| | Steve Oliver Positive Energy CD Steve Oliver Discography of CDs
 (6 Customer Reviews)
Contemporary jazz guitarist and vocalist Steve Oliver offers something everyone will enjoy on his sophomore release as a leader, titled Positive Energy. The recording reflects Oliver's smooth, upbeat, joyous spirit through dynamic vocals and instrumentals on 12 brand-new originals. Working with Steve Oliver are such prominent contemporary jazz favorites as his labelmate, Jeff Kashiwa, on saxophone and Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman alongside the multi-talented bassists Brian Bromberg and Larry Antonino. The recording opens with the radio-friendly "High Noon," the first single to be released from the CD. The song combines the freshest licks from Latin funk and the smoothest grooves from smooth jazz in an energetic presentation with a contemporary flair. Oliver's vocals set the song apart from the instrumentals on the set and give his listeners more than enough room to enjoy the "positive energy" emanating from his playing style. On the title track, Steve Reid adds his mighty percussion to the mix and not only provides an extra layer of rhythmic fuel, but inspires Oliver's excellent guitar playing to another level of performance. Oliver's ability to tell a story is quite evident on the vocal version of "Show You Love." This song has the potential to cross over to the R&B genre due to its funky backbeat and danceability and is reprised as an instrumental, with Brandon Fields' smooth tenor sax as the lead voice, to close the set. Positive Energy has no problem meeting the standards set by Oliver's 1999 debut, First View, and should garner additional smooth jazz and groove fans for Oliver. In the making for nearly three years, the new musical dimensions added by the guest stars, the romantic and sometimes-funky celebratory vibe, and Oliver's excellent musicality make Positive Energy another great opportunity to hear what Steve Oliver is all about. ~ Paula Edelstein BIOSteve Oliver's jubilant and growing legacy continues in 2009 with the re-release of his second studio album Positive Energy, originally released in 2002. Steve's unique mix of colorful acoustic guitar melodies, wild vocal percussion and frequent transformation into a human drum machine often weakens the resistance of even the hardest cynic of scat. It's been his trademark since he toured with Steve Reid's Bamboo Forest in 1996. Oliver creates a synergy with his audience in both small intimate venues or on large festival stages. He began using vocals simply attempting to convey musical notes and opening beats to his fellow musicians in the studio. He tried it once in a live setting, and a new sound was born. In all of this is brought to you by the power of Positive Energy, the bright side of the street approach to life in it's re-release, which hit the Billboard Top 20 and ranked #1 on the year end list of the fifty most played recordings throughout Canada in 2003, according to smoothjazzcanada . Steve was also named Best New Artist and Best Guitar Player the same year. The Smash hit 'High Noon," reached #3 on the Radio & Records smooth jazz airplay chart in the U.S. and was one of the most played songs of the year in the format. Oliver explored at an early age with his guitar and blurred the boundaries between pop jazz, progressive rock to Latin funk. You'll hear the Latin influence in the opening track 'High Noon' and especially the tongue-in-cheek-titled 'Festevo,' a tropical jam featuring a live horn section with Donato and label mate Jeff Kashiwa. The R&B element is ever-present as well with the trip-hoppy moodiness of 'Day's End' and the shuffle groover 'Mr. Hipster' (with keyboardist Scott Wikie on Rhodes) and 'Right Direction' digging deeper than Steve's gone before. Fans of First View's gorgeous vocal 'I Know' will find a similar caress in 'Come on Home. ' The bonus track 'My Flamingo: pops with the passion Oliver is known for. Not surprisingly, Steve says that when he's writing new songs, he's thinking of one thing how his fans will like it.JazzTimes (9/02, p.108) - "...A charming and easily likable one. With his dexterous playing, knack for creating catchy melodies and unusual, highly flexible vocal accents Oliver had crafted an engaging collection of compositions..." Steve Oliver Positive Energy Songs Positive Energy Music Review Purchase Positive Energy CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Steve Cole Ny La CD (2003)
Positive Energy songs
 $9.29   (MP3 Available for Download)
| | Gregg Karukas Heatwave CD (2002)
Positive Energy album
$11.89 
| | Peter White Confidential CD (2004)
Positive Energy CD music
$7.59 (MP3 Available for Download)
| | Steve Oliver 3-D CD (2004)
Positive Energy MP3 Album
$14.45  (MP3 Available for Download)
As one reviewer said of the cheerful music and personality of this increasingly popular voice of smooth jazz guitar, it's Disneyland all the time with him. In other words, Positive Energy, the name of his second genre disc, wasn't just a happy marketing tool. And the title of this disc is appropriate, too, because with the co-production help of founding Spyro Gyra ...
