(Smooth Jazz / Pop-Jazz / Guitar) Steve Oliver :: Discography (1999-2020) 12 CD [& Brian Simpson] [MP3.320kbps.CBR]

Guest Artists:
- Steve Reid, Paul Taylor, Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Stone
Credits:
- Produced by Steve Oliver
- Co-Produced by Steve Reid and Rob Mullins
Album Review
Acoustic guitarist Steve Oliver knows another can't-miss smooth jazz secret: if you want to create a killer debut, work with a slew of past and present Rippingtons. First View reveals a strong melodic player and composer equally comfortable on sweet little gems like "I Know" and the slamming razor sharp funk of "Happy Feet"; Oliver was able to bring a fresh new hip-hop feel to the silly standard "Midnight at the Oasis." Another trademark is his remarkable soprano-voiced scatting ability, which he weaves seamlessly into his guitar lines. Still, it's got to be a secure feeling having percussionist Steve Reid, saxmen Paul Taylor and Jeff Kashiwa, keyboardist Dave Kochanski and bassist Kim Stone helping out. The Taylor driven bridge on "Happy Feet" thrusts along like a classic Rippingtons' riff. The one area of departure from that Rippingtons' feel which Oliver could feel free to explore more (lest he always be compared to Russ Freeman) appears on "East Wind," which finds him right at home exploring more hard-edged blues flavors. Even if his basic acoustic sound is of the cool and balmy variety, he likes to surround it with hard-hitting grooves at times; "Happy Feet"'s foundation, laid down by Stone and aggressive drummer Dave Hooper, provides the perfect balance for Oliver's lighter touch.

Guest Artists:
- Tom Schuman, Jeff Kashiwa, Brian Bromberg, Steve Reid, Tony Guerrero
Credits:
- Produced by Steve Oliver
Album Review
Contemporary jazz guitarist and vocalist Steve Oliver offers something everyone will enjoy on his sophomore release as a leader, titled Positive Energy. The recording reflects Oliver's smooth, upbeat, joyous spirit through dynamic vocals and instrumentals on 12 brand-new originals. Working with Steve Oliver are such prominent contemporary jazz favorites as his labelmate, Jeff Kashiwa, on saxophone and Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman alongside the multi-talented bassists Brian Bromberg and Larry Antonino. The recording opens with the radio-friendly "High Noon," the first single to be released from the CD. The song combines the freshest licks from Latin funk and the smoothest grooves from smooth jazz in an energetic presentation with a contemporary flair. Oliver's vocals set the song apart from the instrumentals on the set and give his listeners more than enough room to enjoy the "positive energy" emanating from his playing style. On the title track, Steve Reid adds his mighty percussion to the mix and not only provides an extra layer of rhythmic fuel, but inspires Oliver's excellent guitar playing to another level of performance. Oliver's ability to tell a story is quite evident on the vocal version of "Show You Love." This song has the potential to cross over to the R&B genre due to its funky backbeat and danceability and is reprised as an instrumental, with Brandon Fields' smooth tenor sax as the lead voice, to close the set. Positive Energy has no problem meeting the standards set by Oliver's 1999 debut, First View, and should garner additional smooth jazz and groove fans for Oliver. In the making for nearly three years, the new musical dimensions added by the guest stars, the romantic and sometimes-funky celebratory vibe, and Oliver's excellent musicality make Positive Energy another great opportunity to hear what Steve Oliver is all about.

