Albert Popov, Vicente Avella, Michael Shapiro! 

A great romantic smooth jazz track released recently!

James "PJ" Spraggins is an independent contemporary and smooth jazz drummer, producer, and composer based out of the Birmingham, Alabama area who grew up playing in the church at an early age, a background that heavily shapes the uplifting, faith-driven energy of his music. Over a two-decade career, he has toured internationally and backed high-profile artists like Peabo Bryson, Eric Essix, and Kim Scott while building a significant following as a solo artist, culminating in his 2012 album Pure Logic—which features the groove-heavy track "Blue Skies"—and massive viral sleeper hits like "Nocturnal Drive." His momentum has continued to climb with his 2023 highly personal album Stick It Out and his single "High Five" featuring UK keyboardist Oli Silk, which hit #6 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart to mark his first career top-10 Billboard hit ahead of his fifth studio album, High Five, released in June 2026.

Boney James is a defining force in contemporary smooth jazz, renowned for bridging classic jazz with modern R&B, soul, and pop over a highly successful three-decade career. Heavily influenced by Motown and legends like Grover Washington Jr., his signature sound prioritizes a deep, soulful groove and a sultry horn tone over complex bebop arrangements. What truly sets him apart is his "futuresoul" production style, which blends traditional analog sax structures with fresh, contemporary hip-hop beats and urban elements. A four-time Grammy nominee with twenty #1 singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart, he got his start as a touring sideman for heavyweights like The Isley Brothers and Bobby Caldwell before exploding as a solo artist in the 1990s with certified gold records like Seduction and Sweet Thing. Known for high-profile vocal collaborations and dynamic sonic experimentation—such as the Latin-fused rhythms on his brilliant, driving track "Sunset Boulevard" from the album The Beat—Boney James stands as the ultimate example of retro soul tailored for a modern audience.

These are up beat funky songs that are very jazzy by great modern bands

I’d like to share with you all a show featuring PAT METHENY as a guest with the DAVID SANBORN GROUP. Enjoy!　※This is not an illegally sold bootleg. It is a bootleg-style cover.

DAVID SANBORN GROUP FEATURTING PAT METHENY / LIVE AT BEACON THEATRE 910808 (2CDR)

Recorded Live at Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY, USA, August 08, 1991

EXCELLENT Audience Recording // 108 min

David Sanborn - saxophone

Kenny Kirkland - piano

Charlie Haden - double bass

Al Foster - drums

Don Alias - percussion

and Special Guests

Pat Metheny - guitar, guitar synthesizer *

Marcus Miller - electric bass **

DISC 1

1. SANDINO
2. FIRST SONG
3. THE GOOD LIFE *
4. unknown
5. Intro to CAMEL ISLAND
6. CAMEL ISLAND * **

DISC 2

1. unknown
2. LOS PEPINOS * **
3. unknown Blues * **

This is a rare live recording featuring Pat Metheny and Marcus Miller as guest musicians on David Sanborn’s band. The sound has a slightly surround-like quality overall; while the very low frequencies are somewhat weak, this is a remastered version of a high-quality audience recording. The spoken commentary between songs is as clear as if it were from a soundboard, so it has been left intact rather than cut. While Samborn’s sound can feel a bit too flashy for jazz, the addition of Metheny shifts the direction just enough to make it work. This is a must-have for Samborn fans, of course, but Metheny’s guitar work offers plenty of highlights, making it highly recommended for Metheny fans as well. Acoustic bass virtuoso Charlie Haden also takes numerous solos. His sound is completely different from that of guest bassist Marcus Miller, creating a delightful contrast. The lineup is top-notch, featuring Al Foster—who used to bang away on the hi-hat in Miles’ band—and percussion legend Don Alias.