Rating:
Genre: Jazz
Release Date: 04/03/2007

A sophisticated showcase for his varied jazz styles, Jeff Lorber's He Had a Hat finds the pianist moving from softly funky pop-jazz numbers to a few straight-ahead swingers. Always an urbane and tasteful musician, Lorber has often found a good balance between contemporary pop oriented material and more cerebral improvisational cuts, and He Had a Hat is a prime example of this duality. To these ends, tracks like the title cut and the frenetic "Surreptitious" evince a kind of Tower of Power meets Brecker Brothers funk. Fittingly, trumpeter Randy Brecker adds his supple chops to the latter track. Similarly engaging big-band numbers like "All Most Blues" and the afterglow ballad "Orchid" bring to mind both early- and late-period Miles Davis, respectively. Also joining Lorber here are a bevy of name artists including trumpeter Chris Botti, vocalist Paula Cole, saxophonist Gerald Albright, and many others.This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

~Matt Collar, All Music Guide

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Gerald Albright - Sax (Alto)
Brian Bromberg - Bass
Hubert Laws - Flute
Jeremy Lubbock - Orchestration
Tom Scott - Sax (Alto)
Tom Scott - Orchestration
Tom Scott - Horn Arrangements
Tom Scott - Horn Section
Bob Sheppard - Sax (Tenor)
Jeff Lorber - Keyboards
Jeff Lorber - Engineer
Jeff Lorber - Horn Arrangements
Jeff Lorber - Mixing
Jeff Lorber - Soloist
Jeff Lorber - Horn Engineer
Russell Malone - Guitar
Richard Todd - French Horn
Paula Cole - Vocals
Alex Al - Bass
Chris Botti - Trumpet
Randy Brecker - Trumpet
Randy Brecker - Orchestration
Randy Brecker - Horn Arrangements
Lenny Castro - Percussion
Lenny Castro - Tambourine
Vinnie Colaiuta - Drums
Bobby Colomby - Producer
Bobby Colomby - Horn Arrangements
Steve Durnin - French Horn
Larry Goetz - Assistant Engineer
Larry Goetz - Assistant
Gary Grant - Trumpet
Bud Harner - Management
Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar
Kevin Killen - Engineer
Abraham Laboriel - Drums
Bob McChesney - Trombone
Teddy Mulet - Trumpet
Teddy Mulet - Flugelhorn
Teddy Mulet - Orchestration
Teddy Mulet - Horn Arrangements
David Rideau - Engineer
Bob Shepard - Flute
Bob Shepard - Flute (Alto)
Tom Timko - Saxophone
Dave Weckl - Drums
Kirk Whalum - Sax (Tenor)
Kirk Whalum - Horn Section
Bobby Columby - Producer
Bobby Columby - Orchestration
Eric Benet - Vocals
Chris Bellman - Mastering
Carla Leighton - Art Direction
Carla Leighton - Design
Gordon Jee - Creative Director
Steve Jankowski - Trumpet
Steve Jankowski - Flugelhorn
Jeff Bender - Photography
Adam Barber - Orchestration
Adam Barber - Copyist
Eli Wolf - A&R
Ada Rovatti - Sax (Tenor)
Josh Gold - Product Manager
Craig Gosnell - Trombone (Bass)
John D Mitchell - Clarinet (Bass)
Paul Rayner Brown - Guitar
Paul Rayner Brown - Mixing
Keith Karwelies - A&R

Love's Melody
    Kim Waters / CD / 1998
Decisions
    Wayman Tisdale / CD / 1998
Urban Knights III
    Urban Knights / CD / 2000
Nightlife
    Paul Taylor / CD / 2005
Altered State
    Yellowjackets / CD / 2005
Looking Up
    Gregg Karukas / CD / 2005
PopJazz
    Warren Hill / CD / 2005

Release Date: 04/03/2007
Genre: jazz