Guest Artists:
- Tom Schuman, Eric Marienthal, Harvey Mason
Credits:
- Produced by Tom Schuman and Steve Oliver
Editorial Reviews
With two simple and inspiring words, Steve Oliver perfectly captured the brilliantly sunny, joyfully optimistic vibe of his music and life with the title of his 2002 breakthrough release Positive Energy. Establishing the smooth, funky and ultra-soulful guitarist and vocalist (and, to his fans delight, a human drum machine and percussion choir) as a bona fide smooth jazz star, the album hit the Billboard Top 20 on the strength of the #3 radio single High Noon (one of the most played songs of the year), earned him Smooth Jazz Awards nominations for Best New Artist and Best Guitar Player, and kept him close to his pace of 200 live gigs a year. Look for the accolades, airplay and a spirited blend of deep musicality and fun to continue as Oliver enters an exciting new dimension on his appropriately titled third album, 3-D. As with Positive Energy and my debut album First View (1999), my titles always reflect the vibe of the music and where I am in my career and my life, he says. Calling it 3-D reminds listeners that it s my third disc and it s very three dimensional musically, rhythmically and harmonically. I m always incorporating new sonic ideas and seeing how I can explore more exotic styles while keeping my core sound.

Guest Artists:
- Michael Paulo, Gerald Veasley, Steve Madaio, Tom Schuman
Credits:
- Produced by Steve Oliver, Michael Broening and Tom Schuman
Editorial Reviews
A single adjective perfectly describes the powerful synergy Steve Oliver and his audiences have shared since the he first energized the contemporary jazz scene in 1999 with his hit debut First View Radiant, a word which beautifully defines the collection s uplifting spirit and celebration of music and life. With his fascinating mix of melodic guitar, driving grooves, soulful singing and infectious, seemingly extraterrestrial talents as a human drum and vocal soundscape master, Oliver while averaging from 150-200 live gigs a year throughout the U.S.--has kept the optimistic vibes rolling (and the rhythmic diversity flowing) with Positive Energy (2002) and his 2004 3-D and their radio hits High Noon and Chips and Salsa. While his previous recordings included numerous tracks featuring big productions and all-star guest artists like Harvey Mason and Eric Marienthal (who both guested on 3-D), he committed this time to a slightly scaled back approach that focuses more intimately on his guitar and voice which, his thousands of fans across the globe will tell you, has the power to create a multi-layered orchestra all its own.

Cast:
- Steve Oliver - vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming
- Will Donato - flute, saxophone
- Tony Windle - piano
- K.T. Tyler - bass instrument
Guest Artists:
- Will Donato, Tony Windle, KT Tyler
Credits:
- Produced by Steve Oliver
Review by Jonathan Widran
One of smooth jazz's most inventive and melodic guitarists and vocalists, the always engaging Steve Oliver has come up with 2006's smooth jazz holiday disc to beat with this winsome effort, Snowfall He succeeds brilliantly simply by making sure his arrangements of these oft-heard songs capture the different elements of his eclectic artistry. "Carol of the Bells" is both dramatic and intimate, a sweet exploration of his joyful acoustic guitar approach. "Silent Night" has a cool underlying machine-generated percussion bed and a soulful lead vocal, while the medley "Deck the Halls/Angels We Have Heard on High" is lively, danceable and a perfect blend of Oliver's wordless vocal magic, acoustic tenderness, and Latin sensibilities. "White Christmas," on the other hand, is served by his subtle electric guitar. Oliver is one of his genre's best songwriters, always ready with a solid hook radio can't resist; "Crystals in the Snow" displays the kind of drama he can create with simple soundscaping and a lead acoustic line, while "Watching the Snowfall" is a typically heartfelt vocal. Album artwork is somewhat secondary these days due to smaller formats and digital downloading, but artist Bettie Miner's stunning impressionistic cover and insert painting is beautiful and worth owning.

Album Review
Cynics who don't get smooth jazz — and wonder why thousands of passionate genre fans spend their hard-earned money every year on the genre's many festivals and cruises — just listen to the radio too much. No matter how catchy the songs are, the airwaves just don't capture the potential magic and fire of a live performance. That goes for most of the format's big artists, but few have been as compelling on-stage as the multi-talented Steve Oliver, whose soulful vocals and snappy guitar lines are just the beginning of what is essentially a one-man orchestra capable of numerous sonic delights; these include wild and crazy vocal percussion, breezy wordless vocal joys, and — as evidenced by the "Guitar Demonstration" of this exciting live CD/DVD package — a synth guitar that can simulate everything from a grand piano to bass, flute, and orchestrated strings.

