In her first two releases on the Heads Up label, Philadelphia-raised saxophonist Pamela Williams shows streaks of greatness with her soulful, sensual and touching work. Mentored by the late Grover Washington, Jr., Williams’ 1996 Saxtress, and 1998 Eight Days of Ecstasy, displayed her many varied moods, but Williams' new release Evolution, shows a saxophonist that is ready to blossom. Working with new talent, many record labels control all aspects of a performer's present …

I have always thought that Randy Crawford was the most undiscovered smooth jazz vocalist in the U.S. Most smooth jazz radio stations do not play her releases and I can't understand why they don't. She has always been the most consistent vocalist in the genre today, yet has a stronger following outside the United States. She has already recorded some classic smooth jazz tracks like the cover of Bob Dylan's, "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door," with David Sanborn, "Street Life," with Joe Sample and the Cr …

Keeping up in a conversation with Joyce Cooling is almost as difficult as it would be to match her fabulous guitar work. As I spoke to the smooth jazz artist, several times in typical Cooling fashion, she stopped, changed directions, and left me in the dust as she enthusiastically spoke about some event, person in her life or a place that she has visited. It is with that same enthusiasm that she continues to energize her music career as it finds new roads to travel. We spoke at length about the …

After a lull of over three years, flutist Alexander Zonjic has released his newest CD called Seldom Blues, which is also the name of Zonjic's jazz supper club in downtown Detroit's Renaissance Center. He says, "It opened back in June of 2004 with a lot of fanfare. My friend Bob James came in and Peter White came in and Jeff Lorber came in and Angels Bofill came in and Earl Klugh came in and Tim Bowman came in and Dave McMurray came in and we had quite a night. We got the club up and runni …

During the National Smooth Jazz Awards show in San Diego, co-host Dave Koz said that there is "a brotherhood and sisterhood in smooth jazz that is not found in other genres of music." The performances at the show showed just how true that statement is. From Joyce Cooling and Al Jarreau doing their hit Mmm, Mmm Good to a finale that is just too hard to match, the National Smooth Jazz Awards show showed the reason why packaged concerts featuring a number of smooth jazz headlin