(2004) William Woods - Cobalt Blue


Review:
Pianist and composer William Woods is a radiological oncologist by vocation and talented jazz musician by avocation. Cobalt contains eleven smooth jazz tunes composed by him. The album title has a subtle physician's reference, since it refers to a radioactive substance employed in cancer treatment. Regis Branson, who is associated with Alex Bugnon, Howard Johnson, Najee, and Will Downing, produced the disc. Branson and Woods both contributed to the arrangements. The disc features Woods on piano with Branson adding keyboards, bass, drums, percussion and occasional vocals in the background. Also contributing to the project are soprano saxophonist Vincent Henry, soprano saxophonist Mark Friedman, alto saxophonist Robert DeBellis, and drummer Bernard Davis. The resulting music is an edgy brand of adult contemporary jazz that exists somewhere between a hip Boney James and cerebral David Benoit. The disc starts with the composition "Out of My Hands," betraying a predisposition on the composer's part for rhythmic melody. This trend permeates the whole of this release, a smart and solid approach that makes the music vitally enjoyable and accessible. This recording will appeal to the staunchest contemporary jazz buffs and traditional acoustic heads alike.





Track List:
01. Out Of My Hands
02. Rhythm Song
03. Princess Dreams
04. All Night Long
05. Blue Me Down
06. Absolute Zero
07. Drama Queen
08. No Money Down
09. Reunion Song
10. Small Wonder
11. Tread Lightly


Media Report:
Genre: Smooth Jazz
Country: USA
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits


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