Mr. Horn · I'll Be There For You ft. Dave McMurray

Keyboardist Darren Horn started performing professionally as a teenager in Detroit with singer Cortez Harris, who was a member of popular R&B/funk band Al Hudson & One Way.

He and Cortez hit it off after Horn, whose aunt lived across the street from where the band was rehearsing, took the initiative to start jamming with them. After a time playing with Cortez at major clubs like The Twenty Grand, the keyboardist hooked up with The Axe Band, which was renowned as singer Cherelle’s backing band and toured with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.

Horn later played keys and acted as road manager for Kiara, which scored a #2 on Billboard R&B chart a duet with Shanice Wilson on Arista Records, and opened for everyone from Gerald Albright to Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross; they also created pop crossover remixes for saxophonist Marion Meadows and worked for a time with Toni Braxton just as she was about to emerge.

Horn is releasing The Horn Connection EP on the heels of his 2022 debut album Summertime, whose popular, vocal-driven title track single was played on Smooth Jazz and soft rock radio and internet stations throughout the U.S. and Europe.

“Nairobi,” an infectious and spirited mid-tempo ballad that showcases Mr. Horn’s sparkling piano magic and features dynamic solos by Billboard #1 Smooth Jazz hit makers, guitarist Nils and flutist Ragan Whiteside.

The Horn Connection will include four other tracks by Horn featuring collaborations with various artists. These include the whimsical and romantic yet grooved-out original “I’ll Be There for You” and fresh, keyboard-centric re-imaginings of some of his favorite R&B and contemporary jazz songs – the Chuck Mangione classic “Feels So Good,” Stephanie Mills’ “I Feel Good All Over” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s brassy funk jam “In The Stone.”

Ilya Serov · Glow

Award-winning trumpeter /singer /guitarist /band leader Ilya Serov has a passion for jazz that knows no bounds. A talented young musician with an old soul, Ilya brings an infusion of imagination, vision and energy to the many shades of America’s original musical art form. Possessing both chops and charisma, his live performances and recordings have attracted a solid following among jazz fans and seasoned musicians alike.

Ilya first encountered jazz as a teen, exchanging tapes and records with fellow musicians. His earliest jazz influences were Arturo Sandoval, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra and Nat “King” Cole, and he eventually incorporated their sounds and vocal stylings into his own music.

When not on stage, Ilya spends his time in the recording studio. His debut album, September in the Rain (2013), was a Big Band outing of classic jazz standards that highlighted both his horn and vocal skills. That album was followed by the release of Back in Time (2018), featuring classic tunes and instrumental collaborations with legendary pianist Roger Kellaway, and acclaimed saxophonist Eric Marienthal, and GRAMMY®-winning percussionist Poncho Sanchez.

“Ilya is a great, great trumpet player and I love his voice,” said Sanchez. “He has a great thing here because it’s commercial enough for the mainstream to enjoy, but hip enough for the jazz folks to like. He can sing the tunes and play them; that’s the edge he’s got.”

After hearing Serov perform, Dave Koz invited him to be a guest artist on his popular Dave Koz and Friends at Sea Jazz Cruise. From 2017 – 2019 he played on cruises throughout Europe and Australia with Koz and other Smooth Jazz greats, sharing the stage with the likes of Jonathan Butler, David Benoit, Larry Graham, Peter White and BeBe Winans. Ilya will again be a featured guest artist on Dave Koz & Friends in Amsterdam and the British Isles in May 2022.

Ilya Serov is driven today not only by his desire to preserve jazz as an American treasure, but by his mission to engage and educate new generations of listeners. He continues to focus exclusively on contributing his time and talent to the world of jazz - its past, present and future.

Serov's new single "Glow" is mixed and produced by Adam Hawley.

Dee Lucas · Tighten Up

National recording artist/saxophonist Dee Lucas is the illustrious pied-piper of contemporary jazz music, celebrated and adored by audiences worldwide.

