BET on Jazz

The Jazz Channel Presents Earl Klugh (BET on Jazz)

Ever since George Benson discovered him in the '70s, acoustic guitarist Earl Klugh has been a major force in contemporary jazz, thanks to his Blue Note, Liberty, and Warner Bros. recordings. On this segment filmed at the BET on Jazz studios in Washington, D.C., Klugh is backed by a superb combo consisting of drums, electric bass, keyboards, percussion, and saxophones, and he delivers a scintillating hour-plus set of quiet storm jazz. Klugh's Chet Atkins-inspired solos provide the melodic seasoning on his hits like the light funk numbers "Wiggle Wiggle" and "Mount Airy Road"; his Latin/Caribbean tunes "Livin' Inside Your Love" and "Dr. Macumba," and his bebop-like swing composition "Take It from the Top." Klugh's romantic side comes through on the beautiful ballad "Rayna," and his radio-friendly grooves illuminate the catchy "Private Affair." Shot in crystal-clear color, Klugh and company look good and sound good with their cutting-edge music for the heart and the hips. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Discover your sense of jazz with extraordinary acoustic guitarist Earl Klugh as he performs live on "Jazz Central" at Black Entertainment Television's Studio 2 in Washington, D.C. It's classic Klugh in concert playing contemporary jazz soundscapes an melodic ballads in his trademark style. Tracks: Wiggle, Living Inside Your Love, Wind and the Sea, Rayna, Midnight in San Juan, Take It From the Top, Private Affair, Whimpers and Promises, Tropical Legs, Mount Airy Road, Last Song, Dr. Macumba. 73 minutes.

The Jazz Channel Presents Jeffrey Osborne (BET on Jazz)

Regardless of how many new tunes pop vocalist Jeffrey Osborne tries to cram into this performance--and there are too many--this is the work of an artist who's trying desperately to rest firmly on his past. And depending on whom you talk to, it's either an underrated past or one that has always been shaky. Osborne fans will undoubtedly love this collection. He ventures back to his days with '70s funk outfit LTD for such jams as "Concentrate on You" and "Love Ballad," all the way through the solo material of the '80s that netted him five gold and platinum records. Osborne's reputation has always rested with his velvety voice and heart-on-his-sleeve ballads, such as "On the Wings of Love" (performed "unplugged" here with nothing but an acoustic guitar, and Osborne's passionate reading makes it sound as if he's doing it for the first time, rather than the millionth). However, this performance comes across more like a party. The tunes, like "Stay with Me Tonight," which foolishly segues into Cameo's "Da Butt," are mostly upbeat. He opens appropriately with "Party Hearty," and if you are an Osborne fan, you'll definitely enjoy the shindig. --Dave McCoy

Take a musical journey with BET On Jazz: The Jazz Channel and Jeffrey Osborne as he performs live at Black Entertainment Television Studio II in Washington, D.C. You'll jam to old-school hits and discover hot new songs from his latest CD, "That's For Sure." Set list: Party Hardy, The Second Time Around, On the Wings of Love, Stay with Me Tonight, Kreeping, Holding On, Concentrate On You, Don't You Get So Mad, I Really Don't Need No Light, That's For Sure, (Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again, Love Ballad, You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)

Full Frame - Color - English - 5.1 Dolby Digital, 5.1 DTS

The Jazz Channel Presents Freddie Jackson (BET on Jazz)

With his church-derived tenor voice, his suave, onstage demeanor, and his excellent taste in clothes, Harlem-born vocalist Freddie Jackson was the most dominant black male singer in the '80s after Luther Vandross. His eclectic mix of sass and class is evident in his live shows and on his many singles, which were staples on the urban contemporary/quiet storm radio stations. On this Black Entertainment Television concert, Jackson struts his stuff for the ladies and delivers his best-loved hits, from the torchy and tempting "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)" and "You Are My Lady," to the sophisticated funk of "Jam Tonight." Freddie Jackson is an animated performer, in complete control of himself and his appreciative audience. This concert, which also contains an intimate "Meet the Artist" interview segment, showcases the full range of Freddie Jackson's urbane artistry, and it proves that there's nothing more enduring than a well-written and well-performed love song. --Eugene Holley Jr.

