Meta tags:
description=Grammy winning keyboardist/composer/producer. A prolific genre crossing veteran of Smooth Jazz, New Age, Brazilian and R&B pop with many #1 hits from 12 solo CD s that show his signature piano touch. Has toured with Boney James, Dave Koz, Larry Carlton, Dori Caymmi, Sergio Mendes, Ricardo Silveira, Peter White, Rick Braun, Brenda Russell, Jeffrey Osborne, founding member of The Rippingtons;

Headings (most frequently used words):

tour, gk, on, gregg, karukas, soul, secrets, 2014, new, 2026, dates, oct, east, coast,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (269), and (264), with (107), gregg (97), jazz (86), his (75), #karukas (47), for (46), piano (40), that (40), solo (33), has (30), soul (29), music (26), smooth (26), show (26), organ (25), from (24), album (23), festival (23), serenata (21), musical (20), was (20), first (20), years (20), hammond (20), july (20), party (20), one (19), peter (19), white (19), joel (19), taylor (19), all (18), more (18), michael (18), ventura (18), drums (18), new (17), guitar (17), many (16), this (16), hit (16), koz (16), aug (16), shows (15), dave (15), june (15), brazilian (14), keyboardist (14), caymmi (14), most (14), songs (14), original (14), best (14), read (14), top (13), heart (13), washington (13), special (13), over (12), guest (12), trio (12), arts (12), guests (12), you (11), world (11), sound (11), com (11), grammy (11), concert (11), grape (11), october (11), paulo (11), 1881 (11), topanga (11), love (10), melodic (10), dori (10), grand (10), ricardo (10), playing (10), live (10), great (10), tour (10), stage (10), sept (10), april (10), canyon (10), also (9), genre (9), touch (9), are (9), emotion (9), work (9), since (9), out (9), composer (9), mendes (9), artists (9), silveira (9), career (9), coast (9), laguna (9), bistro (9), news (8), always (8), will (8), touring (8), sessions (8), paul (8), director (8), arranging (8), secrets (8), brad (8), collins (8), deren (8), blessman (8), thom (8), rotella (8), dec (8), can (7), those (7), time (7), long (7), ever (7), age (7), sergio (7), comes (7), other (7), played (7), rippingtons (7), around (7), true (7), friends (7), tba (7), may (7), miles (7), jensen (7), holiday (7), times (6), reflective (6), emotional (6), days (6), release (6), magic (6), after (6), experience (6), coming (6), single (6), song (6), nascimento (6), only (6), elegant (6), club (6), both (6), milton (6), 2013 (6), found (6), favorite (6), own (6), contemporary (6), reviews (6), film (6), sax (6), james (6), then (6), life (6), east (6), recently (6), smile (6), keyboards (6), 2025 (6), 2015 (6), london (6), jan (6), feb (6), beach (6), spaghettini (6), brown (6), temecula (6), tyler (6), davey (6), miller (6), dates (6), steinway (6), 9pm (6), pasadena (6), kevin (6), unplugged (6), 2023 (6), bay (6), back (5), have (5), bar (5), artist (5), thoughtful (5), piece (5), better (5), together (5), when (5), wonderful (5), titles (5), truly (5), through (5), where (5), recent (5), winning (5), keyboard (5), genres (5), radio (5), hits (5), melissa (5), manchester (5), multiple (5), tom (5), full (5), style (5), very (5), middle (5), boney (5), bass (5), house (5), sea (5), cruise (5), production (5), groups (5), engineering (5), 1987 (5), pop (5), won (5), producing (5), 2014 (5), company (5), allstar (5), funky (5), neill (5), media (5), cooper (5), seal (5), winery (5), 30pm (5), 9ft (5), nov (5), libretto (5), paso (5), robles (5), winard (5), john (5), leftwich (5), 2024 (5), vocalist (5), resort (5), horseshoe (5), newsletter (5), but (4), buy (4), than (4), collection (4), compositions (4), like (4), tracks (4), offering (4), known (4), lament (4), final (4), embrace (4), track (4), classic (4), david (4), into (4), just (4), march (4), pocket (4), making (4), truest (4), display (4), quote (4), earlier (4), loud (4), clear (4), ultimately (4), joyful (4), because (4), including (4), wife (4), yvonne (4), some (4), pianist (4), words (4), inner (4), feeling (4), either (4), intense (4), happiness (4), sadness (4), until (4), 100 (4), look (4), studio (4), fusion (4), along (4), year (4), producer (4), albums (4), brings (4), late (4), were (4), goes (4), click (4), credits (4), trivia (4), kept (4), contact (4), train (4), people (4), romantic (4), uplifting (4), happy (4), thru (4), tim (4), eyermann (4), cds (4), jazztrax (4), catalina (4), taken (4), present (4), energetic (4), java (4), jakarta (4), manila (4), mallorca (4), spain (4), gibbons (4), which (4), featured (4), russell (4), rick (4), braun (4), larry (4), carlton (4), awards (4), grooves (4), star (4), rio (4), drive (4), chart (4), nights (4), bio (4), private (4), oct (4), rehoboth (4), alley (4), stan (4), scott (4), ambush (4), 7pm (4), williams (4), area (4), grove (4), home (4), done (4), wild (4), woody (4), mankowski (4), iceland (4), summer (4), amazon (3), such (3), there (3), who (3), class (3), composition (3), melody (3), travessia (3), really (3), quite (3), deeply (3), https (3), www (3), jonathan (3), widran (3), vibe (3), originals (3), two (3), gigs (3), isolation (3), him (3), hope (3), esquina (3), impressions (3), grew (3), old (3), omar (3), akram (3), performances (3), down (3), what (3), well (3), players (3), intimate (3), right (3), take (3), project (3), los (3), angeles (3), included (3), founding (3), member (3), hollywood (3), crossover (3), brant (3), borges (3), light (3), series (3), 2021 (3), not (3), short (3), chris (3), say (3), sounds (3), says (3), totally (3), try (3), stay (3), faithful (3), inspiration (3), motown (3), theme (3), disney (3), ducktales (3), chip (3), dale (3), rescue (3), rangers (3), lots (3), cheers (3), stand (3), deliver (3), wrong (3), developing (3), band (3), synthesizer (3), began (3), 2011 (3), studios (3), nightowl (3), attitude (3), concerts (3), emerged (3), dynamic (3), inspiring (3), performers (3), took (3), session (3), veteran (3), composing (3), echoes (3), been (3), airplay (3), demand (3), acts (3), brenda (3), jeffrey (3), osborne (3), various (3), received (3), nominations (3), oasis (3), national (3), girl (3), red (3), dress (3), nightshift (3), jessy (3), tropical (3), rain (3), showcase (3), compositional (3), familiar (3), fans (3), latest (3), adam (3), shelby (3), flint (3), vincent (3), ingala (3), rare (3), melodies (3), had (3), diverse (3), day (3), charlotte (3), fest (3), tin (3), pan (3), richmond (3), south (3), darryl (3), keith (3), mckelly (3), vocals (3), pizza (3), express (3), ojai (3), ramshead (3), annapolis (3), tucciarone (3), plays (3), wine (3), oakland (3), yoshi (3), benefit (3), seattle (3), kendall (3), kay (3), 8pm (3), ken (3), austin (3), alta (3), dena (3), spring (3), pics (3), blog (2), order (2), within (2), heaven (2), heartfelt (2), moments (2), raised (2), should (2), any (2), left (2), fine (2), offerings (2), refrains (2), pieces (2), perhaps (2), serene (2), sombre (2), historia (2), cantador (2), personal (2), would (2), title (2), performance (2), beyond (2), lanz (2), jam (2), beautiful (2), opening (2), warm (2), embracing (2), need (2), lifted (2), sometimes (2), get (2), steve (2), jwvibe (2), post (2), subtitle (2), influences (2), perfectly (2), these (2), include (2), gems (2), mid (2), soulful (2), tender (2), tribute (2), whose (2), ago (2), past (2), video (2), wistful (2), early (2), listening (2), covid (2), deeper (2), bring (2), penned (2), ponta (2), subtle (2), paisagem (2), janela (2), come (2), play (2), cancer (2), clube (2), small (2), singer (2), plus (2), versatile (2), energy (2), offers (2), our (2), reaches (2), inside (2), yours (2), passion (2), intensity (2), loved (2), another (2), para (2), sempre (2), forever (2), sets (2), apart (2), perfect (2), months (2), spent (2), pure (2), unadulterated (2), dick (2), metcalf (2), imagined (2), listen (2), last (2), inspired (2), 1990 (2), set (2), award (2), contributing (2), biggest (2), stages (2), heroes (2), montreux (2), bowl (2), ivan (2), lins (2), oscar (2), castro (2), neves (2), jobim (2), toots (2), thielemans (2), affair (2), circle (2), treat (2), fernando (2), beautifully (2), composed (2), simple (2), loving (2), night (2), close (2), selected (2), lost (2), tip (2), finger (2), practicing (2), fingers (2), next (2), healed (2), enough (2), impact (2), hardcastle (2), performed (2), 2009 (2), featuring (2), standring (2), evers (2), 510 (2), 893 (2), 4705 (2), alevers (2), promotion (2), bud (2), epitome (2), elegance (2), got (2), nuanced (2), satisfying (2), add (2), ability (2), communicate (2), talent (2), scene (2), deal (2), major (2), synthesizers (2), lines (2), rockwell (2), gold (2), somebody (2), watching (2), while (2), catalog (2), garry (2), shandling (2), showtime (2), russ (2), signature (2), suggested (2), honed (2), multi (2), synth (2), programming (2), songwriting (2), skills (2), clubs (2), paying (2), dues (2), natural (2), bridge (2), jingle (2), provided (2), education (2), headlined (2), naturalist (2), author (2), euell (2), adding (2), background (2), moog (2), textures (2), echoing (2), woodwinds (2), readings (2), henry (2), thoreau (2), collector (2), item (2), occasionally (2), ebay (2), prolific (2), crossing (2), collaboration (2), cruises (2), focus (2), bowie (2), idea (2), garnered (2), consistently (2), solid (2), 12th (2), hawley (2), styles (2), enjoying (2), accomplishment (2), consecutive (2), stellar (2), 2nd (2), named (2), alan (2), kepler (2), billboard (2), follows (2), charts (2), january (2), third (2), dedicated (2), 2016 (2), contagious (2), positive (2), sophisticated (2), list (2), three (2), distribution (2), joseph (2), bob (2), holly (2), lazzpromotions (2), looking (2), decade (2), beauty (2), bandmate (2), soon (2), november (2), event (2), announced (2), acoustic (2), thornton (2), twist (2), main (2), berks (2), westin (2), ala (2), moana (2), hotel (2), oahu (2), palm (2), desert (2), 2022 (2), soho (2), tix (2), 3pm (2), santa (2), center (2), topa (2), bellringer (2), brewing (2), mar (2), san (2), lounge (2), doug (2), fall (2), dallas (2), bishop (2), bill (2), mindi (2), abair (2), dinner (2), ian (2), martin (2), ramon (2), ilya (2), dine (2), costa (2), dw3 (2), garden (2), sold (2), sierra (2), madre (2), 70th (2), birthday (2), 2026 (2), autographed (2), harmonic (2), res (2), press (2), videos (2), welcome (2), previous (2), store (2), cart, powered, squarespace, autograph, less, opportunities, lay, dimension, each, them, sampled, willingly, timeless, manifestation, genius, ranks, mile, huge, justice, ours, wondrous, tale, told, felt, touched, listened, emotive, colourful, going, start, finish, sit, bathe, realms, master, touching, classy, gentle, ease, antiga, favourite, lightness, supposed, limits, brilliance, reminded, greatly, slice, packed, layered, textured, undeniably, lush, example, charm, enjoy, footsteps, opener, frame, mind, help, case, monday, morning, tranquil, yet, pleasing, entitled, mood, spirits, written, sheppard, good, way, mentioning, isn, accurate, nearly, half, delightful, ultra, fit, among, works, masters, reworkings, naturally, hearted, moody, capture, process, acknowledging, letting, sorrows, possibilities, road, ahead, discovered, 1992, wedding, sang, gently, centerpieces, generous, thought, memories, driving, hometown, imports, combining, inspirations, lockdown, created, ideal, palette, explore, artistry, find, kind, healing, sparkling, shares, throughout, seductive, aeria, equally, graces, antga, playful, hypnotic, romp, extracurriculars, marks, six, losing, unique, concept, captured, discovery, cassettes, attentively, café, often, introduced, orchestra, sparked, powerful, reaction, extraordinary, success, charting, busiest, sidemen, make, easy, overlook, elements, expansive, resume, greats, silvera, give, highly, recommended, rating, quotient, score, fifteen, fascinating, pleasure, shorter, choice, impressed, moods, reflected, thing, pianists, sensitivity, listener, hear, nowhere, evident, pacing, every, note, formed, utmost, care, stripes, plugging, their, playlists, instruments, subscribe, youtube, channel, lot, reviewing, tell, preview, trailer, spotify, apple, itunes, referral, links, mix, nacimento, clearly, demonstrates, hands, musicianship, defies, categories, enrich, ears, hearts, anyone, willing, calling, labor, came, few, initially, rediscovered, cassette, tape, cafe, evening, sat, memory, off, adventure, create, winner, twelve, variety, being, films, television, recorded, begins, dreamy, tone, areia, conveys, soothing, relaxed, understated, sweet, floats, flowing, hand, broken, chords, tudo, que, você, podia, ser, marcio, combines, jazzier, rhythmic, poignant, direct, feels, conversation, without, breezy, bit, sunshine, dear, friend, searching, candle, heartbreaking, goodbye, far, describe, peaceful, sincerely, predict, honored, illustrious, dazzles, pyrotechnics, nuance, deep, review, kathy, parsons, mainlypiano, triviana, jazzmasters, brits, shilts, never, involved, harner, 818, 788, 9577, chapmanmanagement, key, player, emergent, bands, young, undiscovered, talents, gary, meek, yes, before, breakout, warner, brothers, doing, group, became, 