Jeff Lorber Fusion....New Album

[Flanagan]

For you Jeff Lorber fans out there, I have recently acquired
information on his newest album (after "It's A Fact).
Scheduled for release sometime in February, it's called
"In The Heat Of The Night", and features Nathan East on bass,
John Robinson on drums, Marlan Maclain on guitar, Ronny Laws
on horn, and Lee Ritenour (on one cut).
I acquired this information from Rick McMillen, who
engineered most of the album. He had some interesting things
to say about it, also. The album was completed LAST February,
but the producers were dissatisfied, saying that Jeff needed
a cut on the album that had a good chance of becoming a hit.
Jeff apparently worked all summer and finally came up with
three suitable cuts, of which the producers only used one (or
perhaps two, my source wasn't sure). Due also to pressure from
his producers, the album (like the two before it) has a few
vocal tunes, though Lorber would just as soon omit them.
The album was recorded in Las Angeles, where Lorber has
recently moved to, and some of the musicians (East, Laws, and
Robinson) performing on the album are from there.
As a side note, Kenny Gorelick has ceased working with
Lorber all together (so it seems). His sax and flute work can
now be heard on his first album ("Kenny G") as well as his
just-released "G-Force" album, which my source assured me was
extremely good.
I would be interested in hearing from any Jeff Lorber fans
across the network, and, more importantly, hearing any "inside
dirt" that anybody may have picked up (specificly related to
Contemporary Jazz, Jazz Fusion, or Funk/Soul).

Tim at Reed!Tektronix...
Reed College, box 392
Portland, OR 97202