One of the premiere R&B balladeers of the past 20 years, Grammy-nominated Freddie Jackson rocks the night away on "Jazz Central." This rousing concert is jam-packed with wild surprises and romance as Jackson performs before a live audience at BET's Studio II in Washington, D.C. Songs: Nice 'n' Slow, Have You Ever Loved Somebody/Tasty Love, Jam Tonight, Love Me Down, Don't Let Love Slip Away, You Are My Lady, Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)

The Jazz Channel Presents Bobby Womack (BET on Jazz)

Though he's widely considered one of pop music's most influential artists (working with the likes of Sam Cooke, Jimi Hendrix, Wilson Pickett, and Sly and the Family Stone, and being covered by the Rolling Stones, James Taylor, and J. Geils Band), Bobby Womack was relatively unknown to younger audiences until the late '90s. When pop-culture champion Quentin Tarantino used Womack's blaxploitation hit "Across 110th Street" for Jackie Brown, a whole new audience opened up for Womack. For fans both old and new, this 90-minute live performance showcases the work of a man with some of the silkiest, most powerful vocal cords in the business. And even though Womack is getting up there in years, he still looks like a bad ass, sporting a black leather baseball cap and dark shades that would make Shaft proud. This 18-song performance often comes across like an essential R&B-soul history lesson. Womack croons beautifully on such classic ballads as "That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha" and "Woman's Gotta Have It" and shows off his grittiness on "Lookin' for a Love" and "Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out." If there's a flaw with the performance, it's the arrangements; Womack's backup band is a bit too slick. "Across 110th Street" is watered-down funk, almost redone as adult contemporary gloss. Still, it's an essential for any Womack fan's collection. --Dave McCoy

BET On Jazz: The Jazz Channel presents legendary R&B guitarist and singer/songwriter Bobby Womack in a live performance at Black Entertainment Television Studio in Washington, DC. This is classic Womack, gritty, soulful and raw, singing the R&B songs that have made him famous, plus a bonus interview. Songs: Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out, Harry Hippie, Daylight, I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much, That's the Way I Feel About Cha, Love Has Finally Come at Last, Woman's Got to Have It, You're Welcome to Stop on By, Change is Gonna Come, Lookin For a Love to Call My Own, If You Think You're Lonely Now, No Matter How High I Get, Across 110th Street, I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love to You, It's All Over Now, I Can't Understand It, Amen/This Little Light of Mine.

The Jazz Channel Presents Keiko Matsui (BET on Jazz)

Keiko Matsui may have won a few Smooth Jazz Awards, but the Japanese- born, classically influenced keyboardist's music is not jazz--at least not if your definition of jazz includes swinging, the blues, and improvisation, all of which are in relatively short supply in this nearly 90-minute performance (plus DVD bonus features, including an interview with the artist). Not that it matters, really. Whatever you call the style--"contemporary instrumental" seems as good a term as any--Matsui is one of its more appealing, and certainly most popular, exponents. A capable if not virtuosic player, she and her four-piece band (including a Japanese guitarist who seems to have listened to a lot more Jimi Hendrix than Jim Hall) offer up a generous set of 14 songs, all of them Matsui compositions. As titles like "Beyond the Light," "Night Waltz" and "Bridge over the Stars" would indicate, the sound is melodic, accessible, and, well, smooth; this is the kind of music that smooth-jazz radio was created for. And while that makes for few challenging moments, Matsui does provide enough variety--say, the minor-key, rhythmic drive of "Doll," or the shifting dynamics of "Foot Steps" (the two "jazziest" numbers here)--to keep things interesting. Best of all, she brings out Kazu Matsui, her husband and record producer, to play the shakuhachi (the Japanese wooden flute) on the final three numbers. Kazu's distinctively breathy sound and casual, humorous mien provide a welcome change of pace in a show that is otherwise a bit too safe for its own good. --Sam Graham

The Jazz Channel Presents Kenny Rankin (BET on Jazz)