Noted as the year of emergence for the creative, in 2004, Lucas embarked on the journey of what would become footprints of a music legacy--forming an independent record label known as Mo' Better Recordings along with an all new music project. Having the reigns of creative control at his advantage, Lucas launched and distributed the debut CD project, "Remembrance," independently on the new label in 2005, "Something To Ride 2," in 2007, and produced 4 more projects (from 2010-2016) in collaboration with the Mo' Better Recordings label...each record marked with serious charting status and industry recognition. Lucas accredited the success of each project to production heavyweights such as LA-based Lew Laing, Jr., Grammy-Award winner Phil Davis. Joel Del Rosario, TC Campbell and David P. Stevens.

In 2017, Lucas merged his previous catalogs with his new parent company, Dee Lucas Enterprises, home of his brand new record label ODL Music. “Going Left,” released in 2018, garnered respectable success on several smooth jazz charts. In 2020,“The Time Is Now” marked the artist's 9th worldwide release which featured Adam Hawley, Blake Aaron, Darryl Williams, David P. Stevens, Lew Laing, Jr., Gino Rosaria, & George Freeman. In 2023, “No Boundaries" spotlighted keyboardist Gino Rosari, Blair Bryant, Selina Albright, and Ragan Whiteside. Singles from the CD garnered critical acclaim, #1 smooth jazz chart positions and an indie soul award nomination. At the height of Lucas' career comes the highly anticipated 1st single from the upcoming project "TWENTY, entitled "Tighten Up," releasing nationwide on 3.8.2024!

Halie Loren · Sukiyaki (You Took Your Love Away from Me)

Halie Loren is an international, award-winning jazz singer/songwriter. Raised in Alaska, this Oregon-based artist brings a fresh and original perspective to time-honored musical paths, channeling her innate understanding of connectedness across musical boundaries to forge bonds with diverse audiences in North America, Asia, and Europe. A lover of global cultures and music, her repertoire is a multi-lingual one, including songs in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Korean as well as her native English. She’s released eight albums to-date, garnering several national and international awards as well as significant critical and chart success along the way, with her albums consistently charting at #1 in Billboard/Japan Jazz Charts, iTunes (Canada and Japan) and Amazon Music

Her debut jazz CD, 2008’s “They Oughta Write a Song,” won Best Vocal Jazz Album of the year in the JPF awards (then the world’s largest independent music awards). She was signed in 2010 by JVC/Kenwood Entertainment (Japan/Asia) and in 2011 by Justin Time Records. Halie has since released nine additional albums including two Japan-only releases, and gone on to win many awards as both a singer and a songwriter. Loren’s original song “Thirsty” won the Independent Music Awards’ best jazz song of the year in 2011. Her 2012 release, “Heart First,” was honored by Japan’s Jazz Critique Magazine as the best vocal jazz album of year, and reached No. 1 on the iTunes Canada jazz albums chart. In 2013, “Simply Love” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Jazz / Japan and entered iTunes Canada as #1 jazz album. Her 2014 best-of compilation release “The Best Collection”, 2015’s “Butterfly Blue”, and 2016’s “Live at Cotton Club” also hit #1 on Billboard Japan’s jazz chart.

Along with recording success, Loren’s live performances have expanded to include performances with the Jazz Orchestra of Sicily, the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra in Oregon, the Monroe Symphony in Louisiana and the prestigious International Britt Fest Orchestra. For the past seven years she has traveled east to west in the U.S. and other parts of the world, including Canada, Japan, Italy, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Haiti, and Egypt. The last few months of her tours have included sold-out tour dates in Japan, Korea (including a Korean festival performance with an audience of over 25,000), Quebec, Florida, and Georgia. Last year found her in London and New York working on a new album of her original material “From the Wild Sky” with UK producer Troy Miller, a project for which she raised over $68,000 of funding from her worldwide fans via crowdsourcing site Kickstarter. “From the Wild Sky” was released worldwide in April 2018, and since then, Loren has been touring in support of it with tour dates across North America, Asia, and Europe, with more on the horizon.

