Ace Cannon - Sweet Dreams (1993)

Ace Cannon (5th May, 1934 - 6th December, 2018) American tenor and alto
saxophonist. Cannon was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000. In May 2007, his hometown of Calhoun City, Mississippi hosted its first annual Ace Cannon Festival, and on December 9, 2008, he was honored with induction into the Mississippi Musicians' Hall of Fame. ~ from wikipedia.org. 

This album is testimony of his great talent and prolific contribution as a jazz musician.
Overall, a sweet easy listening jazz album covering some great popular tunes. 

WIRL Records, W-CD 383, 1993
Recorded & mixed at Easley Recording Studio, (ONYX) Memphis, TN 

Musicians:
Ace Cannon - Horn
Robby Turner - Keyboards, Steel Guitar, Percussion, Strings
Bobby Emmons - Keyboards, Strings
Reggie Young - Guitars
Mike Leech - Bass, Strings
Gene Chrisman - Drums, Percussion
Jennifer O’Brien, Michael Black, Judy Rodman - Background Vocals 

Special Guests:
Ernest Williamson - Piano (#4)
Michael Wedd - Vocals (#10)
Andy Block "Eggo" - Vocals (#3,7) 

Tracks:
01. Sweet Dreams {Don Gibson} (4:44)
02. I'll Always Love You {Dolly Parton} (4:45)
03. Stay With Me {Jerry Goffin, Michael Masser} (4:31)
04. Once In A While {Bud Green, Michael Edwards} (3:54)
05. I'll Be There {Michael Jackson} (4:21)
06. Lady In Red {Chris De Burgh} (4:21)
07. Do It To Me {Lionel Richie} (5:19)
08. Tears In Heaven {Eric Clapton, Will Jennings} (4:27)
09. To Love Somebody {Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb} (4:01)
10. I Don't Know Much {Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Tom Snow} (3:35)
11. From A Distance {Julie Gold} (4:32)
12. End Of The Road {Babyface, Daryl Simmons, L.A. Reid} (4:27) 

Total Time: 54:04 

Credits:
Producer - Ace Cannon
Producer, Engineer - Robby Turner
Executive Producer - Rainbow WIRL Inc.
Engineer - Andy Black
Engineer [Assistant] - Doug Easley
Cover Photo - Brookes La Touche
Design & Artwork - Keith C. Gall 

Sweet Dreams

Earl Klugh - Dream Come True (1980)

Earl Klugh's appealing guitar sound is well showcased on the album’s eight tracks. He contributes seven originals in addition to the Burt Bacharach, Hal David tune "Message to Michael", In today’s world most of these tunes could be considered high-quality background music, but going deeper the album is still an opportunity for Klugh to showcase his expertise. He is joined by a bunch of excellent rotating musicians including of merit; keyboardists Daryl Dybka and Greg Phillinganes and electric bassist Marcus Miller also makes an appearance. Overall, the album isn’t ground-breaking but a unique example of Jazz-Pop from the late seventies through to the early eighties. 

United Artists Records, LT-1026, 1980
EMI-Manhattan Records, CDP 7 48388 2, 1987
Recorded between September, 1979 - January, 1980 at:
CBS Studios, New York, NY
Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY
Young 'Un Sound, Nashville, Tennessee 

Musicians:
Earl Klugh - Guitar
Mickie Roquemore - Clavinet (#1), Piano (#2), Electric Piano (#6,8), Keyboards (#3,5)
Daryl Dybka - Electric Piano (#1-4)
David Briggs - Keyboards (#4,8), Piano (#6)
Greg Phillinganes - Guitar (#3), Electric Piano (#7)
Perry Hughes - Guitar (#1-3)
Reggie Young - Guitar (#4,6,8)
Lloyd Green - Pedal Steel Guitar (#4,6,8)
Hubie Crawford - Bass (#1,2)
Marcus Miller - Bass (#3)
Mike Leech - Bass (#4,6,8)
David Saltman - Bass (#7)
Gene Dunlap - Drums (#1-4,6,8)
James Bradley Jr. - Drums (#5,7)
Dr. Gibbs - Percussion (#1-4,6,7)
Frank Floyd, Krystal Davis, Yvonne Lewis - Vocals (#4) 

Tracks:
1. If It's In Your Heart [It's In Your Smile] {Earl Klugh} (4:12)
2. Doc {Earl Klugh} (4:49)
3. Amazon {Earl Klugh} (4:03)
4. I Don't Want To Leave You Alone Anymore {Earl Klugh, Bill Allen, George P. Martin} (4:49)
5. Spellbound {Earl Klugh} (6:14)
6. Sweet Rum And Starlight {Earl Klugh} (4:02)
7. Dream Come True {Earl Klugh} (3:35)
8. Message To Michael {Burt Bacharach, Hal David} (5:54) 

