Steve Cole will be having his Moonlight CD release party at Club 303 (303 SE Mizner Blvd.) in Royal Palm Place on Friday, June 17th.
With five CDs in his catalog for Atlantic, Warner Brothers and Narada Jazz, Cole has kicked off a new multiple-album deal with Mack Avenue Records/Artistry Music by releasing Moonlight, a collection of classic pop songs and standards set against an orchestral backdrop. Although the Chicago-bred saxophonist and one third of The Sax Pack (with Jeff Kashiwa and Kim Waters) has racked up countless contemporary jazz hits and called his previous solo CD True, there’s no doubt he’s expressing his truest heart on this lushly orchestrated collection of uniquely chosen pop classics.
“At this point in my career it was important to document something that will be as relevant 10 to 20 years from now as it is today – and it’s quite possible we may have accomplished just that” – Steve Cole.
Drawing on his classical sax chops and working with Windy City based orchestrator and arranger Michael Cunningham and The Millenium Chamber Players of Chicago, with this new CD Cole translates passion into seduction, drawing on a unique array of influences from different eras – Burt Bacharach, The Beatles, Sarah McLachlan, James Taylor, The Guess Who and John Williams. The project includes such iconic songs as the Bacharach & David penned The Look of Love, folk songs Cry Me a River,Shenandoah, The Long and Winding Road (Beatles), Undun (Guess Who) and Close Your Eyes (James Taylor) to name a few. In addition to the strings, the arrangements include tastefully placed harp, woodwinds and tempered brass. The supporting rhythm section is comprised of Mike Logan (Will Downing) on keyboards, Russell Ferrante (Yellowjackets) piano and Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group) on bass. The string arrangements were provided by the very talented composer/arranger Michael Cunningham.
“This saxophonist is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz, having sold hundreds of thousands of albums worldwide and scored four #1 R&R Smooth Jazz hits, and we are delighted that he has chosen to come to Boca Raton to celebrate the release of Moonlight”, said Jacqui Wyatt, Director of Marketing for Investments Limited and creator of the Royal Palm Place Jazz Series. “Since we debuted the series back in November of last year, we’ve had incredible talent come to our beautiful City…Marc Antoine, Jeff Kashiwa, Matt Marshak, Shilts, Nate Najar, Brian Simpson, Will Donato and Marcus Anderson…and now the fabulous Steve Cole is coming here for his only South Florida performance. Life is good!”