The B3 masters that have gone on can now rest in peace, knowing that their craft is safe and progressing. Masterful, super, raw energy that most youth have not experience. A must for any virtuoso.

A Hammond B-3 organ can all at once sound like a carnival, a big band, a horn section, a small jazz combo, a funk group, a percussion section, a flute and/or countless other things. At Rosco’s Place, Roger Smith made it sing off-the-cuff during a two-day session captured live. On the B-3, nine drawbars represent the nine most important harmonics’, going in order from left to right, the sub-octave, the fifth, the unison or fundamental octave, the 8th, the 12th, the 15th, the 17th, the 19th, and the 22nd. All of these except the 17th are either roots or fifths. The 17th is a third. There are literally millions of tone qualities and endless shades of dynamic levels available on the Hammond organ. Roger Smith knows the right ones to play when he is weaving an aural tapestry telling a story all about how it went down at Rosco's. There was drama when Pablo Picasso unveiled his “Woman in a chair” painting because it was a series of geometric angles, cubes, earth tone colors, unrelated parts, the woman disengaged. When asked to explain Picasso said, “The painting is about how she feels sitting in the chair”… Smith and his compatriots on the Rosco CD take us to Rosco's, tell us stories around the table, changing the climate colors and mood like an automatic transmission, a place in space and time, where words are ineffective. A virtual performance art piece, music was invented and laid out on the fly. This the first of five CD’s invites intimates to an in-your-face studio session, laying it down the old school, Robert Johnson styled, one take way: “Look Ma no overdubs” with seven of the baddest cats around who can play if you let them, and let them he did. On the project Smith is flanked by stellar funk percussionist supreme drummer David Garibaldi, master of the smooth guitar Ray Obiedo, journeyman Mick Valentino tag teams Obiedo on guitar, Steve Self holds down the chair for Garibaldi, while bass guitarists Mike McKinnon and Mike Kirkhouse nail down the bottom. One time Miles Davis told Billy Cobham, “Whatever you play, don’t ever play it straight.” Smith quotes heavily from the book of Miles, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evens, Booker T., with a wink and a nod out to Isaac Hayes. With titles such as “Good Question”, “Ray-O’s Bounce”, “All about you”, “Preface to Insanity”, “Five Alive”, “Sloppy Joe’s”, “Cape Town Jump”, “Armadillo Race”. The Jazz joint Juke adventure no doubt chronicles the life of working musicians pounding the pavement and working the road. Appearing Tonight Jazz Rosco, buy the CD and you will be in the house, and taking the ride, an adventure in musicianship you won’t soon forget.

In today’s contemporary jazz climate as we know it is slowly evolving beyond the doormat of the radio friendly smooth genre market. Currently new and many times old faces are attempting to rekindle they’re relationship with creativity and innovation therefore, nudging their way forward bypassing the scope of norm in the music business in order to achieve they’re goal. In this new season “Jazz Rosco” makes his appearance, featuring smooth jazz keyboardist Roger Smith who’s the guiding force behind his new project titled “Rosco’s Place”. Smith gives listeners a glance at a fresh alternative as they approach the New Year searching for new and exciting music in the independent jazz market place. Read further at the above mentioned link

This is not your ordinary jazz CD. It is an unstructured, all natural, pure jam-band project featuring music conceived, written and performed on the spot. A 2-day live studio session with seven of the finest talents in jazz, funk and R&B. The effect is that of walking into a nightclub and happening onto a one-of-a-kind, live performance. It features the masterful David Garibaldi on 5 of the 8 tracks (four tracks over 6 minutes, including an 8 minute track) with those intricate, complex drum patterns laying down the groove for Roger Smith's superior B-3 and keyboard work. It skips the standard industry approach of recording or overdubbing each instrument separately. The length of the tracks allows for some very distinctive solo work by the various musicians. It's unscripted, it's freewheeling, it's unique. If you like jazz, you'll love this CD.