One inspiration for the title of bassist Nathan East's second album for Yamaha – third if the Grammy-nominated Bob James collaboration The New Cool is counted – was the passing of Maurice White. The Earth, Wind & Fire leader is twice paid explicit tribute on Reverence. First, there's a faithful version of "Love's Holiday," featuring Philip Bailey in support, with East's bass in White's lead role during the verses. A slick "Can't Hide Love" fake-out and some other references are in the mix, too. Additionally, "Serpentine Fire" gets an ornate update with Bailey and EW&F partners Verdine White and Ralph Johnson. Phil Collins' drums and Eric Clapton's guitar are dredged from the master recording of an abandoned project, lost for 25 years, that was found in Patti Austin's basement by East's engineer.

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'.

This is a snapshot of Al Jarreau a few years after achieving pop stardom, caught live before a large crowd at London's Wembley Arena. In contrast with the lean, dynamically subtle backup band on the earlier live Look to the Rainbow, here Jarreau arms himself with a flashy, heavily electronic R&B/funk band with horns, and subtlety often goes out the window in favor of high-energy showmanship. Unlike his studio albums from this period, though, this concert allows him a little bit of room to display glimpses of his famous vocal acrobatics. The set starts with a burst of high-tech pizzazz on "Raging Waters" and "Black and Blues" and ultimately settles into a partying groove with "Roof Garden" and "We're In This Love Together."

Norwegian smooth jazz composer Tom Hansen has produced a vocal album dedicated to Earth, Wind & Fire, Al Jarreau, Chicago, Michael McDonald and others. This is my 6th work, and it was my first appearance in Japan from [Light Mellow Searches] supervised by me. Contains 19 songs, which is rare these days. You can listen to the finest AOR ~ Blue Eyed Soul ~ Fusion until you're full.