Biography
The British guitarist Chris Standring has earned widespread recognition as a contemporary jazz artist whose relaxed grooves, Latin-inflected rhythms, and memorable melodies shaped by R&B sensibilities have defined his output. Early notice arrived with the 1998 album Velvet and the 2000 follow-up Hip Sway. His stature increased after he established the Ultimate Vibe label and placed five albums inside the Top Ten of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart, among them 2008’s Love & Paragraphs, 2012’s Electric Wonderland, and 2018’s Sunlight, each reflecting a progressively refined and stylistically broader approach. In 2021 he issued Wonderful World, his first orchestral collection of jazz standards.
Born in Buckinghamshire, England, in 1960, Standring began classical guitar lessons at age six. Although jazz had been part of his childhood listening, it was during his studies at the London College of Music that he integrated jazz improvisation with his classical training. He further developed his abilities through ten years of work with the BBC and various theatrical orchestras in London’s West End. Standring later moved to Los Angeles, where he established himself as a sought-after session musician through recordings with artists ranging from Bebe & Cece Winans to Jody Watley and Carole Bayer Sager. In 1996 he joined keyboardist Rodney Lee to lead the acid jazz group SolarSystem. Following an eighteen-month tour with trumpeter Rick Braun, Standring released his solo debut Velvet in 1999, which yielded the smooth jazz radio hit “Cool Shades.” Hip Sway arrived the next year, succeeded in 2003 by Groovalicious. His fourth solo album, 2006’s Soul Express, emphasized laid-back instrumental R&B and presented a reinterpretation of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.”
Beginning with Love & Paragraphs in 2008, Standring issued his recordings on the independent Ultimate Vibe Recordings imprint. The change in label coincided with a more ambitious musical outlook that incorporated strings, Latin rhythms, and larger-scale compositions. Blue Bolero, released in 2010, included collaborations with violinist Barbara Porter and the single “Bossa Blue,” which reached number one on the contemporary jazz charts. Two years afterward he delivered the comparably expansive Electric Wonderland. The 2014 album Don’t Talk, Dance! explored electronica-tinged textures and contained the single “Sneakin’ Out the Front Door,” which topped the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. In 2016 Standring returned with Ten, a project more rooted in hardcore jazz and influenced by his admiration for both Pat Martino and George Benson; the album featured the single “Ready Steady Flow.”
The following year he issued the live recording Live in London, which included guest vocalist Mica Paris. Paris rejoined him for the 2018 studio album Sunlight, also featuring Bob James and John Novello; the soul-jazz-infused set ascended to the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Standring followed with the equally soulful Real Life in 2020. In 2021 he focused on the Great American Songbook for the orchestral project Wonderful World, applying his distinctive touch to jazz standards with contributions from Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, Chuck Berghofer, and additional musicians.
Born in Buckinghamshire, England, in 1960, Standring began classical guitar lessons at age six. Although jazz had been part of his childhood listening, it was during his studies at the London College of Music that he integrated jazz improvisation with his classical training. He further developed his abilities through ten years of work with the BBC and various theatrical orchestras in London’s West End. Standring later moved to Los Angeles, where he established himself as a sought-after session musician through recordings with artists ranging from Bebe & Cece Winans to Jody Watley and Carole Bayer Sager. In 1996 he joined keyboardist Rodney Lee to lead the acid jazz group SolarSystem. Following an eighteen-month tour with trumpeter Rick Braun, Standring released his solo debut Velvet in 1999, which yielded the smooth jazz radio hit “Cool Shades.” Hip Sway arrived the next year, succeeded in 2003 by Groovalicious. His fourth solo album, 2006’s Soul Express, emphasized laid-back instrumental R&B and presented a reinterpretation of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.”
Beginning with Love & Paragraphs in 2008, Standring issued his recordings on the independent Ultimate Vibe Recordings imprint. The change in label coincided with a more ambitious musical outlook that incorporated strings, Latin rhythms, and larger-scale compositions. Blue Bolero, released in 2010, included collaborations with violinist Barbara Porter and the single “Bossa Blue,” which reached number one on the contemporary jazz charts. Two years afterward he delivered the comparably expansive Electric Wonderland. The 2014 album Don’t Talk, Dance! explored electronica-tinged textures and contained the single “Sneakin’ Out the Front Door,” which topped the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. In 2016 Standring returned with Ten, a project more rooted in hardcore jazz and influenced by his admiration for both Pat Martino and George Benson; the album featured the single “Ready Steady Flow.”
The following year he issued the live recording Live in London, which included guest vocalist Mica Paris. Paris rejoined him for the 2018 studio album Sunlight, also featuring Bob James and John Novello; the soul-jazz-infused set ascended to the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Standring followed with the equally soulful Real Life in 2020. In 2021 he focused on the Great American Songbook for the orchestral project Wonderful World, applying his distinctive touch to jazz standards with contributions from Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, Chuck Berghofer, and additional musicians.
Albums
As We Think
2024
The Lovers Remix Collection
2023
Silent Night
2022
Simple Things
2022
Real Life
2020
Don't Talk, Dance!
2014
Electric Wonderland
2012
Blue Bolero
2010
Love and Paragraphs
2008
Soul Express
2006
Hip Sway
2000
Singles
