Steve Cole - Smoke and Mirrors (2021) [Hi-Res]

On 'Smoke and Mirrors', American smooth jazz saxophonist Steve Cole offers up an intimately personal reflection of his own true self, free of trickery or sleight of hand. Created entirely in pandemic-necessitated isolation, it brings together an all-star band with Cole's longtime producer, co-writer and multi-instrumentalist David Mann.

The far-flung ensemble includes guitarist Bernd Schoenhart (Cher, Marc Anthony); trumpet and flugelhorn player Trevor Neumann (The Eagles, Jeff Lorber); organist Ricky Peterson (David Sanborn, Prince); bassists Mel Brown (Stevie Wonder, The Temptations) and Mark Egan (Pat Metheny Group, Sting); drummers Brian Dunne (Hall and Oates, Ariana Grande) and Todd Sucherman (Styx, Brian Wilson).

While there were certainly challenges to corralling this stellar roster of musicians remotely from home recordings or socially distanced studio settings, quarantine did prove an equaliser in another sense. "Everybody's stuck at home," Cole points out with a laugh. "There are a lot of musicians that I would love to work with, but it's impossible because they're always on the road. So there was a little silver lining in the fact that I could call old friends like Todd Sucherman and Brian Dunne, or amazing artists like Mark Egan, and they're actually available."