Seminal jazz-funk keyboardist Jeff Lorber released his sixteenth album today, his first for Narada Jazz. "Philly Style" captures the multihued sounds of Lorber's hometown of Philadelphia through compositions that are funky, jazzy, soulful, cosmopolitan, colorful, uplifting, soothing, intimate and lyrical without words, much like the historical city itself. Lorber launched the album release by performing on today's "The Caroline Rhea Show," which was televised nationally. The first radio single from the collection, "Gigabyte," continues to be amongst the most added tracks at smooth jazz radio and appears headed to the top of the charts.

Lorber produced "Philly Style" along with fellow Philadelphian Steve Dubin (Peter White, Richard Elliot), composed or co-wrote nine songs and recorded a cover version of hip hop outfit The Goodie Mob's "Soul Food." A meticulous orchestrater, Lorber filled the tracks up with the guitars of Tony Maiden (guitarist from Rufus), the bumping bass of Alex Al, the beats of drummer and Philadelphian "Little John" Roberts, the rhythmic swatches of Lenny Castro (percussion), and a robust, warm horn section lead by Jerry Hay. Sax aces Richard Elliot and Gary Meek make guest appearances. In addition to "Gigabyte," other standout cuts include the album opener "Under Wraps"; the urbane energizer "Philly Style"; the sophisticated sweetness of "Laissez Faire"; the aggressive, go for broke "Step On It"; the gentle and beautiful "When She Smiles"; and a fusionistic journey to "Serpentine Lane."

In the mid- to late 1970s, Lorber helped pioneer a contemporary sound that was all about the groove. It was jazzy R&B or funky jazz. When he first came upon the scene, Lorber fronted a band that topped the charts numerous times. Over the course of fifteen albums, the Grammy-nominated artist has risen to prominence as a bandleader, solo artist, musician, producer, songwriter and arranger. He's played with the finest artists in popular music and is mentioned alongside the likes of Grover Washington Jr., Herbie Hancock and George Duke in terms of the influence he had in forging and shaping a musical genre. Classically trained, Lorber's piano and keyboards voice is genre defying; his compositions have landed on the jazz, R&B/hip hop, pop and dance charts. Since launching his solo career in 1991, he has had three Top 10 albums (one went all the way to #1) and his last album spawned two #1 singles. Longevity and consistency are as much a part of Lorber's legacy as is his audacious approach to jazz and R&B.

Look for Lorber to hit the concert trail with his band in the coming months.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 21, 2003
Contact: Rick Scott 310.398.0260
email: greatscottpr@pacificnet.net

Keyboardist to Release His Narada Debut Album on March 11

Keyboardist Jeff Lorber will release his 16th album, "Philly Style," on March 11th. It's his debut collection for the Narada record label. The ten songs that comprise the disc were produced by Lorber and Steve Dubin (Peter White, Richard Elliot). Lorber wrote or collaborated on nine songs, including the first radio single, "Gigabyte," which is powered by a buoyant piano melody and a funky rhythm track that is made electric by a vibrant horn section. Lorber's core backing musicians are rhythm kings Tony Maiden (guitarist for Rufus), Alex Al (bass), Lenny Castro (percussion), "Little" John Roberts (drums) and Jerry Hey (Flugelhorn, horn arrangements). Sax sensation Richard Elliot makes an appearance on the title track. Of interest is Lorber's cover version of The Goodie Mob's "Soul Food," on which Gary Meek serves up some sax and Naila croons the sumptuous chorus.

Lorber's hometown of Philadelphia turned out to be a happy coincidence in the making of the new record. Album co-producer Dubin also hails from Philly as does Roberts, who uses his own brand of drumsticks that he calls "Philly Style," which is what inspired the album title. "When I first came on the scene in the 1970's, Gamble & Huff and Grover Washington Jr. were influential Philly voices in urban, jazz and pop. Today artists like Musiq, Jill Scott, and Floetry prove that Philly continues to breed recording artists of great distinction," said Lorber, who now resides in the Los Angeles area.

As one of the architects of the contemporary instrumental genre today known as "smooth jazz," Lorber is too modest to include his own name amongst other music legends from Philly. His own unique musical voice swirls R&B, jazz, pop and rock into compositions that are accessible to the mainstream yet challenging enough for musical scholars (Lorber is a graduate of the famed Berklee College of Music). Testament to his incredible diversity is the fact that Lorber's records have landed on the national jazz, R&B/hip hop, pop, and dance charts. In 1977, Lorber released a debut album of avante garde jazz with his Grammy nominated band The Jeff Lorber Fusion. After years on the road he disbanded the unit, preferring the serenity of the recording studio where he elected to focus on playing, producing, programming, arranging and engineering. Lorber has recorded with such artists as Kenny G, Herb Alpert, The Isley Brothers, Dave Koz, Karyn White, Gerald Albright, Chris Botti, Manhattan Transfer, Eric Marienthal, Art Porter, Michael Franks, Tower of Power and many, many others. In 1991, Lorber launched his solo career and since then, three of his albums have made it into the Top 10 on the smooth jazz charts, with one hitting #1 ("Worth Waiting For"). Two singles from Lorber's most recent CD, 2001's "Kickin' It," went #1.

The songs contained on Jeff Lorber's "Philly Style" album are:

"Under Wraps"
"Gigabyte"
"Regardless Of"
"Philly Style"
"Soul Food"
"Laissez Faire"
"Step On It"
"Uncle Darrow's"
"When She Smiles"
"Serpentine Lane"