Singer-guitarist Kenny Rankin's high, pure tenor voice and unerring choice of material make this a performance that will delight his fans as well as those who know little or nothing about this underrated musician. Backed by a quartet (with pianist Bill O'Connell and the excellent guitarist Joe Beck) and four string players, Rankin works his way through 16 numbers in this intimate, 75-minute concert, recorded in 2001 in Washington, D.C. He moves effortlessly between standards by Gershwin, Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk, and others, several Latin-tinged numbers, and a variety of more contemporary material by the Beatles ("Blackbird," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps") and by Rankin himself. While Rankin may not be strictly a jazz or pop singer, neither should he be glibly characterized as an "AOR artist"; there's too much real musicianship happening here to relegate him to background music status. A "Meet the Artist" interview and several audio choices comprise the DVD bonus features. --Sam Graham

Famed saxophonist Stan Getz once referred to Kenny Rankin as "the horn with a heart." Rankin's elegant tenor voice and gift for jazz, pop and Latin phrasing have made him a favorite of singers like Mel Torme, Al Jarreau, Tony Bennett and Carmen McRae. In this special concert recorded for the Jazz Channel in Washington, D.C., Rankin enthralls the discriminating audience with a performance of classic favorites.

Songs:
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, When Sunny Gets Blue, Round Midnight, Love is Here to Stay, Sunday Kind of Love, Misty Roses, Blackbird, Birembau, More Than You Know, She's a Lady, In the Name of Love, Soft Guitar, Blame It on My Youth, Peaceful, Haven't We Met, While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

The Jazz Channel Presents Herbie Hancock (BET on Jazz)

The ageless keyboardist-composer Herbie Hancock, who's played with everybody from Miles Davis to Quincy Jones, lets loose in a jazzy performance recorded live at Black Entertainment Television's Studio II in Washington, D.C. Backed by a quicksilver combo featuring drummer Teri Lynne Carrington, Hancock and his intricate pianisms dust off well-worn standards like George Gershwin's "Fascinatin' Rhythm," W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues," and James P. Johnson's "Blueberry Pie" with new post-bop, world music seasonings. Hancock was a mainstay on the legendary Blue Note record label in the '60s, where he released two of his biggest jazz hits, "Cantaloupe Island" and "Maiden Voyage." Those two tunes are redone in this scintillating set with a welcome melodic freshness that shows that Hancock still has what it takes. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Legendary jazz pianist, composer and innovator Herbie Hancock performs live on "Jazz Central." This concert was recorded live at Black Entertainment Television's Studio II in Washington, D.C. It features Hancock playing his Grammy Award-winning style of jazz with his complex and earthy rhythmic signature. Tracks: Fascinating Rhythm, St. Louis Blues, Cotton Tail, Blueberry Rhyme, The Man I Love, Here Come De Honey Man, Cantaloupe Island, One Finger Snap, Maiden Voyage.

The Jazz Channel Presents Lou Rawls (BET on Jazz)

Lou Rawls' isn't the first name to come to mind if you're cataloging the great jazz singers. Or the great pop singers. Or, for that matter, the great R&B, blues, or gospel singers. There may be a couple of reasons for that. First, Rawls is versatile enough to handle all of those genres and still avoid being pigeonholed in any of them. And second, despite his impressive background (he sang on "Bring It on Home to Me" with the immortal Sam Cooke) and consistent musicality, somewhere inside Rawls is a lounge lizard trying to escape--and escape it sometimes does, including during the course of this nightclub concert recorded in 2000. Thus you have a guy who covers his own hits ("You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine"), as well as big-band versions of tunes associated with the likes of Muddy Waters ("Hoochie Coochie Man"), Bobby "Blue" Bland (T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday"), Louis Armstrong ("What a Wonderful World"), and Cooke; yet he also takes on schlocky fare like "Wind Beneath My Wings" (Rawls recorded it before Bette Midler's hit version), the disco-tinged "Lady Love," and the hopelessly dated "Groovy People." Time and again, though, what saves Rawls, aside from his strong, soulful voice, is the simple fact that he never forgets how to swing. Dapper, elegant, laid-back, yet completely confident, he has the audience in the palm of his hand throughout this hourlong show. Bonus DVD features include a bio and a lengthy interview. --Sam Graham

