Trailblazing keyboardist/composer/producer Jeff Lorber revisits a sound he helped pioneer on his latest recording, Galaxy. Following up on his GRAMMY®-nominated 2010 release, Now Is The Time, Lorber again culls from his early catalog but gives a fresh approach to some of his most highly requested compositions, including "Wizard Island," "City," "The Samba" and "The Underground." "Essentially this album is a part two," Lorber says. "It features the same rhythm section, but it's even more into the jazz fusion direction. It's more energetic and the performances are tighter."

Galaxy spotlights 11 originals - all instrumentals - that cover the scope of electrified jazz. The disc opens with "Live Wire" "At over seven minutes long, it's a real powerful, up-tempo song," says Lorber. "It's fun to play and hopefully just as fun to listen to. Yellowjackets' bassist Jimmy Haslip joins him in this 21st century version of the Jeff Lorber Fusion along with saxophonist Eric Marienthal, trumpeter Randy Brecker, percussionist Lenny Castro, guitarists Paul Jackson Jr. and Larry Koonse, and drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl. Haslip also co-produced the album and co-wrote five tunes with Lorber."Live Wire," like most of Galaxy, is a showcase for the work of renowned drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. "We had three days with Vinnie to cut basic tracks," Lorber says. "Basically, he's the best drummer on the planet, so once he lays down his drum parts - which are like the foundation - you're ready to go. His work really inspired the rest of us."

That inspiration also lives on "Big Brother," a tune that recaptures the essence of contemporary jazz, while the soulful and funky "Montserrat" works a groove loosely based on the Police's 1980 hit "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around." While Colaiuta handles most of the drumming on Galaxy, Lorber recruited Dave Weckl to perform on the title track. "Weckl has been on my last three records," Lorber says. "And I love the way he plays." Lorber's look back at jazz fusion is also a look at the present, and to the future, including vibrant reinterpretations of "City," from the Jeff Lorber Fusion's 1980 LP on Arista, Wizard Island (which introduced a young saxophonist named Kenny Gorelick, better known as Kenny G), and "The Underground" featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker, from Lorber's 1993 album on Verve Forecast, Worth Waiting For. The fresh sounds on Galaxy expand the possibilities of where technology is taking music - the old becoming new, the modern becoming post modern. "It's a step up from the last album," Lorber says. "It's more energetic, harder hitting and even more cohesive. This record really takes fusion to another level."

2011 GRAMMY NOMINEE: BEST CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM

More than three decades after his earliest recordings, keyboardist and composer Jeff Lorber has come full circle. His new recording, Now Is The Time, delves back into his early catalog and reinvents some of the most compelling compositions from the Jeff Lorber Fusion heyday. As a result, the artist once again makes a bold statement in the evolution of jazz.

"We all had a vision of what we wanted this record to be," says Lorber, who points to a recent European tour with many of these same musicians - and the positive response that resulted from it - as the primary catalyst for the album. "We wanted a return to the sound of the Jeff Lorber Fusion, but informed by everything I've learned since then. All of a sudden, people seem to be interested in hearing that again. They're ready to hear musicians who can really play, really stretch the envelope with their technique, with their songwriting, and with harmonic structure."

In some ways, Now Is The Time is a culmination of all that has come before - and a nod to the raw energy and enthusiasm that fueled the music of the early days. The set opens with a reinterpretation of Lorber's "Rain Dance," a song that has been sampled by Lil' Kim and other hip-hop artists since the original recording on the Water Sign album in 1979. The combination of vocals by Irene B and trumpet by Randy Brecker - with additional brass by the Blood Sweat & Tears Horns - provides a fresh look at an early Jeff Lorber Fusion classic.

This new incarnation of the Jeff Lorber Fusion includes luminaries like bassist Jimmy Haslip (who co-produced with Lorber and Bobby Colomby), saxophonist Eric Marienthal, trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., and drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl.

Calling this set of refashioned classics Now Is The Time was no accident, says Lorber. The album represents a transition in the artist's creative perspective - one that might well be a reflection of the changes in the audience's perceptions as well. "This record is a clear statement," he says. "It represents a real musical shift toward something a little jazzier, and a little more exciting. The title has a very positive thrust to it, and it evokes a certain sense of being serious and taking charge."

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Jeff Lorber is one of the top jazz-fusion keyboard players of the late 70s & early 80s. He had numerous jazz albums that made the regular Billboard album charts. He still makes albums & even recently won a Grammy. His very first two albums were originally on the Inner City label in 1977. They have never been issued on CD anywhere in the world until now. Soft Space features guest appearances by Chick Corea & Joe Farrell. Wounded Bird. 2008.

After a seven year layoff, feisty veteran funkmaster Lorber steps out from the producer's chair with a fun filled all star project. The keyboardist, best known for his fusion years, has been far from idle during that time, producing for pop ... Full Descriptionjazz sax gods Kenny G and Eric Marienthal, and mixing for U2 and Paula Abdul. His latest lives up to its title...though not resoundingly so. As he did with Marienthal's brilliant Oasis, Lorber divides his keyboard time between punchy, soulful rhythms and mellifluous textures that pour on the romance. Easygoing exercises like "Yellowstone" and the Latin tinged "Punta Del Soul" inspire a cool charm, but it's danceable cookers like "High Wire" and "Jazzery" that keep the disc spiraling. The only track that seems out of step is "Do What It Takes," whose production takes on a dated, 70s Crusaders sheen. Spirited performances surround Lorber's tasty keywork, most notably those of Art Porter, Gary Meek, Dave Koz and Bruce Hornsby.

Over the last decade, noted keyboard whiz Jeff Lorber has helped to fix Los Angeles as the locus of smooth-jazz sound. His geographical musical roots, however, stem from the historic wealth of jazz and soul he heard growing up in Philadelphia. With neo-soul all the rage at home, Lorber shows he's developed the same strain naturally in L.A., as his West Coast crew effortlessly plunders those grooves on "Uncle Darrow's," "Under Wraps," and the too-funky "Regardless Of," featuring singer Naila sounding a lot like Remy Shand. Over the last four releases, Lorber has had no stability with record labels, but in that time the consistent quality of his music has been higher than when he had long-term deals with Arista and Verve. Each record, in fact, has gotten better. This is Lorber at the top of the smooth-jazz game. The ballads here--"When She Smiles," and especially the laid-back "Laissez Faire"--are among the prettiest he's ever written, and of course it wouldn't be a Lorber record without great saxophone performances--and Gary Meek and Richard Elliot both deliver. --Mark Ruffin

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Expanded CD reissue of this 1985 album featuring four bonus remixes. Jeff Lorber is a Jazz Fusion keyboardist who had numerous charting albums in the 1980s on the Arista label. Step By Step reached #90 on the Billboard charts. Wounded Bird.