Steve-O

美国的帅小伙Steve Oliver是吉他手，还是个电吉他手。和其他一些Smooth Jazz音乐家一样，第一次听到他的音乐是从smoothjazz网络电台，而在去年，这张专辑里被电台播放频率最高的是那首“High Noon”,这首的确是好听，而且热情奔放。专辑的的曲子一样动听，而且给我就是一个“初生牛犊不怕虎”感觉。Steve用尽浑身解数，把自己所有的热情和温情同时都表现出来，甚至在其中两首曲子里还献上他那不是很专业的歌喉。“High Noon”在电台播发频率是非常高的，而且在今年的National Smooth Jazz Awards里，因为这张专辑Steve Oliver还获得最佳吉他手和最佳新人两项提名。而在smoothjazz.com电台里，主持人的背景音乐都是来自这张专辑的那首“Horizon”。 另外，在专辑里演奏SAX的，是同在Native Language旗下的Jeff Kashiwa,他也是著名Smooth Jazz团体The Rippingtons的主音SAX手。

by David Jeffries

Playing sideman to Rick Braun, Larry Carlton, Gato Barbieri, the Neville Brothers, and many others introduced guitarist/vocalist Steve Oliver to smooth jazz fans, but it was with Steve Reid's band that Oliver found a following. It was 1996 when Reid contacted Oliver at the last minute to fill in for a canceled opening act. Oliver hit the stage as a solo act and Reid was impressed with the guitarist's vocalese skills and summery sound (Oliver is a California native and a true follower of the laid-back lifestyle). Oliver had come to vocalese not through King Pleasure or Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, but through Bobby McFerrin and Pat Metheny's work with Richard Bona and David Blamires, who sang along with guitar solos. Being a fan of the earthy Metheny sound, Reid hired Oliver after the gig and featured him in his touring band. Reid's Mysteries and Passion in Paradise albums featured Oliver not only as guitarist but songwriter as well.

Oliver struck out on his own in 1999 with his debut, First View, released by Night Vision. The album spawned three hit singles on smooth jazz radio and earned the guitarist a Debut Artist of the Year award from Smooth Jazz News. Duties in Reid's band kept Oliver busy until 2002, when he released Positive Energy on Native Language. Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman was in the producer's chair for Oliver's third album, 3-D, released by Koch in 2004.