Peter Kater Announces the Digital Release of The Best of Smooth Jazz

    SHUTESBURY, MA, December 03, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The material on this compilation was gathered from his Billboard Top 20 Contemporary Jazz and National Radio Chart Top 10 songs - all assembled and re-mastered on one great album, available now on iTunes or your favorite digital provider.

From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, from California to the East Coast, you couldn't listen to a Contemporary Jazz radio station for more than a few minutes without hearing a Peter Kater song. From the WAVE in Los Angeles and KHIH in Denver to WBMW in Washington DC, Peter's music was in heavy rotation. This was before anyone coined the term "Smooth Jazz" and long before Peter started receiving multiple Grammy Award nominations. This was when radio stations were announcing what song they just played and from what album and there was an excitement about the distinct style and sound of each individual artist. The Peter Kater Group appeared at and headlined many national jazz festivals and was featured several times at Robert Redford's Sundance Institute and Film Festival in Utah and at John Denver's annual Choices for the Future Symposium in Aspen, Colorado.

When the popularity and marketability of this hybrid instrumental music became apparent, there was a movement by major radio marketing designers and programmers to "brand" this sound and make it more homogeneous. Thus the birth of "Smooth Jazz," and a gradual loss of distinction between many artists and their styles. This collection of Peter's best songs from that era recall a time when the individuality of the artist was nurtured and the sound and the interconnectedness of "the band" was more important than conforming to a genre, generic format or playlist.

Peter's core band consisted of Greg Overton on Bass, Aaron Stone on Drums and Bob Rebholz on Sax and Flutes. Later years added Randy Chavez on Guitars, Larry Thompson on Drums and Mark Miller on Sax and Flutes, and guest appearances by many well known and talented musicians such as Dave Samuels, Don Grusin, David Darling, Brandon Fields, Ernie Watts, Howard Levy and Tony Levin to name a few.

Website: http://www.artspromo.org

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