Ultrablue releases Maria in Blue
Ultrablue’s new single, Maria in Blue, was inspired by the classic contemporary jazz legend, Earl Klugh. Ultrablue’s creator, pianist/producer John Smatla, has lovingly created a musical tribute to one of his favorite musical influences on this moody and magical track.
“I remember listening to and falling in love with Earl Klugh’s music on albums like Heart String and Late Night Guitar, says Smatla. “I wanted to capture some of that wonderful nostalgia in a more contemporary soundscape.”
Maria in Blue, a track from the self-titled Ultrablue album, is a joyful trip down memory lane by a rising star on the smooth jazz scene.
This 10-song collection has a sophisticated, late-night feel to match the nighttime Manhattan scene on the CD cover.
A cross between hip, mellow music and dreamy smooth jazz, you can easily imagine a trendy New York City club piping in this stuff.It’s all sublime, especially Philip Hamilton’s floating wordless vocals in One Night With You and the light-Latin vibe combined with Hamilton and Giovanna Moretti’s Portuguese singing in Guilty Pleasures.
Other highlights: Pete Belasco’s smoldering sax in Michel Legrand’s The Summer Knows from Summer of ’42; Randy Brecker’s trumpet and the vocals of R&B group Allure on the samba-ish Soul Candy.
Smatla closes the CD with the beautiful The Sound of Goodbye. A string section enhances the soundtrack-like soaring.
Pictured top: Omar Hakim
…host of the Just Jazz radio show, writer, and occasional voice over artist.
