Smooth Sailing: Seventies Moods & Chillout Grooves

Russian saxophonist André Solomko has been featured on Favorite Recordings before, delivering a couple of albums that cheerily riffed on smooth jazz and 1980s jazz-funk. He's flipped the script on this return to the noted French label, laying down a righteous slab of club-ready disco-funk with noted Afro-disco influences. Naturally, Solomko's killer saxophone solos can be heard on Le Premier Disco Sans Toi, rising above a groovy backing track. His album Le Deltaplane is out on May 7.

Phenomenal bass player Louis Johnson, who passed away on May 21st 2015, was one half of the Brothers Johnson, of course, but he was a much sought session player too. For example, he was the one who played bass on Billy Jean by Michael Jackson and he was also the guy who played that distinctive bass part on I Keep Forgettin' by Michael McDonald. The intros on both records are copied and sampled many times, but Louis Johnson will always be the founding father of them.

Enjoy this new Smooth Sailing trip!

Tracklist:

Sven van Hees – Coco Skin (2007)
Camino 84 – Yacht Rock Breaks (Side B) (2018)
Quincy Jones (+ Brothers Johnson) – Is It Love That We’re Missing (1975)
Neil Sedaka – Bad Blood (1974)
Full Moon Featuring Neil Larsen & Buzz Feiten – The Visitor (1982)
Nielsen Pearson – Two Lonely Nights (1980)
Carole Bayer Sager – I Don't Wanna Dance No More (1978)
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – Mr. Raffles (Man It Was Mean) (1975)
Michael McDonald – I Keep Forgettin’ (1982)
Odia Coates And Paul Anka ‎– Make It Up To Me In Love (1976)
Maxine Nightingale ‎– Gotta Be The One (1976)
Lynsey De Paul – Sugar Me (1972)
Leo Sayer ‎– You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (1976)
The Drifters ‎– You're More Than A Number In My Little Red Book (1976)
Chicago – Life Is What It Is (1979)
Sherbet – Howzat (1976)
Greg Phillinganes ‎– Lazy Nina (1985)
FCC – Let The Love On Through (1980)
Average White Band – Cut The Cake (1975)
André Solomko ‎– Le Premier Disco Sans Toi (2018)