Soul Secrets
Available Digitally
Well into his third decade of melodic, soulful, funky and exotic contemporary jazz hitmaking, keyboardist/composer Gregg Karukas – an original Rippington and a 2013 Grammy winner for his production, composing and arranging of the Echoes of Love CD (Omar Akram) – tells some very revealing “Soul Secrets” on his latest eclectic collection. At a generous and expansive 14 tracks, Karukas’ 12th solo CD digs deeper and more organically into all the styles the multi-talented artist loves – old school soul-jazz, with hints of gospel, R&B, funk and the world/samba grooves he immersed himself in while touring with Brazilian legends Sergio Mendes and Dori Caymmi. Gregg’s elegant grand piano and infectious grooves are everywhere, and this time around he digs into his roots and also features the classic Fender Rhodes, Wurlie, Minimoog and Hammond B3 keyboards he grew up. The live interplay sizzles as Gregg surrounds himself on “Soul Secrets” with an all-star guest list that includes his friends Rick Braun, Euge Groove, Ricardo Silveira, Michael O’Neill, violinist Charlie Bisharat, Luis Conte, Shelby Flint, Ron Boustead and 21 year old rising sax star and occasional touring partner Vincent Ingala. Karukas has been so consistently acclaimed for his melodic keyboard magic for so long that it might be superfluous to call “Soul Secrets” his best album ever – but there’s no doubt it’s one of contemporary jazz’s best albums of 2014.
Track List
- Do Watcha Love [05:15]
- Soul Secrets [04:17]
- GK’s Funky Joint [05:03]
- Elegant Nights [03:49]
- Rio Drive [04:52]
- Only You [04:45]
- Snack Shack [05:09]
- Cafe Agogo [05:11]
- Secret Smile [06:23]
- Above the Clouds [05:24]
- Walking On Air [05:15]
- Told You Twice [05:06]
- Randy Heads Uptown [05:09]
- Time Alone (for Ty Malone) [04:57]
Credits
Gregg Karukas: Composer
(P) 2014 Nightowl Records
(C) 2014 Nightowl Records