GRP's generally well-chosen 1991 Collection covers an entire decade of Lee Ritenour releases from Elektra and GRP. As such, those years seem to form a late-'70s plateau descending into a commercial valley by the early part of the '80s and then gradually ascending a slope as Rit's playing grows and deepens in the decade's final years. Some of the high points are the Latin-inflected numbers from Festival ("Latin Lover") and Portrait ("Asa") and two excellent straight-ahead excerpts from Stolen Moments ("24th Street Blues," "Waltz for Carmen"), the latter two with lots of Wes Montgomery-like octave work. And even "Is It You?," Ritenour's pop hit from 1981, comes off as a good, catchy piece of record-making. Recommended for those who only want a sample of Lee Ritenour's voluminous solo output.

Planet Jazz gives the impression that guitarist/keyboardist Ed Hamilton has sublimated more adventurous instincts to stay on target with his handlers' bid for mass appeal. Only occasionally does he hint at having a voice of his own: for example, when executing an unexpected turn of phrase in a high-speed run up the neck or in moments when his jazz, rock, and pop confections coalesce into glimmerings of a direction worthy of further exploration. Overall, though, the focus on this 1996 release is on sweet, hummable hooks rather than swinging improvisation. Still, on a couple of the 12 Hamilton originals here, the young Philadelphian impresses with some nice Wes Montgomery-inspired work.

A Change of Heart is a fairly typical '80s outing by the popular R&B-ish altoist David Sanborn. The main difference from his past work is that the music often uses synthesizers and electronic rhythms to a greater degree than it had previously, but Sanborn's distinctive crying sound was still very much intact. The music is produced by Marcus Miller ("Chicago Song" and "Imogene"), Michael Colina, Ronnie Foster or Philippe Saisse; each of the producers plays keyboards and is responsible for the backgrounds behind the leader.

From one of the most nominated, most in demand artists and winner of 'Best New Artist' 2010 American Contemporary Jazz Awards, comes this revealing portrait of a young lady that has captured the attention and imaginations of fans and critics alike. With three nods, Best New Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Brass Player at this year's Contemporary Jazz Awards the accolades continue. Painted with a broad musical brush, Unscripted'doesn t play by the rules and captures the essence of the deep connection she has with her instrument as she delivers a scintillating palate of moods and flavors worthy a feast for the ears, yet one which will move the heart.

After a feisty live album recorded at Birdland gave this soulful saxman a chance to stretch his straight-ahead chops, the super cool side of Albright came back on this one. Smooth is indeed the operative word here, as this is a tasty if somewhat typical journey through the land of quiet storm and light funk. Albright's sharp, distinctive tone (bearing both melody and unexpected improvisations) heats up a too long series of pleasant but unremarkable melodies and grooves the one instrumental exception being the blazing dual energy provided on "g&lee" by the breezy guitar of Lee Ritenour.

"On The Line" is an in-studio concert. Seriously, read the liner notes! Lee fills the recording with big contemporary jazz names including Dave and Don Grusin on keyboards, Anthony Jackson and Nathan East sharing bass duties, and Ernie Watts on sax. This group then plays the entire set live, direct-to-disc. The album is a mixture of slow balladry, smooth-jazzy contemporary styling and a couple of thumping numbers that will have you trying to anticipate what the band will do next. This is a "must have" for any true Rit fan.

Joe Sample returns to the smooth jazz style of his popular albums Rainbow Seeker, Carmel, and Voices in the Rain on 1983's The Hunter. The keyboardist fills up a studio with like-minded session musicians including trumpeter Tom Browne, horn players Chuck Findley, Jerry Hey, and Ernie Watts, guitarists Dean Parks, David Spinozza, and Phil Upchurch, bassists Abraham Laboriel and Marcus Miller, percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, and drummer Steve Gadd, and sets them loose on some rhythmic tracks with a rock/R&B feel.

A strong representation of the jazz fusion scene got together on July 1991 with this sampling of artists from the GRP label, including frequent jazz-rock collaborator Ernie Watts and David Benoit, master ofia "jazz-lite" style. But guitarist Lee Ritenour is key man here: he calls most of the shots and six of the eight pieces are his, including a fine tribute to early inspiration Wes Montgomery on the "24th Street Blues". For the most part, easygoing and mellow are the watchwords on this program - not surprising, since the players tend to be based in Los Angeles. Ritenour's "Etude" stands out for its creation of atmosphere, and so do Dave Valentin's solo melodic meanderings on a selection of wooden flutes backed by his own vocal effects. All elements considered, the bill is a demonstration of top-drawer musicianship, awareness of contemporary styles and versatility.

Glenn Riley is a Vancouver Canada based bass artist with decades of performing, and writing experience. This smooth jazz album combines many musical elements in a new and interesting way.

B.W.B.'s sophomore album, 2013's Human Nature, features the smooth jazz supergroup's reworkings of songs by the late Michael Jackson. Once again showcasing the talents of guitarist Norman Brown, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, and trumpeter Rick Braun, B.W.B. lay down such Jackson favorites as "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "She's Out of My Life," "Man in the Mirror," and others.

Over a succession of outstanding albums, Boney James has differentiated himself not only by his penchant for sumptuous sensual melody but also for his collaborations with some of the hottest R & B performers around. His latest CD, ‘Contact’ (which was released on March 28) delivers on both counts and, in so doing, confirms Boney is the undisputed master of urban contemporary jazz.

A flexible pianist and keyboardist, Bobby Lyle has long straddled the boundaries between straight-ahead and more commercial forms of jazz. In 1988 he began a long association with Atlantic that resulted in the release of six albums between 1989 and 1997, with Pianomagic, a 1991 album of piano solos, being one of the highlights of his career. Bobby Lyle has remained a highly versatile and valuable keyboardist as both leader and sideman during the new millennium.

Lee Jones self produced this entire album. His style of smooth jazz is groovy yet soothing. Lee plays alto saxophone on the majority of the album with some harmonies by the flute.

Glenn Riley is a Vancouver Canada based bass artist with decades of performing, and writing experience. This smooth jazz album combines many musical elements in a new and interesting way.

It’s been a full quarter-century since a young saxophonist and composer released his debut recording as a leader, Trust. Now, on September 1, 2017, Boney James will release his 16th album, this one titled Honestly. If you sense a direct line between those titles, you’ve already come a long way toward understanding what motivates the four-time GRAMMY nominee and multi-platinum-selling musician.