With Carlos Vega, Jimmy Johnson, Paulinho Da Costa, Alex Acuna, Harvey Mason, and Abraham Laboriel. LP, Vinyl record album

Don Grusin on piano, keyboards and vocoder, Gary Herbig on saxophone, Oscar Castro-Neves, Lee Ritenour and Michael Sembello on guitar, Michael Boddicker on synth, Abraham Laboriel and Nathan East on bass, Alex Acuna on drums, and Efrain Toro and Steve Forman on percussion with Kate Markowitz on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

A lost bit of 70s fusion from the west coast – a group led by percussionist Manolo Badrena, with lots of nice Brazilian jazz touches! Many of the tracks have lyrics – soulful and sunny, somewhere in between late 70s work by Flora Purim and Seawind – and the overall groove is like some of the excellent 70s work on CTI/Kudu Records – especially the electric session that would bring in some strong percussion on the bottom! The whole thing's really wonderful – with some keyboard lines that almost link the record to early albums by Azymuth – and musicians include Hugo Fattorso on Fender Rhodes and percussion, Abraham Laboriel on bass, and Maria Fatima and Sybil Thomas on vocals. Titles include "Clube Da Esquina", "Got Some", "Canales", "Fly Away", "Yana", "Amor Lejano", and "Claro Que Si". CD

A fantastic 70s album from Gary Burton – a set that definitely has the "new" promised in the title, as it takes off more from some of Gary's work in previous years! The record's got this explosive sense of color that really comes through in Gary's vibes – and in the way the group can leaop into the fray when needed – almost funky at points, but also able to shift into more sensitive modes too – balanced between the guitar of Michael Goodrick,bass of Abraham Laboriel, and drums of Harry Blazer. Burton's got a bit more bite at times than before – pushing even past his Atlantic Records sound and the tunes are a well-chosen array of songs by contemporaries who include Keith Jarrett, Mike Gibbs, Chick Corea, and Carla Bley. Titles include "Open Your Eyes You Can Fly", "Coral", "Tying Up Loose Ends", "Olhos De Gato", and "Mallet Man". LP, Vinyl record album

With Abraham Laboriel on bass, Rick Marotta on drums, Terry Trotter on DX7, and Michael Fisher on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

With Greg Mathieson on keys, Abraham Laboriel on bass, Jeff Porcaro on Drums, and Paulinho Da Costa on percussion. Titles include "Room 335", "Point It Up", "Rio Samba", "I Apologize", and "Don't Give It Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Friendship is Alex Acuna on drums and timbales, Ernie Watts on sax and piccolo, Don Grusin on keys, Abraham Laboriel on bass, Steve Forman on percussion, and Lee Ritenour on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

Mangione plays Arp Soloist, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CS80, and piano, accompanied by Larry Carlton on guitar, Robert Pops Popwell and Abraham Laboriel on bass, Peter Donald and Ralph Humphrey on drums, Jeff Porcaro on drums and percussion, Greg Mathieson on piano, Chuck Findley on trumpets, Bill Reichenbach Jr on trombone, and Vincent DeRosa on french horn. LP, Vinyl record album

Plenty of friendship here – some really warm interplay between a well-chosen group of musicians – all of whom come together with the level of quality that always made Lee Ritenour's records stand out from the pack! This isn't easy commercial fusion, but a really soulful, cohesive set by a batch of musicians who are grounded in jazz, and have the best understanding of 70s electric elements – a lineup that includes Don Grusin on keyboards, Ernie Watts on reeds, Abraham Laboriel on bass, Alex Acuna on drums, and Steve Forman on percussion – the last two of whom provide the right snapping, spontaneous funky currents to really keep things sounding wonderful throughout. Titles include "Sea Dance", "Crystal Morning", "Woody Creek", and "Life Is The Song We Sing". LP, Vinyl record album

With Abraham Laboriel on bass, Paul Jackson Jr on guitar, Hubert Laws on flute, Carlos Vega on drums, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, and George Duke on synthesizer. CD

A fantastic 70s album from Gary Burton – a set that definitely has the "new" promised in the title, as it takes off more from some of Gary's work in previous years! The record's got this explosive sense of color that really comes through in Gary's vibes – and in the way the group can leaop into the fray when needed – almost funky at points, but also able to shift into more sensitive modes too – balanced between the guitar of Michael Goodrick,bass of Abraham Laboriel, and drums of Harry Blazer. Burton's got a bit more bite at times than before – pushing even past his Atlantic Records sound and the tunes are a well-chosen array of songs by contemporaries who include Keith Jarrett, Mike Gibbs, Chick Corea, and Carla Bley. Titles include "Open Your Eyes You Can Fly", "Coral", "Tying Up Loose Ends", "Olhos De Gato", and "Mallet Man". LP, Vinyl record album