David Garfield – Stretchin’ Outside The Box (Creatchy Records, 2021)
Stretchin’ Outside The Box from keyboard virtuoso David Garfield is a double set of smooth jazz that includes some radio hits.. The album includes the prerequisite soft jazz saxophone solos as well as instrumental pop pieces.
Garfield says, “This one includes several singles that have been popular on the radio, such as ‘Sweetness,’ ‘Sir Charles,’ ‘Pirate’s Cove,’ ‘Rainbow Seeker’ and ‘I Won’t Back Down.’ It’s a double CD with 24 songs and the emphasis is on ‘stretchin’ out,’ so many of these tunes are unedited and full of inspired jamming. The music on this album is the closest to what I consider my comfort zone and it features tributes to Herbie Hancock and Joe Sample.”’
David Garfield invited an impressive cast of top players from the jazz, fusion and rock field, including Gerald Albright, Eric Marienthal, Chuck Loeb, Marcus Miller, Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson Jr., Rick Braun, the Brecker Brothers, Nathan East.
Although the majority of the album leans towards the melodic, easy listening side, Garfield and his colleagues sometimes venture into more exciting stuff, incorporating funk, fusion and tropical rhythms.
Stretchin’ Outside The Box is the sixth and final installment in David Garfield’s Outside The Box series.