Take a musical journey with BET On Jazz: The Jazz Channel and the soulful sounds of legendary R&B vocalist Lou Rawls. Recorded live at Black Entertainment Television Studio II in Washington, DC, this historic "Jazz Central" concert features Rawls singing classic "Philly sounds," jazz and blues in his inimitable style, plus a bonus interview. Songs: Groovy People, Tobacco Road, Natural Man, Lady Love, Let Me Be Good to You, Since I Met You, Love is a Hurtin' Thing, Stormy Monday, Room With a View, Bring It on Home, Your Good Thing (Is About to End), Street Life Medley, What a Wonderful World, Hoochie Coochie, Wind Beneath My Wings, You'll Never Find, See You When I Get There.

The Jazz Channel Presents Chaka Khan (BET on Jazz)

Most mainstream fans associate vocalist Chaka Khan either as the lead singer for the seminal '70s funk band Rufus or as the R&B singer who became a short-lived '80s sensation with the infectious cover of Prince's pop hit "I Feel for You." However throughout the years Khan has shown an interest in jazz as well, and this 60-minute live performance gives the artist a chance to show off her nuanced versatility by covering a handful of old jazz standards. Khan sets the evening's mood by allowing her superb band (which is not credited, unfortunately) to warm up and take individual solos on the instrumental "Dark Secret" before finally making an appearance on stage. Once she does, it's a bit shaky at first. During "Them There Eyes," she sounds tentative and nervous, but by the time she hits "My Funny Valentine," the singer hits her stride. Throughout this brief but thoroughly enjoyable set, Khan consistently picks the right spots to demonstrate that her unmistakable voice hasn't lost a thing over the years. She can still belt them out with the best of 'em. Even if they're not Chaka Khan fans, jazz loyalists will want to see this show, simply because her band powers the evening; the bass and horn playing often outshine the singer. Make no mistake: Khan is good here, but her band is better. --Dave McCoy

Take a musical journey with BET On Jazz: The Jazz Channel and legendary soul diva Chaka Khan. Recorded live at Black Entertainment Television Studio II in Washington, D.C., this historic "Jazz Central" concert features the incomparable Ms. Khan interpreting jazz standards. Set list: Dark Secret, Them There Eyes, My Funny Valentine, Man From Mars, High Wire (The Aerialist), I Loves You Porgy, I'll Be Around, Reconsider, The End of a Love Affair, Love Me Still.

Full Frame - Color - English - 5.1 Dolby Digital, 5.1 DTS

The Jazz Channel Presents Brenda Russell (BET on Jazz)

Brooklyn-born, Toronto-raised, singer-songwriter Brenda Russell started her career writing songs with her ex-husband Leon Russell. She emerged a solo artist in her own right in the mid-'80s and burst on the pop/urban contemporary scene with intimate and uplifting tunes like "If Only for One Night" and "Way Back When." This live concert from Black Entertainment Television, which also includes a revealing "Meet the Artist" interview, spotlights Russell's satisfying cache of songs. Backed by a quicksilver combo, Russell's laid-back vocals deliver the goods on her best-known compositions, including her heart-rending "Gulf War" ballad "Get Here," her catchy early blockbuster "So Good, So Right," and her greatest hit, "Piano in the Dark." What makes Brenda Russell so appealing is that her music easily fits into quiet storm, soul, and adult contemporary formats, while remaining true to its own artistic voice. That balance is hard to get these days. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Discover your sense of jazz with the amazing contemporary jazz and R&B vocalist Brenda Russell as she performs live on "Jazz Central." This soulful concert was taped at BET's Studio II in Washington, D.C., and features Russell singing jazz and blues in her unique style with a voice you'll never forget! Songs: Expect a Miracle, Catch On, She's in Love, Way Back When, If Only for One Night, Walkin' in New York, Love and Paris Rain, In an Ideal World, Piano in the Dark, Please Felipe, Something About Your Love, So Good So Right, Get Here.