Customer Reviews

Heatwave

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just purchased Steve Cole's "NY LA" and this CD was added to my list of Amazon.com recommendations. After reading the reviews of Gregg Karukas' "Heatwave", I couldn't wait to listen to it. While I have a tendency to favor the saxophone (i.e Boney James, Richard Elliot, Steve Cole), I also like jazz pianists and have several of Brian Culbertson, Joe Sample and Alex Bugnon's CDs. So after listening to the smooth grooves of "Heatwave", I will be adding "Nightshift" and anything else by Gregg Karukas to my collection because I am hooked("Your Sweet Smile", "Healing Song" and "Home To You" are my favorites)!! This CD is wonderful from start to finish and I strongly recommend it to anyone that is interested in expanding their contemporary jazz horizons....

Goes a little something like this: "Great to listen to with your favorite glass of wine" or the famous, "great sounds for driving" or especially the profound "HE'S BACK!!!" Then absolutely no specifics are divulged regarding the selections on the cd. Well, Heatwave is probably the most perfect definition of the smooth jazz genre I've ever enjoyed. From the soulful handclapping cresendo of Uptown Rendevous to the uptempo chord progressions of Riverside Drive-Karukas clearly places the piano in the forefront, but does not hesitate to share the spotlight with Kirk Whalum, Dave Koz and Paul Jackson Jr.-who contribute superior musicianship throughout. The Healing Song is a very spiritual selection and Heatwave sounds like a veiled rendition of the O'Jays "Backstabbers" melody. Penthouse View sounds very cool in a "Playboy After Dark" kind of way. My favorite tracks just happen to be at the end; Brooklyn Nights, the funky smooth Home to You and the Perry Mason theme while eating a slab of bbq ribs sounding I Meant What I Said, rounds out an excellent set. So to summarize, with Heatwave, Gregg Karukas is BACK! with a fine CD for BOTH drinking AND driving, not necessarily in any particular order or at the same time....

I don't pick up as many CD's by keyboard players as I do guitar and sax, but I'm so glad I picked up this one. It is first class all the way. Every track is very enjoyable. No covers and no vocals -- which is how I prefer most of my smooth and/or contemporary jazz cds.

This one is smooth enough but it is definitely NOT boring, uncreative, background music kind of "smooth".
I can't imagine anyone not loving it.

This is my first CD by Gregg Karukas, and lord only knows why! Guess I got too caught up with Joe McBride (another outstanding smooth jazz pianist) to hear what young mister Karukas had to say. "Heatwave" is an outstanding example of smooth jazz. Although every cut is easy on the ears, you'll still find yourself tapping along with the light & easy beat. It's almost impossible to choose one or two favorite titles, they're all that good. This CD belongs in every smooth jazz collection.

Classic GK, nicely done and very polished. It has all the makings of a top twenty CD. Kirk Whalum adds a nice touch with his soulful sax. I recommend it to all GK fans, if you liked "Blue touch" as I do, you will appreciate "Heatwave"

I decided to buy this CD for two reasons: firstly, I bought "Blue Touch" a few years ago on a whim and found that I liked it alot and secondly, I read somewhere or the other that Will Kennedy was on it. He also played on "Blue Touch" and the tunes he played on are my favourites on that particular CD.

The bad news is that he only plays on two of the tracks here, track #7 (which is pure Will Kennedy and totally satisfying) and track #10 on which his drumming is much more generic. It could've been any number of people, in my view. Also rather disappointing is the fact that drum loops are used instead of real drums on track #1, #2, #3, #8 and #9.

But the good news is that John Lewis more than picks up the slack and displays great flair on the drums on track #4, #5, #6 and #12. And of course this is really about Greg Karukas himself and while musically he's definitely not in the same category as say, Keith Jarrett or Brad Mehldau, in 'smooth jazz' terms, he puts together some pretty pleasant sounding tunes. He's also joined by some other well known names, including Paul Jackson Jr on guitar, Luis Conte on percussion and Kirk Whalum & Dave Koz on saxophone.

All in all, quite good, actually. One of those CDs I love working to. Just as long as you don't consider it a 'proper' jazz CD.

I was very surprised and pleased with the CD. Karukas has a driving power throughout all music on this CD, and all of members of the group are perfectly in sync with every beat in this music. Wonderful!

It's rigorously impossible to make any list of the major exponents of the smooth jazz in those times without include this hyper talented keyboardist. Greg Karukas admirable musical talent is carved I relief once more with this successful work. He has not only a kaleidoscopic vision about how to ensemble and produce those engaging themes filled with fantastic musical curtains and expressive moods.

This was my second album acquired after Blue touch, and my recommendation is absolute: go for this amazing album.

i have throughly enjoyed this cd up and down and left to right....my favortie track thus far is "UPTOWN RENDAVOUS"....nice work Gregg!

Excellent cd, his best yet. Something for every situation,
rockin, relaxing and romancing. Will get played a lot in my
house and car. I'd love to see him perform in the U.K. sometime.