Jeff Lorber Fusion

More than 3 decades after making his groundbreaking debut as leader of the pioneering Jeff Lorber Fusion group (which featured Seattle saxophonist Kenny G, then Kenny Gorelick), the Philly-born and bred composer, producer and keyboardist still keeps the vibe fresh and keeps the grooves funky.

On Heard That, Jeff’s highly-anticipated Peak Records debut (set for release June 10), Lorber harkens back to his early-80s Fusion heyday, and collaborates on a series of Pop, jazz, R&B and Blues instrumental tracks with one of Urban jazz’s top hit-makers, producer/keyboardist Rex Rideout.

The disc’s first single is a swinging, bluesy and brassy instrumental twist on Amy Winehouse’s multiple Grammy-winning “Rehab.” Lorber’s instantly infectious romp through “Rehab” was actually added to Heard That at the last minute. “I was just messing around at the piano,” Lorber said, “and realized it would be a good instrumental song, very bluesy, based on a Wurlitzer piano figure, which I included in my version, of course! It all came down very quickly.”

The current touring version, which will so-headline Syracuse Jazz Fest 2010 on Friday June 25th, consists of Jeff Lorber on keys, and four stellar sidemen and session players that are each bona fide stars in their own right. The group includes Los Angeles saxophonist Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea Elektric Band), fellow Los Angelino and charter Yellowjackets and longtime Jackson Browne bassist Jimmy Haslip, and two of the New York jazz scene’s top veterans in fellow Philadelphian and trumpeter Randy Brecker (Frank Zappa, Blood Sweat and Tears, Frank Sinatra, Brecker Brothers) and drummer Lionel Cordew (Special EFX, Mike Stern, Roberta Flack, Gino Vannelli, Cassandra Wilson).

After recording 11 albums from 1977 to 1994, Lorber’s Pop Jazz releases, including his signature and seminal Water Sign (1979) West Side Stories (1994), State of Grace (1996) and Midnight (1998), all charted well and established him as one of the genre’s Top artists. On his later projects, such as Kickin’ It (2001), Philly Style (2003) and 2005’s Grammy-nominated Flipside, the keyboardist partnered with producer Steven Dubin. Leaning more toward straightahead jazz on his 2007 date, He Had a Hat (which earned him his third Grammy nomination), Lorber teamed with legendary Blood, Sweat & Tears drummer Bobby Colomby.

Eager to return to his trademark R&B sound for the new disc, Lorber sought out Rideout, who has lent his Midas touch over the past 10 years to a virtual Who’s Who of Contemporary Jazz and Soul artists.

For Heard That, Lorber said, “I wanted to get back to more of a hard-hitting, focused, funky, multi-keyboard approach that would be totally today yet also have some of those jamming fusion flavors and jazzy chord changes like one of my classic songs, ‘Tune 88’ from 1979’s Water Sign, which is one of my favorite old albums. Songs on Heard That like ‘The Bomb,’ ‘Night Sky’ and ‘Gamma Rays,’ are heavily influenced by these kind of fun, jazzy chord changes.”

Syracuse Jazz Fest director Frank Malfitano and Lorber reconnected via email last year, which eventually led to Malfitano catching the band’s 2010 APAP Music Industry Conference showcase this past January at the legendary SOB’s nightclub in New York’s Soho. “Randy Brecker knew I was coming to the City for the annual booking conference, and he shot me an email telling me that he was going to be playing with Jeff during APAP and that Eric Marienthal was going to be there. That was all I needed to hear. I was there the next night! And the band was awesome” said Malfitano. “Jeff’s upcoming headline appearance at Jazz Fest 28 is long overdue, and it’s been far too long between visits, but it’s one that’s highly anticipated that we’re very excited about. And he’s playing better than ever with a supergroup that’s filled with first call session players that are going to knock people’s socks off. This is an awesome band!”