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Kim Waters has enjoyed a career longevity that is rare in the music business. For close to two decades the saxophonist, composer and producer has been one of the premier architects of Urban Smooth Jazz and a beacon of light in contemporary jazz. He has garnered praise from critics and fans alike, amassing record sales of over a million albums and ranks among the top five best-selling instrumentalists in jazz. Kim Waters’ music has fine-tuned the perfect combination of sensitivity and brawn, intellect and emotion and technique and soulfulness. It is these winning combinations, along with his sincere dedication and love for his craft that have enabled him to score top-ten singles on all of his thirteen albums as a leader. The suave, debonair and commanding saxophonist’s ability to transcend the musical boundaries of jazz, pop and R&B have made him one of the most sought-after musicians in contemporary jazz. “The most incredible gift is to be able to do something of value that makes people happy and music has the ability to do that like nothing else. I have been blessed to share what I love with the world,” notes Waters.
Kim Waters’ fourteenth recording as a leader and seventh CD for Shanachie, You Are My Lady, finds the consummate hit-maker doing what he does best -- creating dreamy melodies and sultry ballads, reinventing timeless R&B hits and playing funky dance-inspired grooves. Highlights on You Are My Lady, which Waters dedicates to his teenage twin daughters Kayla and Kimberly, include a reggae-tinged version of Marvin Gaye’s hit “Got to Give it Up,” which is the album’s first single and is sure to climb the charts with the saxophonist’s free-spirited take on this timeless dance anthem. Also included are such slow jams as the Barry Eastmond title track immortalized by Freddie Jackson, Natalie Cole’s 1975 hit “Inseparable” and “The Closer I Get To You,” made popular by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway and in recent years Beyoncé and Luther Vandross. Waters is joined on the latter Quiet Storm staple by singer Lisa Fischer and together this duo creates a version that is sure to stand the test of time. Kim Waters also contributes such standout originals on You Are My Lady as the funky and wah-wah heavy “East Coast Strollin’,” “Flying High,” which showcases Waters at the helm playing all the instruments heard and the tender ballad “Two Keys To My Heart.”
Always current with what is hot on the scene, Kim Waters has enjoyed great success reworking hip hop, R&B and reggae hits with a jazzy twist on his popular CDs Streetwize and Tha’ Hot Club. Once again the saxman shows that he has the knack for taking the hottest chart-topping hits and doing them his own way. This time around Waters does a sultry version of Ne-Yo’s pop and R&B crossover hit “So Sick.” He says, “I make music for everybody from eight to 80! There are several ingredients that are integral parts of my music mix. There’s got to be a perfect blend of romance and groove and a singable melody that catches the ear!”
You Are My Lady is a follow-up to Kim Waters’ 2005 CD All For Love and last year’s DVD In the Groove, a 5.1 surround sound DVD which captures the saxophonist in an electrically charged performance at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre in Toronto, Canada. He showcases some of his crowd-pleasing favorites like “The Ride,” “In the House” and “Waterfall.” “I love performing live concerts,” confesses Kim Waters. “In a live setting I can really stretch out and improvise and play whatever I want and for me that challenge is really exciting. My live shows are never quite the same. A lot of what I do and play in my live shows depends on the crowd and the excitement that the fans generate. I love the give and take and have a great time playing off of it.”
As engaging as Waters is on the bandstand, he is equally as thrilling in the studio. His 2004 CD, In the Name of Love, is a testament as it remained in the top 25 of Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts for six months and stayed on that chart for an entire year!
Born into a musical family, the Maryland native picked up his first instrument, the violin, at the age of eight. "That didn't go over well with the fellas," says Waters, who later found his calling on the alto and soprano saxophones at 13. Shortly afterwards he began playing in a band with his brothers James (who he still performs with) and Eric and his old friend, pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Over the years, Kim Waters has been called on to perform with or open shows for the best including Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Phyllis Hyman, Teddy Riley and Guy, and Gerald Albright to name a few. Waters, who is the ultimate family man, has built a family room that would make any guy envious. Believe it or not he has built his own watering hole attached to his house that is a favorite destination spot for his friends and neighbors. When he is not playing, on tour or hard at work in his recording studio ,you can often find him there being the perfect host.
You Are My Lady is sure to further endear old Kim Waters fans and bring new ones to the forefront. It is confirmation that Kim Waters has rightfully been crowned the king of smooth urban jazz and that he is here to stay.
Print & TV Contact: Monifa Brown (973) 579-7763 EXT 26/mbrown@shanachie.com
Radio Contacts: Bill Cason (516) 627-3682/ billshanachie@optonline.net
Booking/Management: Central Entertainment Services-Bruce Nichols (609) 522-0173 bruce@centralentertainment.com
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