Udi Levy - Smooth Jazz Tales (2008)

Straight out of Israel comes Guitarist, composer, & seasoned performer and teacher Udi Levy. Udi has had great success in Europe, Canada, and now the U.S. Now living in New York, Udi has developed into one of the most sought after sidemen, while performing with his own band, "The Udi Levy Quartet", at some of New York's high profile jazz clubs. Udi's debut CD, "Smooth Jazz Tales", has a superbly refreshing sound. Kind of like Wes Montgomery meet's Norman Brown, sprinkled with a little George Benson. The CD starts off with the smooth mid-tempo song "We'll Meet Again" which will set the tone for the rest of the CD. Other mid-tempo songs are "As Simple As That", "Those Beautiful Days", & "44th Ave". Udi gets funky with "Funktion", & "Just Say It". Udi also slows the groove down with "Thoughts", "Would You", & "Things From The Heart".

Even though jazz has come to a stand still, there are still jazz artists like him that give and release refreshing new music to the world. Udi's CD is just "refreshing". His playing style comes from the heart - you can feel the passion, you can feel the warmth - it's like he's talking to you through his guitar.