Biography
Smooth jazz supergroup Jazz Funk Soul originated in the mid-2010s as a trio uniting Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb, and Everette Harp. Their initial two releases arrived with the 2014 self-titled Jazz Funk Soul, which received a Grammy nomination, followed by 2016’s More Serious Business. Following Loeb’s passing in 2017, guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. came aboard, contributing to Life and Times in 2019 and Forecast in 2022; both projects paid tribute to Loeb while sustaining the ensemble’s emphasis on catchy, groove-driven material.
The project first assembled in 2013 strictly as a touring unit built around keyboardist Jeff Lorber, guitarist Chuck Loeb, and saxophonist Everette Harp. Before this alliance, each participant had already established a presence on the smooth jazz charts. Lorber, a Grammy recipient, had previously partnered with Kenny G, Dave Koz, and Miles Davis, while Loeb and Harp had each placed numerous albums inside the jazz Top 20 and recorded, respectively, with Eric Marienthal, Fourplay, and Stanley Clarke. Drawing on that collective background, the trio issued its debut album, Jazz Funk Soul, via Shanachie in 2014; the set earned a nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Two years afterward they delivered their second collection, More Serious Business.
Loeb died of cancer in July 2017. Lorber and Harp then recruited Paul Jackson, Jr. to help create an album honoring Loeb’s contributions, resulting in Life and Times, released in January 2019. Jackson stayed on as a permanent member for the group’s fourth record, Forecast, which appeared in 2022. The album contained funk-oriented tracks such as “Fish Grease” and “Hustle,” along with the tribute piece “CSL,” standing for Charles Samuel Loeb.
The project first assembled in 2013 strictly as a touring unit built around keyboardist Jeff Lorber, guitarist Chuck Loeb, and saxophonist Everette Harp. Before this alliance, each participant had already established a presence on the smooth jazz charts. Lorber, a Grammy recipient, had previously partnered with Kenny G, Dave Koz, and Miles Davis, while Loeb and Harp had each placed numerous albums inside the jazz Top 20 and recorded, respectively, with Eric Marienthal, Fourplay, and Stanley Clarke. Drawing on that collective background, the trio issued its debut album, Jazz Funk Soul, via Shanachie in 2014; the set earned a nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Two years afterward they delivered their second collection, More Serious Business.
Loeb died of cancer in July 2017. Lorber and Harp then recruited Paul Jackson, Jr. to help create an album honoring Loeb’s contributions, resulting in Life and Times, released in January 2019. Jackson stayed on as a permanent member for the group’s fourth record, Forecast, which appeared in 2022. The album contained funk-oriented tracks such as “Fish Grease” and “Hustle,” along with the tribute piece “CSL,” standing for Charles Samuel Loeb.
Albums
Singles