About Sukiyaki (You Took Your Love Away from Me) by Halie Loren

Sad lyrics set to happy music are my favorite kind of salty-sugary treat. The original version of this song, “Ue o Muite Arukō” (sung by Kyu Sakamoto in 1963), was the first Japanese pop song I was introduced to many years ago, and it has been in my mind swimming around almost daily ever since. Though the lyrics I’m singing are different (these English lyrics are courtesy of A Taste of Honey circa 1980), I still feel that sense of bittersweet contrast of bouncy rhythm and lyrical heartbreak that I found so captivating about the original.

The musicians featured on this track are notable talents in the Canadian Jazz scene (and fellow Justin Time Records artists) Taurey Butler (piano), Morgan Moore (bass), Sam Kirmayer (guitar), and Jim Doxas (drums). The song was recorded in Montreal, Canada and produced by Halie Loren and co-produced by Morgan Moore.

Patrick Bradley · Road Trippin'

The kids are grown, living on their own, and there’s a fifth wheel parked in the driveaway. Relishing the freedom to hit the road to explore and take in nature is the inspiration for jazz fusion keyboardist Patrick Bradley’s new single, “Road Trippin’, which will begin collecting radio playlist adds and Spotify spins on March 11. Bradley wrote the song with 26-time Billboard chart-topper Darren Rahn, a multiple Grammy nominated producer, songwriter and saxophonist. Rahn produced the single previewing Bradley’s “Gratitude” album, which is slated to arrive later this year from the Patrick’s Song Factory label.

Beyond their shared musical connection, Bradley and Rahn are bonded by their devotion to their Christian faith. Blessed with a grateful heart, Bradley is thoroughly enjoying this chapter in his life after having raised two children. He and his wife of forty years, Lisa, decided to get the fifth wheel so they could travel freely and easily, enabling them to spend more time on their own in serene scenic outdoor settings. You can hear the sense of adventure on the rousing groove anchored by Rahn and Grammy-winning bassist Mel Brown on “Road Trippin’.” One can almost see the fifth wheel motoring along the open road against a majestic backdrop as Bradley’s piano issues melodic flourishes. Rahn texturizes the track with energizing harmonies via his Wurlitzer, synths and programming. Further embellishments come in the form of Joel Del Rosario’s funky guitar riffs, which are dispensed liberally throughout the cut.

“The inspiration of the song is really celebrating the freedom and the joys of a road trip. Ever since Lisa and I purchased the fifth wheel a couple of years ago, we’ve been enjoying the outdoors. We’re grateful to have the opportunity at this time in our lives when we have both the freedom and the means available to get out there. For us, it’s about exploring new destinations and visiting cherished places while enjoying the beauty of God’s creation,” said the Southern California-based Bradley, who will perform on July 28 at Spaghettini south of Los Angeles.

“Road Trippin’” provides a glimpse into what’s in store on Bradley’s upcoming sixth album, “Gratitude.” It’s his first outing since 2021’s “Exhale” album, which spawned four Billboard top 20 singles, including the title track that went No. 1 and the top 10 single, “Completely Yours.” Rahn was a big part of that project as was Grammy-winning jazz fusion keyboardist Jeff Lorber, a longtime collaborator who cowrote and produced two songs on the album after producing several of Bradley’s earlier albums. Bradley debuted in 2006 with the “Come Rain or Shine” album. Over the years, he’s collaborated with Grammy nominated saxophonists Dave Koz and Eric Marienthal, Billboard hitmakers Rick Braun and Adam Hawley, and legendary guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. (Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, Luther Vandross, George Benson).

Patrick Bradley - Piano
Darren Rahn - Wurli, Synths, Programming
Joel Del Rosario - Guitar
Mel Brown - Bass