Lenny White: Renderers of Spirit (1996)

Drummer Lenny White doesn't explore much new territory on Renderers Of Spirit, which contains nothing that will make you forget that he played drums on the legendary Bitches Brew sessions for Miles Davis, or that, along with Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Al DiMeola, he helped define 1970s jazz-fusion as Return to Forever.

But even though the compositions here survey what amounts to the by-now familiar R&B meets jazz domain, White and company make the journey enough of a comfortably swinging stroll to make it worth the trip. White's sound and plump backbeat on drums in "Ho-Cake" sound straight outta hip-hop (that is, before they dissolve in a limpid pool of what's now called "smooth jazz"), and bassist Victor Bailey bounces off the walls in his own title, "Pick Pocket."

Renderers includes contributions from fellow Miles alumni Foley and Bennie Maupin, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, and Michael Brecker (In fact, "Countdown 2000" would not sound out of place on Davis' album Tutu). It closes with a challenging jazz-funk mind-meld of Jackie McLean's "Dr. Jackyle" wih Sly Stone's "Africa Talks To You," and also includes covers (with vocals) of Burt Bacharach's "Walk On By" (which nominally works) and of Christopher Cross' "Sailing" (which absolutely does not).

Tracklist:

01 - Whew! What A Dream
02 - Ho-Cake
03 - Walk On By
04 - Pick Pocket
05 - Savant
06 - Sailing
07 - The Abyss
08 - SwingTime
09 - Beggin'
10 - Countdown: 2000
11 - Dr. Jackle/Africa Talks To You

Personnel:

Geri Allen - Piano
Victor Bailey - Bass, Arranger
Don Blackman - Organ, Synthesizer, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes
Michael Brecker - Saxophone
Randy Brecker - Trumpet
Jerry Brooks - Bass
Dean Brown - Guitar
Stanley Clarke - Tenor, Bass Solo
Jon Dryden - Synthesizer, Arranger
George Duke - Moog Synthesizer
Vince Evans - Synthesizer, Piano, Arranger, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes
Foley - Lead Bass
Javon Jackson - Sax (Tenor)
Dechown Jenkens - Guitar
Mark Johnson - Guitar, Vocals
Darryl Jones - Bass
Mark Ledford - Guitar, Trumpet, Arranger, Vocals
Kim Lesley - Vocals (bckgr)
Pete Levin - Synthesizer, Arranger, Keyboards, Programming, Orchestration
Bennie Maupin - Clarinet (Bass), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Jean McClain - Vocals (bckgr)
Audrey Northington - Vocals
Nicki Richards - Arranger, Vocals
Patrice Rushen - Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards
Michael "Patches" Stewart - Trumpet
Danny Walsh - Saxophone
Lenny White - Organ, Arranger, Cymbals, Drums, Keyboards, Programming, Producer
Bernard Wright - Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer
Pookie Zari - Synthesizer

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Eliane Elias: Illusions (1987)

Eliane Elias' debut as a leader (she had been a member of Steps Ahead) finds her abandoning the electric keyboards in favor of acoustic piano. On seven songs she is joined by bassist Eddie Gomez and either Al Foster or Steve Gadd on drums; the remaining two selections feature her accompanied by bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White. With harmonica great Toots Thielemans making guest appearances on two numbers, Elias was at the time easily the least-known of the players on her own CD. However the pianist was already far along toward developing her own sound as she shows on four originals, two obscurities, Herbie Hancock's "Chan's Song," Blossom Dearie's "Sweet Georgia Fame" and the standard "Falling in Love with Love." A fine start to a significant solo career.

Tracklist:
1. Choro (4:38)
2. Through The Fire (6:05)
3. Illusions (7:09)
4. Moments (5:53)
5. Falling In Love With Love (6:23)
6. Iberia (10:26)
7. Loco Motif (5:41)
8. Sweet Georgia Fame (5:43)
9. Chan's Song (6:18)
Personnel:
Piano, Producer - Eliane Elias
Bass - Eddie Gomez (tracks: 3 to 9)
Stanley Clarke (tracks: 1, 2)
Co-producer - Christine Martin
Drums - Al Foster (tracks: 4 to 6, 8, 9) ,
Lenny White (tracks: 1, 2)
Steve Gadd (tracks: 3, 7)
Harmonica - Toots Thielemans (tracks: 4, 9)
Written-By - Eliane Elias (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 7)
Illusions
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Stanley Clarke, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea & Lenny White: Griffith Park Collection (1982)

This unique straight-ahead jazz project unites three core members of Return to Forever with post-bop horn heavyweights Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson. Stanley Clarke makes an unusual appearance on upright bass, and plays it well. Chick Corea and Lenny White round out the ensemble. The set is strictly acoustic, beginning and ending with two Lenny White tunes, the lively "L's Bop" and the somber, dramatic "Guernica," respectively. Clarke contributes the catchy, mid-tempo blues "Why Wait," while Corea gives us "October Ballade" and Hubbard dusts off his hard-bop classic "Happy Times." Corea's trio featured on Steve Swallow's "Remember" breaks things up nicely.

Tracklist:
1 Lil' Bop - White 5:17
2 Why Wait - Clarke 8:12
3 October Ballade - Corea 5:36
4 Happy Times - Hubbard 7:14
5 Remember - Swallow 4:12
6 Guernica - White 9:36
Personnel:
Stanley Clarke - Bass (Upright) 
Chick Corea - Piano 
Joe Henderson - Sax (Tenor) 
Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet, Flugelhorn 
Lenny White - Drums
Griffith Park Collection
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Michal Urbaniak: Urbanator (1994)

Michal Urbaniak (born January 22, 1943) is a Polish jazz musician and composer born in Warsaw, playing mainly the violin, lyricon and saxophone during concerts and recordings. He played a central role in the development of jazz fusion in the 1970s and 1980s, and has introduced elements of folk, R&B, hip hop, and symphonic music to jazz.

Tracklist:
1. Chameleon (Hancock, Jackson, Mason ...) - 5:23
2. Hopscotch (Getter, White) - 5:05
3. Cats (Komeda) - 4:58
4. Hot Jazz Biscuits (White) - 4:40
5. Watermelon Man (Hancock) - 6:22
6. First Flight (Flythe, Wright) - 4:16
7. Here I Go Again (Groce, Urbanator, Urbaniak ...) - 4:32
8. Sack O' Woe (Adderley) - 6:54
9. For My Mother (Urbanator, Urbaniak) - 4:52
10. Square Park Sunday (Groce, MacDowell, Urbanator ...) - 4:25
Personnel:Michal Urbaniak : violin, talking violin,
tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
Lenny White : drums, percussion
Al MacDowell : bass, piccolo bass
Jon Dryden : piano, keyboards
Аdditional musicians:
Herbie Hancock : piano on 1
Marcus Miller : bass on 6
Tom Browne : trumpet, flugelhorn on 4,5,6,7,8
Kenny Garrett : alto saxophone on 8
Michael Brecker : tenor saxophone on 3,9
Randy Brecker : trumpet, flugelhorn on 3,9
Bernard Wright : keyboards, programming on 6
Fred Welsh : rhythm guitar on 5
Jane Getter : guitar on 2
Pawel MacIwoda : extra bass on 2
Rich Keller : rhythm guitar on 3
Spaceman : guitar on 1
Muckhead : rap on 3,7,10
Solid : rap on 4
Dziko : vocal on 7
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