Throughout the 1970s, Chuck Mangione was a celebrity. His purposely lightweight music was melodic pop that was upbeat, optimistic, and sometimes uplifting…

Jonathan Butler's 22nd studio album, 2014's Living My Dream, showcases the South African-born singer/guitarist/songwriter's distinctive smooth jazz and R&B sound. Joining Butler here are such musical luminaries as bassist Marcus Miller, saxophonist Elan Trotman, guitarist/songwriter Dennis Dodd, Jr., and Butler's daughter, vocalist Jodie Butler, who duets with her father on "Night to Remember." Featured on the album is the song "Be Still," which Butler co-wrote with George Duke prior to the legendary keyboardist's passing in 2013. Also included is the leadoff single "African Breeze," originally written for the 1985 adventure-comedy Jewel of the Nile and reworked with a more contemporary flair by Butler for Living My Dream.

Smooth jazz stalwarts the Rippingtons infuse their trademark brand of instrumental pop with a Latin aesthetic on Wild Card. Once again featuring the lead guitar of Russ Freeman, the Rippingtons deliver a solid collection of mellow contemporary pop and lite jazz that should please longtime fans. Evenly split between R&B-inflected cuts such as the Aretha Franklin hit "Till You Come Back to Me" and Latin tracks including the flamenco-inspired "Spanish Girl" and the salsa-ready "Mulata di Mi Amor," Wild Card is a pleasant listen.

BGO's 2013 double-disc set gathers three late-'70s albums from Tom Scott: 1977's Blow It Out, 1978's Intimate Strangers, and 1979's Street Beat. This is the moment when Scott entered the mainstream, leaving behind his backing band the L.A. Express, and getting progressively pop.

A producer and keyboardist from London, Paul Hardcastle debuted as a solo artist in 1984 and scored the following year with "19," an electro-oriented record featuring news reports and other sources on Vietnam. It became a major hit in his native country; in the U.S., it topped Billboard's club chart. Later, he produced and did remixes for artists such as Ian Dury and Phil Lynott. He continued to sell well in the specialty dance market and occasionally released records as part of the duo Kiss the Sky (with Jaki Graham) while also operating under names like the Def Boys, Beeps International, and Jazzmasters.

Dancing Fantasy partners Curtis McLaw and Chris Williams had previously worked together in the Blue Knights; this particular project was a smooth-jazz variation on their fascination with German synth experimentalists like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Dancing Fantasy started their career at German electronic label IC Digit in 1990. "Worldwide" was inspired by the flow of music around the globe, picking up individual sound-samples (specific to a particular country) on the way. The music is pure Dancing Fantasy with laid back grooves, immersed in rich floating sounds with touches of jazz.

Night Lines (1993). Terry's use of guitar blended with acoustic and synthesized instruments is almost perfect. Local Australian talent at it's best, Terry and his friends have created a wonderful music style with undertones of Deep Forest and Single Gun Theory. This is his third album, and like the others, is hard to find and virtually unheard of in local stores. How can talent like this be overlooked? It is hard to put this music style into a music store category - Ambient Jazz & World Music - don't quite hit the mark, but if you like browsing these sections of your favorite music store you will enjoy this unique experience. What he lacks in height he makes up for in talent.

Thanks to the Latin-inflected title track, Children of Sanchez became another huge hit for Chuck Mangione. The title song even earned him a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, and serious jazz listeners will spot a problem with that award – it was for pop, not jazz. That, of course, is an accurate assessment of Mangione's music, since there isn't much improvisation on the album at all…

Dancing Fantasy partners Curtis McLaw and Chris Williams had previously worked together in the Blue Knights; this particular project was a smooth-jazz variation on their fascination with German synth experimentalists like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Dancing Fantasy started their career at German electronic label IC Digit in 1990, had an overnight success with the debut album „Midnight Blvd.“, that entered Billboards NAC Top 10, songs like „Cry Nature“ and „Voodoo Jammin´“ brought heavy rotation air-play on all important US jazz and new-age radio stations. After the first album's commercial success, the duo continued the studio project with their next release, „California Grooves“ in 1991. This album garnered an even bigger success than their debut - spawning songs like „Good Morning America“ and „Malibu“…

After 25 years of collaboration, Bob James and Nathan East are set to release their debut duo album The New Cool in September on Yamaha Entertainment Group. The New Cool marks new territory for legendary jazz pianist Bob James and bassist Nathan East, who’ve spent decades playing together in contemporary jazz quartet Fourplay but never before as an official duo. “The more I played with Nathan over the course of many live performances and spanning more than 20 years, the more in sync we were whether or not we had the anchor of the drums,” says James. “Something special happens when we only have each other’s notes to play off of, when the music is totally exposed.” Recorded entirely in Nashville, Tennessee, the album is a collection of original material contributed by both James and East, along with a small selection of standards. The duo’s musicianship is laid bare in a soulful reimagining of Irving Berlin’s “How Deep is the Ocean,” while the pair is joined by strings and woodwinds for a surprising take on Willie Nelson’s classic country hit 'Crazy'.

Right from the first play the deliciously smooth sound of Williams' exemplary musicianship exudes from the stereo and his Benson-esque guitar stylings make you want to delve deeper into the improvisational nuances of this oh-too-short offering. Paul Williams is one of the founding members of instrumental group Collaboration and has in the past played the UK gospel scene alongside the likes of Barbara Brooks Thomas, Freddie Kofi and Dorothy Allen. 'Colours Of Joy' is a delightful, mature, well produced and wonderful musical treat - a great taster for anyone who is new to the sound of this talented gospel jazz guitarist.

Wu Hen is the sophomore album from Peckham visionary Kamaal Williams an invitation to elevate to a higher state. Cinematic strings from Miguel-Atwood Ferguson and virtuoso saxophone from Quinn Mason are textural additions that make for a deeper, multi-layered experience than previous releases. Bringing groove back to the forefront, Wu Hen oscillates between celestial jazz, funk, rap and r&b reinforced with the rugged beat-heavy attitude of grime, jungle, house and garage – a self-styled fusion Kamaal describes as Wu Funk.

Although Spyro Gyra's late-'70s instrumental pop chart hit "Morning Dance" is always credited by some for opening doors for the genre that folks would later call smooth jazz, this 16-track compilation - part of GRP's new classic artist collector's series - shows that saxman Jay Beckenstein and company never really fit perfectly into any category. And that's by design. Manager Philip Brennan sequenced these tracks with GRP A&R guy Bud Harner, wisely choosing to make a live version of "Morning Dance" the last track, something of an afterthought, since most of the material here (from 1988 through 1997) is far more challenging and exciting…

Contemporary jazz vocalist and songwriter Carol Duboc "Colored Glasses" is co-produced by jazz legend Jeff Lorber and featuring Grammy nominated Lorber, Jimmy Haslip, Hubert Laws and Eric Marienthal. Signatures from the band included.

Tuck Andress is the instrumental half of the successful Windham Hill guitar and vocal duo Tuck And Patti. On his first solo album Andress's extraordinary technical skills and musical range are given center stage. For sheer virtuosity few guitarists can match his pyrotechnical wizardry. He has developed a unique style that allows him to play lead, rhythm and bass parts simultaneously, often at dizzying speeds, but never sacrificing warmth and sensitivity in the process.