In This Issue: SHOWCASE CD: After Hours - BACK TRAX: Jackson Park - Fifty-Four - I'll Be There - African Sunrise - Alligator Alley - AFTER HOURS: Showcase CD: After Hours - Vibes Alive: Vibist Dirk Richter became serious as a mallet player when he was eight and in his early years, his style and tastes were influenced by greats in the contemporary movement - among them Jean Luc Ponty, Jeff Lorber, and George Duke - as well as by renowned vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. After high school, he met guitarist Randall Crissman while studying at Pasadena City College and they soon began collaborating. For his part, guitarist Randall Crissman, a composer for film and TV has enjoyed credits with several networks having worked on programs such as Oprah and Dancing with the Stars. Together, Richter & Crissman shared in the penning and production credits for the '97 Vibes Alive release, a project that was initially issued 'featuring Dirk Richter'.

With a roster of guests that included high profile players such as Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip and Carlos Vega, that effort proved one of the more pleasant surprises for the year and made a strong case for the vibraphone as a viable lead instrument in smooth jazz! Now perhaps even more surprisingly, eleven years later, the team of Richter and Crissman has re-surfaced! They re-issued their Vibes Alive debut just last year and, borrowing that album title as the band name for their second collaboration, their recently released After Hours sophomore effort is packed with serious grooves and poses a genuine threat to be one of the finest releases for 2008! Featured guests on the project include several alumni from the first album - Jeff Lorber, Luis Conte, and Jimmy Johnson all reprise their appearances - while Gary Meek and Vinnie Colaiuta further enhance the musical ambiance. In the way that time serves to heighten the bouquet of any fine wine, it's abundantly clear from the initial listen, the years have worked a similar magic with music of Vibes Alive! Randall Crissman & Dirk Richter Vibes Alive! Therefore, it's with pleasure that we present Messrs Richter and Crissman as Vibes Alive with After Hours as the focus for our showcase feature!

From that effort, we're starting with a 'welcoming beacon' upon which Jeff Lorber is the featured guest - it's called Lighthouse. The mood-drenched title track opens hour 2, while the luminous track entitled Bright Lights continues to glow as our show fades to a memory. Still, we're not quite done yet, as we conclude our mini-tribute with Walk Away on our own After Hours portion of the show!

So, please join us for this outstanding feature as we come alive to the sounds of Vibes Alive! CD: After Hours Label: Swingding Records Site: Back Trax: Part One. Jackson Park - Ramsey Lewis: With a career that extends back to 1956, Ramsey Lewis has long straddled the various boundaries that separate pop and jazz. Over the years he's issued well over fifty projects under his name alone while beginning back in the 90s he launched a parallel career as a radio announcer - he's twice been recognized as the R&R Personality of the Year and gone on to host two highly popular syndicated programs. Additionally, Lewis is known for his active community efforts on behalf of youth and in that regard in 2005, he formed the Ramsey Lewis Foundation to provide college scholarship opportunities. We're now heading back to Ivory Pyramid - his #7 contemporary jazz album for 1992 and the track Jackson Park with Henry Johnson featured on guitar! CD: Ivory Pyramid (1992) Label: GRP Records Site.

Wayne Paul Alley, John M. Jerry joined the Elementary Education Department faculty at Cal State L.A. In 1960, specializing in the teacher training program. He retired in 1979. He was a member of the Pasadena Pro Musica Chorus and Orchestra, for whom he wrote program notes. He also wrote.

Fifty-Four - Sea Level: A combo that specialized in the unlikely blend of Southern pop/rock vocals and funk-based instrumental fusion, Sea Level was formed in 1976 when the trio of keyboardist Chuck Leavell, bassist Lamar Williams, and drummer Jai Johanny Johanson left The Allman Brothers Band. With guitarist Jimmy Nalls rounding out the original lineup, they issued their self-titled debut the following year and continued to record thru until 1980 with five albums to their credit. On this occasion, we're zipping back to 1978 and On the Edge. From that project, we have the tune Fifty-Four, the opening track, and one that was definitely way ahead of its time! CD: On the Edge (1978) Label: Capricorn Site: Back Trax: Part Two.

I'll Be There - Tim Bowman: In spite of winning a scholarship to the Detroit School of Music, Tim Bowman was working on an automobile assembly line when he was laid off after only a few months. Razer Deathadder Driver Without Synapse. This proved pivotal, as from then on, playing music became his primary focus. Through his sister, he met Marvin Winans, who gave Bowman a call when he needed a guitarist for his group The Winans - that band went on to become the best-selling gospel act of the 80s.

Bowman played with them for six years but left in 1987 in order to spend more time with his family. It wasn't until nearly 10 years later, in 1996, that Tim released his solo debut. He's since issued three additional albums while authoring the quintessential track for the summer of '04 in Summer Groove.

Meanwhile, with the release of album #5 just weeks away, Bowman is rising up the charts with Sweet Sundays his current hit. However, as a bit of a retro look, we're heading to that '96 debut for the track I'll Be There for the track that broke Bowman's blend of smooth and gospel! CD: Love Joy Peace (1996) Label: Insync Site. African Sunrise - Paulinho Da Costa: Perhaps best known as a premiere sessionist, Paulinho Da Costa has been described by Downbeat Magazine as 'one of the most talented percussionists of our time.' Born in Rio de Janeiro, Da Costa discovered his love for percussion early on and in his teens, he travelled the world over playing with a variety of bands. He landed in the USA in 1973 and shortly thereafter, he hooked up with Sergio Mendes and Brasil '77 working with them for a four-year period. With an arsenal of over 200 percussive instruments, Da Costa has taken part in hundreds of record dates with some of the biggest names in the biz from Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, to Madonna, Sting, and Michael Jackson.

Thru radio and TV, Da Costa's talents come into our homes on a daily basis via various commercials - meanwhile his movie credits 'range from the Oscar-nominated The Color Purple to box office hits like Saturday Night Fever.' An innovative composer and producer in his own right, Da Costa has also recorded occasionally under his own name with four solo albums appearing on his resume. From the Sunrise cd, we've selected one of his finest efforts, African Sunrise with Ernie Watts guesting on flute! CD: Sunrise (1987) Label: Pablo Records Site.