Cast:
- Guitar – Steve Oliver
- Bass – Eddie Riddick (tracks 10), KT Tyler (tracks 2), Larry Antonino (tracks 3,4,11), Mel Brown (tracks 1,5), Rochon Westmoreland (tracks 6,7), Steve Oliver (tracks 8)
- Drums – Bonny B. (tracks 4,5,6,7,10), Humberto Vela (tracks 1,11,10)
- Keyboards – Alan Hewitt (tracks 8), Nate Harasim (tracks 1,3), Tom Schuman (tracks 5,6,7)
- Keyboards [Additional] – Tom Schuman (tracks 4)
- Keyboards, Piano – Bob Baldwin (tracks 10)
- Percussion – Humberto Vela (tracks 2,4,5,6,7,11,12)
- Piano – Tom Schuman (tracks 6,7)
- Saxophone – Darren Rahn (tracks 1), Will Donato (tracks 3,4,6)
- Violin – Antonio Pontarelli (tracks 2)
- Vocals – Steve Oliver (4) (tracks 1,2,4,6,7,8,10,11)
Guest Artists:
- Larry Antonino, Bonny B., Bob Baldwin, Mel Brown, Will Donato, Nate Harasim, Alan Hewitt, Steve Madaio, Marion Meadows, Antonio Pontarelli, Darren Rahn, Eddie Reddick, Tom Schuman, Humberto Vela, Rochon Westmoreland
Credits:
- Produced by Steve Oliver, Tom Schuman (tracks 5,6,7) and Nate Harasim (tracks 1,3)
- All songs written by Steve Oliver
- Recorded By – Darren Rahn, Nate Harasim, Steve Oliver, Tom Schuman
Editorial Reviews
More than a decade ago, guitarist and vocalist Steve Oliver burst onto the contemporary jazz scene with a sound so fresh, so positive, so bright, that he immediately became a favorite on radio stations with songs like West End and Highway One. The Weather Channel loved his music so much it put Right Direction into heavy rotation during its local weather breaks. Smooth Jazz News magazine named Oliver its Debut Artist of the Year. Now, after four studio CDs, a Christmas project and a CD that captured his infectious live-on-stage energy, Oliver on March 30 returns with Global Kiss on SOM Entertainment. As the title makes clear, Global Kiss expands Oliver s repertoire with its world-music energy while retaining the lyrical melodies and song hooks that have made him a fan favorite. 12 all-new original songs, all written by Oliver

Guest Artists:
- Billy Sherwood (YES), Paul Taylor, Alan Hewitt (Moody Blues), Tom Schuman (Spyro Gyra), Will Donato, Andrew Neu, Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, Eddie Reddick
Credits:
- Produced by Steve Oliver
- All songs written by Steve Oliver
Review by
Steve Oliver blew a passionate Global Kiss to fans everywhere on his 2010 album release, scoring two number 1 hits (Global Kiss and Fun In The Sun) on the Billboard chart. Further defining his unique role as a musical World Citizen. On his latest collection, the dynamic guitarist and vocalist keeps the universal spirit alive. On World Citizen, Oliver creates an amazing array of sounds with his guitar, guitar synth and voice (singing three lead vocals and many wordless passages), and introduces his skills on the violin on Fiesta. He invites along several of the key musicians who made Global Kiss an invigorating triumph, including longtime collaborator, keyboardist Tom Schuman, and Trinidad born drummer/percussionist Bonny B (both from Spyro Gyra). Also making notable appearances are saxophonists Paul Taylor, Andrew Neu and Will Donato. Bassists Eddie Reddick, Donald Philips, KT Tyler and Billy Sherwood (from the legendary band Yes); and Moody Blues keyboardist Alan Hewitt on the Hammond B-3 organ on the funky and bluesy, brass splashed opening track Watching The World, which is the album s first single. No Oliver recording would be complete without a batch of high energy tunes showcasing his infectious, husky lead vocals, which he delivers on World Citizen via How Will

Credits:
- Produced by Steve Oliver
- All songs written by Steve Oliver