Total Time: 37:42 

Credits:
Producer - Earl Klugh
Engineer - Don Puluse
Production Consultant - Roland Wilson
Recording [Electric Lady Studios] - Joel Cohen, Tom Bush
Recording [Young 'un Sound] - Chip Young, Glen Rieuf, Stan Dacus
Mixing - Tom Bush
Orchestra Arranger & Conductor - Dave Matthews
Photography - Bob Cass
Synthesizer Arranger - Greg Phillinganes
Art Direction, Design - Bill Burks
Artwork [Drawing] - Carol Wanagat
Design - Jeff Lancaster

Anita Baker - My Everything (2004)

Anita Baker's My Everything is her first studio outing in a decade. Family life seems to have claimed most of that time, as the album's last cut, "Men in My Life," seems to indicate. Baker co-wrote seven of the album's nine songs (one is a reprise of the title track), authored the aforementioned tune, and assisted producer Barry J. Eastmond in the arrangements. The disc's first single, "You're My Everything," is indicative of the album's sound: finely wrought and executed urban adult soul. Most of the set falls into this category, too, with the exception of "Like You Used to Do," a duet with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds that walks a line between it and new-school groove. Another cut, the stellar "I Can't Sleep," offers Baker in full-on jazz mode, careening through a skittering and swinging arrangement with a full horn section pushing the groove; it showcases Baker's ability to croon, and she comes very close to Betty Carter's scat. Some may be frustrated that, after such a long time, Baker doesn't push the envelope more stylistically. This may be true in terms of the material itself, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Right down the line, Baker delivers on what she does best. But in one sense she has expanded her palette. On these cuts, most of the rhythm section's tracks were cut live from the floor, and on three, the vocals were as well. This gives the album a reedy immediacy that contrasts sharply with the rest of her studio catalog. This is a worthy return, qualitatively standing head and shoulders above most everything else in its class. ~ by Thom Jurek, AMG. 

Blue Note, 7243 5 77102 2 0, 2004 

Recording Locations:
Brandon's Way Recording, Hollywood, CA
Conway Studios, Hollywood, CA
East Bay Music Studios, Tarrytown, NY
Le Gonks West Studios, Hollywood, CA
Record One Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA
Soup Can Studios, Detroit, MI
Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA 

Personnel:
Anita Baker - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Arranger (#1-5,7-10)
Gary Grant - Trumpet (#1-5,7-10)
Jerry Hey - Trumpet, Horn Arrangement (#1-5,7-10)
Reggie Young - Trombone (#1-5,7-10)
Eric Marienthal - Alto Saxophone (#9)
Dan Higgins - Tenor & Baritone Saxophones (#1-5,7-10)
Gary Bias - Tenor Saxophone (#1-5,7-10)
Barry J. Eastmond - Keyboards, Percussion, Horn Arranger, Backing Vocals (#1-5,7-10)
George Duke - Synthesizer [Additional], Percussion (#1-5,7-10)
Eric Rehl, Leo Colon - Synthesizer [Additional] (#1-5,7-10)
Russell Ferrante - Piano (#9)
Paul Jackson Jr., Phil Hamilton, Robert Randolph - Guitar (#1-5,7-10)
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds - Guitar, Backing Vocals (#1-5,7-10)
Al Turner, Alex Al, Gerald Albright, Jimmy Haslip, Nathan East, Reggie Hamilton, Ron Jenkins - Bass (#1-5,7-10)
Bernard Davis, Ricky Lawson, Steve Ferrone, William Kennedy - Drums (#1-5,7-10)
Bashiri Johnson - Percussion (#1-5,7-10)
Rafael Padilla - Percussion (#6)
Esther Ridgeway, Gloria Ridgeway, Gordon Chambers, Gracie Ridgeway - Backing Vocals (#1-5,7-10)
Kenya Ivey - Backing Vocals (#6) 

Tracks:
01. You're My Everything {Anita Baker} (5:03)
02. How Could You {Anita Baker, Barry J. Eastmond} (4:21)
03. In My Heart {Anita Baker} (5:07)
04. Serious {Dawn Thomas} (5:26)
05. How Does It Feel {Anita Baker, Barry J. Eastmond} (4:42)
06. Like You Used To Do {Anita Baker, Barry J. Eastmond} (5:12)
07. Close Your Eyes {Anita Baker, Barry J. Eastmond} (4:43)
08. You're My Everything [Revisited] {Anita Baker} (1:12)
09. I Can't Sleep {Anita Baker, Russell Ferrante, W. Kennedy} (5:08)
10. Men In My Life {Anita Baker} (3:37) 

Total Time: 44:31

Credits:
Producer, Engineer - Anita Baker
Producer, Engineer - Barry J. Eastmond
Producer, Arranger - Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (#6)
Engineer - Alan Sides, Dylan Dresdow, Ghian Wright
Recording - Paul Boutin (#6)
Engineer [Assistant] - Greg Burns, Jared Nugent, Tom Wilber
Engineer, Engineer [Assistant] - Kevin Szymanski
Mixing - Jon Gass (#6)
Mixing [Assistant] - Edward Quesada (#6)
Mixing - Erik Zobler
Mixing [Assistant] - Stefaniah McGowan
Mixing, Engineer - George Duke
Photography - Andrew Eccles