| | Brian Culbertson It's On Tonight CD (2005)
Positive Energy music CDs
$11.99 (MP3 Available for Download)
With its seething, laid-back funk beats and steamy lyrics full of obvious references to romantic ...
| | WCBS-FM 101: The Millennium's Greatest Hits Vol. 1 CD (1999)
Positive Energy songs
$12.29
Also available as part of the deluxe box set WCBS-FM 101: THE MILLENNIUM'S GREATEST ...
| | Maxwell Street Klezmer Band Old Roots New World CD (2002)
Positive Energy album
$15.39
Almost anything one writes about klezmer music sounds a bit serious. Originating from Eastern Europe, klezmer, or Jewish folk music, features clarinet and fiddle, but can also include tuba, trumpet, saxophone, flute, piano, percussion, and vocals. This information, however, fails to convey how much fun a group like the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band can be. Eclectic and occasionally outrageous, the 17-member band is bursting at the buttons with intensity. With bouncy instrumentals like "A Lively Honga" and happy vocals like "Play, Fiddle, Play/Yidl With the Fiddle," Old Roots New World reminds one of a cross between John Philip Sousa and cabaret. Kimber Leigh Nussbaum handles most of the vocals and her theatrical style on pieces like "Congratulations, Bride and Groom" captures the joyful spirit of a wedding celebration. Violinist Alex Koffman has done a fine job of providing lively arrangements for many of these songs and instrumentals, which must have been quite a task with all the musicians involved. The band does have a serious side, though it's easy to overlook it amidst so much excitement. A quiet, reflective "Leah's Saraband" crosses folk and classical traditions, while the lyric of "Springtime" recalls the Holocaust and how one woman attempts to continue with her life after the murder of her husband. The album ends with the ambitious "Klezmer Rhapsody for Violin," a 17-minute instrumental with multiple phases ranging from ecstatic to thoughtful. With Old Roots New World, the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band deliver an album that captures the band's abundant energy and versatility. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.
Named to recall the carnival atmosphere of Chicago's historic Sunday morning Jewish marketplace, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band was founded in 1983 by vocalist Lori Lippitz. In 1990, one year after his immigration to the United States, Alex Koffman joined the band as violinist and musical director. Since then, Maxwell Street has entertained throughout the US, including their Carnegie Hall premier in 1998, and toured eight times in Europe. The band has recorded four CDs (Shanachie ...
| | Pachora Astereotypical CD (2003) (Import)
Positive Energy CD music
$17.99 (MP3 Available for Download)
Although Chris Speed, Brad Shepik, Skuli Sverrisson, and Jim Black have reputations as out jazz cats, they are keenly interested in the traditional musics of regions from the Balkans down to the Mediterranean and across to the Middle East. Since forming Pachora in the late '90s, they have used this particular band ...
| | Donny Hathaway These Songs For You, Live! CD (2004)
Positive Energy MP3 Album
$8.59 (MP3 Available for Download)
| | Seventh Day Slumber Picking Up The Pieces CD (2003) Bonus Tracks; Remastered; Enhanced CD
Positive Energy music CDs
$11.15 (MP3 Available for Download)
| | Ella Fitzgerald Songbook CD (2006) (Import)
Positive Energy songs
$10.49
| | Jenni Rivera Besos Y Copas Desde Hollywood CD (2006)
Positive Energy album
$12.05 (MP3 Available for Download)
| | Gucci Mane Back To The Traphouse CD (2007) Edited
Positive Energy CD music
$15.65
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