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The album title – the Spanish word for house – is partly inspired by the club in Manchester, England, with the same name that fostered an exciting dance music scene that eventually came to be known as house music. Other guests include Larry Koonse, Paul Jackson, Jr., Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Lenny Castro, David Mann, and more. Co-produced by Lorber and Haslip, Hacienda spotlights eleven tracks, including a brilliant take on the Frank Zappa composition “King Kong,” with Jean-Luc Ponty on violin. These same colors are at the forefront of Hacienda, the new album from the Jeff Lorber Fusion scheduled for release Augon Heads Up, a division of Concord Music Group. In more recent years, the group’s studio efforts such as their 2010 release, Now Is the Time (2010) and Galaxy (2012), influenced by extensive touring throughout Europe and Asia, have been colored with vibrant shades of dance and house music. Since the late 1970s, this contemporary jazz collective has blended elements of jazz, funk, rock, R&B and world music into a distinctive sound that has connected with audiences from a variety of continents, cultures and generations. Keyboardist, composer, and producer Jeff Lorber, heralded as “one of the founding fathers of fusion” (Keyboard), returns with his GRAMMY®-nominated power trio the Jeff Lorber Fusion, featuring bassist/co-producer Jimmy Haslip and saxophonist Eric Marienthal. and Europe.Augrelease features Jimmy Haslip, Eric Marienthal, Jean-Luc Ponty, Larry Koonse, Paul Jackson, Jr., Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Lenny Castro, David Mann and more (international release dates may vary) The album was recorded primarily at JHL Sound in Pacific Palisades, California, with additional recording done at other studios in the U.S.
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David Mann provides horn arrangements and Lenny Castro percussion. Also lending a hand are drummers Ash Soan, Gary Novak and Vinnie Colaiuta saxophonist Gary Meek and guitarists Michael Thompson and Paul Jackson Jr. Step It Up is more inside the Jeff Lorber Fusion box but has some new and interesting twists.”Īssisting the pair in creating those twists is a team of world-class musicians, including two former bandmates of Haslip’s in the award-winning fusion band Yellowjackets: saxophonist Bob Mintzer and guitarist Robben Ford. “That one was a full-on experimental recording. “We were motivated to find a new direction following Hacienda,” adds Haslip. This record puts us back in a more familiar Jeff Lorber Fusion groove while we explore some new uncharted areas.” The title Step It Up, says Lorber, “reflects the music: optimistic, energetic and an attempt to ‘step up’ our game-our compositions, production and improvisation-to the next level. The longtime colleagues also co-produced the recording. The fourth consecutive collaboration between GRAMMY®-nominated keyboardist/composer/producer Jeff Lorber and GRAMMY®-winning bassist/composer/ producer Jimmy Haslip since the two virtuosos reactivated Jeff Lorber Fusion five years ago, Step It Up features 11 new Lorber compositions, several co-written with Haslip. Jeff Lorber Fusion, whose previous release Hacienda was praised for its “impeccable musicianship and deep grooves” by JazzTimes and its “funky, rollicking jams” by All About Jazz, with Step It Up. Release features 11 new tracks co-produced by keyboardist Lorber and his longtime collaborator, bass legend Jimmy Haslip