JAZZ

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 6:30PM

A Smooth Cruise Double Bill!

THE SMOOTH CRUISES ARE BACK!

New York’s favorite summer jazz series is coming back – its 11th year on board The Spirit of New York cruise ship at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St.)!

These great LIVE JAZZ concerts take place on The Spirit of New York, as you cruise the beautiful, scenic Hudson River. Enjoy some of your favorite artists as you sail past the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. This summer will feature 10 great evenings with the world’s best jazz artists. Every Wednesday evening, starting July 1 and ending September 2.

The Smooth Cruises sell out fast. So get your tickets now!

ALEX BUGNON
Alex Bugnon has created one of the most recognized styles in today’s contemporary jazz piano. It is a sultry mixture of contemporary jazz, funk, and R&B with hints of gospel.

Nephew of trumpeter Donald Byrd, Bugnon grew up going to the Montreux Jazz Festival in his hometown in Switzerland. Playing classical piano starting at age 6, the young musician attended the Paris Conservatory of Music for two years, before moving to the U.S. to attend the Berklee School of Music. He spent four years working as a session musician in New York, backing urban and jazz performers such as Patti Austin, Freddie Jackson, James Ingram, and Keith Sweat. Signed to Orpheus Records, he released his debut album, Love Season, in 1989. It reached the pop charts and the Top 40 of the R&B charts, as did its follow-up, 1990’s Head Over Heels. The subsequent three album releases all placed in the R&B charts and after five years away from recording under his own name, Bugnon signed to the jazz division of Narada Records, and his sixth album, Alex Bugnon…As Promised, reached the contemporary jazz charts. He followed in 2001 with Soul Purpose.

His latest album, FREE, reunites him with Atlanta based keyboardist and producer Phil Davis. This album is a refreshing blend of exotic rhythms with haunting, soulful melodies and the signature Alex Bugnon piano sound.

PAUL TAYLOR
The unstoppable phenomenon of saxophonist Paul Taylor reached a fever pitch in 2004—“Steppin’ Out,” the irrepressible title track from his 2003 Top Ten Billboard Contemporary Jazz album, became Radio & Records’ third biggest genre airplay cut of the year. He then toured the U.S. as a featured performer with the all-star “Groovin’ For Grover” lineup (including Jeff Lorber, Richard Elliot and Gerald Albright). In 2005, Taylor celebrated ten years since the release of his debut album On The Horn with his fourth Peak Records recording Nightlife—an ultra-seductive soul jazz date featuring more of the irresistible elements that made Steppin’ Out an urban instrumental classic: unforgettable hooks, funky alto sax in addition to his well known soprano, explosive grooves and live, sizzling horn textures.

Paul Taylor grew up in Denver, where he took up the saxophone at the age of seven. He played in school bands, and in high school joined a Top 40 band called Mixed Company. Jazz keyboardist Keiko Matsui and her husband, producer Kazu Matsui, discovered him playing at the Catalina Island Jazz Festival and hired him to play in their band. He spent two years with them, and then Kazu Matsui produced his 1995 debut album, On the Horn, which reached the jazz charts and spawned a radio hit in “Til We Meet Again.” Pleasure Seeker, his second album, followed in 1997 and was equally successful. Taylor quickly found his own niche in the smooth jazz world, and after over a decade of musical success, he continues to share his talents on tour today.