Start with funk, add some jazz. Mix with songs about love and bake till it grooves and makes you dance. Be sure to listen to #6.

12 MP3 Songs
URBAN/R&B: Funk, JAZZ: Smooth Jazz



Details:
Once in a while you mix some elements and get something new that was better than you ever expected. Thatâs the case with Gruve Nitro. Several years ago, Jeffrey B. Gibson and Steven Craig Jackson got together to do some songwriting. The result was âCaptured By Loveâ. It had elements that reminded them of early funk grooves by Earth, Wind & Fire such as âSeptemberâ. Both were amazed at how easily the tracks went down and how good they sounded. Even at this first step, the âmagicâ was already there. A seed was planted that would grow into Gruve Nitro.

Steve and Jeff are both keyboardists and the writing sessions that followed would often consist of one of them, say Steve, sitting at a piano working on a new song idea. Without warning, the other, say Jeff, would have a âbrilliantâ idea and would very gently SHOVE Steve off the piano with cries of âMove, Move!â and pick up where Steve left off â and vice versa. âIt was a strange recipe that workedâ, Jeff says. âIt worked so well that we recorded the album keyboards the same way. One of us would play down a verse and the other a chorus and bridge. By the time the album was complete, most of the songs had never been played through by either of us!â

Gruve Nitro has now released its brand new album, My Best to You. This album is all about love and joy. The lyrics talk honestly about relationships: that first chance meeting (âNobody But Youâ), followed by the seasons of deep passion and trust, and a song about discovering that the trust was broken (âBustedâ â one of the the most fun breakup songs youâll ever hear!) They also wrote songs about connecting with God (âIf Youâre Thereâ and âHe Is the Wayâ). Jeff says, âIf youâre honest, lifeâs more than Saturday night. And itâs more than Sunday morning. Hopefully, itâs a LOT more than Monday morning!â

When it came time to record, they had many great players they wanted to involve: three bass players (including Alex Al), four guitarists (including Ray Parker, Jr. of âGhostbustersâ fame) and two drummers (including Ambrosiaâs drummer Burleigh Drummond). The incomparable Luis Conte played percussion. The brass section was headed up by trumpeters Michael Harris (of Phenix Horns fame, former horn section for Phil Collins and Earth, Wind & Fire) and Bill Churchville (former member of Tower of Power). Vocals were performed by Steven Craig Jackson, his brother Ira Jackson and Jeffrey B. Gibson.

The mix of elements was complete and something special had been born. It has qualities of some favorite recordings from the past, but is obviously something brand new that stands on its own. Give it a listen. Enjoy!