The Buzz

“The former frontman for the funk-fortified Down to the Bone and groove jazz specialist, Shilts has signed with nuGroove for the release of his new CD, “Jigsaw Life”

Paul “Shilts” Weimar originally hails from London, England and has been playing saxophone since his early teens. His career has spanned all forms of jazz, soul, rock and pop music. He has toured all over the world and performed with a host of international artists, such as The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, Peter White and many more. Eventually, Shilts became the most visible and identifiable member of the UK jazz group Down To The Bone. In his eleven years with the group, he remained excited by creating a separate identity for himself. He did this with his highly anticipated debut, See What Happens, which earned a 2001 Smooth Jazz Award nomination, followed by his second and highly acclaimed follow up, HeadBoppin. His third and latest release, Jigsaw Life, is a powerful showcase of Shilts’ multitude of performing and composing talents, focusing not only on his tenor brilliance, but also his instantly infectious melodies.

“I’ve been lucky that I’ve played in so many different styles of music…soul, fusion, pop, big band, [and] smooth jazz. I’ve brought all those different styles in this CD. I’ve tried to make each track sound different. The jigsaw to me is different styles of music,” said Shilts.

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Hollywood CA: On May 27, Peak Records released Heroes, the latest album from five-time Grammy nominated pianist/composer arranger and producer, David Benoit

While paying homage to Jazz piano icons Dave Grusin, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver and Dave Brubeck, on Heroes, he also lets fans in on an exciting little secret; he’s an unabashed lover of pop and rock music who was equally influenced by the likes of The Beatles, Elton John, Michael Jackson & The Doors.
Benoit rediscovers his roots with a self-produced, 11-track collection that features his Steinway piano surrounded by the engaging ensemble work of his regular touring band: acoustic & electric bassist David Hughes, drummer Jamey Tate, percussionist Brad Dutz and special guest saxophonist Andy Suzuki.

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When Miles Davis played his trumpet, people came from far and wide to see him perform

One of those attentive listeners would emerge from the floral landscapes of Holland and come onto the world stage like a runaway train that refuses to be stopped. Born on July 31, 1959 in Amsterdam, Saskia Laroo has been an unstoppable force since she set her mind on playing the trumpet professionally. She has honed her chops performing a gamut of intimate jazz clubs and festivals located around the world from the cities of Japan, Asia and South America to the environs of Eastern, Central and Western Europe and the U.S.A. She has played concerts both as the leader of her own bands, which has included The Saskia Laroo Band, Jazzkia and Salsa-Bop, and as a special guest on other artists’ bill. Through it all, Saskia Laroo has shifted with the turns that modern jazz has taken, and has shown sheer endurance in her drive. Today, Saskia Laroo is the owner of The Laroo Label and continues to be a tremendous live performer and recording artist.

The music of Davis made a lasting impression on Laroo, whose debut album with The Saskia Laroo Band, It’s Like Jazz in 1994, and her sophomore release with them, Bodymusic in 1998, incorporated Davis-esque improvisations paired with a combination of mainstream jazz, free-style progressions, eclectic etchings, and Latin flavored grooves. It’s been fourteen years since Laroo released her first album and she still shows the same unstoppable drive she had then with the release of her fifth studio album, Really Jazzy, put out by her own label. Joining Laroo on the recording of Really Jazzy are keyboardist/singer/co-arranger Warren Byrd, guitarist Zoran Jager, drummer Ronald Wright, rappers Stewlocks (aka Andy Ninvalle), Firestorm (aka Iven Naipal) and Phantom (aka Nana Barimah), beatboxer/mouth harpist/dijeridoo player Eyesful (aka Sebastian William), and a number of special guests. Laroo sings on the recording and plays trumpet, saxophone and upright bass.

Her playing on Really Jazzy is highly emotive and shows creativity that is both inherent and influenced by world music visionaries like Davis. She integrates a beefy horn sound along the melodic folds and delivers a series of slinky twirls that bookend the vocals. She varies the horn patterns from edgy hypnotic twitching to placid wavelets. Unquestionably, her performance on Really Jazzy never ceases to astound the listener. Jazz music is one big party to Saskia Laroo and her jams are an inviting assembly of jazz standards, rap, hip-hop, R&B/pop, funk, chamber music, Latin jaunts, and a plethora of dance grooves. Laroo is a stylist whose musings are infectious and modern while steep in jazz histrionics. Her journeys are chronicled in her albums, and her latest release Really Jazzy is but another threshold that she is passing through and brings to the world stage.

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