1986, hooked, freeman, founded, needed, expressive, ewi, wind, defining, moonlighting, rest, history, asked, they, established, become, ultimate, destination, events, stayed, covers, policy, busy, guitarist, serving, annual, traveling, supporting, onboard, made, deliberate, move, projects, finally, returned, several, credit, fulfilled, childhood, dreams, having, jukebox, father, roadside, tavern, absorbing, sixties, beatles, could, emotions, lyrics, meant, something, puts, term, role, models, keyboardists, herbie, hancock, stevie, wonder, chick, corea, carole, king, leon, joni, mitchell, joe, zawinul, departed, george, duke, versatility, easygoing, nature, professional, ethic, decades, organic, how, describes, awaited, tasteful, everywhere, digs, roots, features, fender, rhodes, wurlie, minimoog, appearances, euge, groove, eric, valentine, nate, phillips, harrah, violinist, charlie, bisharat, luis, conte, ron, boustead, rising, reveals, refined, instantly, recognizable, constantly, exploring, wide, range, records, street, date, dubai, pristine, urban, acclaimed, 55th, february, arranged, physical, digital, willard, publicity, mouthpiece, 310, 993, 4017, mouthpiecemusic, stacey, bonk, 905, 470, 1230, famous, maker, reed, smith, prs, guitars, same, high, school, eva, cassidy, kathie, lee, gifford, chasez, sync, liz, meyer, scruggs, founder, vietnam, veterans, memorial, eventually, recording, antonio, carlos, toured, superstars, stewart, essential, quality, defined, accessible, iconic, hiatus, following, loss, brain, challenges, voice, catalyst, reclaiming, importantly, looks, experiences, expanding, worked, successful, 2000, virtuoso, manring, moving, 1982, goal, different, possible, town, songwriter, angel, shoulder, mercury, former, wings, drummer, denny, seiwell, himself, demos, collaborating, songwriters, working, stylistically, local, leading, knew, adult, label, sent, topping, paralleled, evolution, growth, sydney, blues, biscuit, boca, raton, elmirajazzfestival, elmira, keystone, korner, baltimore, performs, jazmin, ghent, santino, tafarella, upright, cover, portugal, algarve, reading, 2pm, ballroom, horns, outdoor, kona, gertrude, archived, available, 8585, paula, 93023, beatrice, wood, lucas, joey, defrancesco, ponderosa, barn, west, sale, now, onstage, pamela, brewery, murietta, oliver, solvang, livermore, saratoga, diego, summit, carey, frank, kvandval, westlake, village, 5pm, sherwood, hospice, children, spencer, rancho, mirage, namba, ray, fuller, african, american, performing, beverly, hills, vibrato, albuquerque, room, cedar, webb, brazil, aaron, serfaty, august, woodland, patrick, lamb, blue, rose, sacramento, detroit, royal, oak, free, atlanta, suite, north, portal, theater, flashes, fresno, maximus, walker, bpm, serov, rebecca, jade, omni, serrov, kansaki, silent, auction, fire, victims, kenny, acting, returns, goldsmith, orefo, orakwue, westley, miki, ricard, percussion, bossa, nova, brunch, duo, julie, kelly, encanto, barbara, playhouse, patio, sean, holt, 3501, loma, vista, bacchus, kitchen, 1384, 10pm, maui, here, purchase, arranger, engineer, picture, story, holidays, december, celebrated, lovely, sense, simply, gorgeous, celebration, filled, schnabel, kcrw, rhythm, planet, thanks, jerry, carvalho, introduces, norway, tunes, paypal, venmo,

Text of the page (random words):
vincent ingala soul secrets reveals karukas as an artist who has refined his sound to be instantly recognizable while constantly exploring a wide range of styles and grooves a prolific genre crossing veteran of smooth jazz brazilian and r b pop gregg won the grammy in 2013 for producing composing playing all keyboards arranging and engineering the echoes of love cd a collaboration with omar akram which won best new age album since his 2009 release gk gregg has also been busy touring with guitarist peter white and serving as musical director for the annual dave koz and friends at sea smooth jazz cruises 2011 2013 after traveling the world with koz and supporting all the artists onboard gregg made a deliberate career move in 2014 to focus more on his solo projects and finally found time to bring 14 new songs to life recently gregg returned to the koz cruise in 2025 as a featured artist with the recent grammy award and several 1 hit songs to his credit karukas has more than fulfilled his childhood dreams having spent his early years close to the jukebox in his father s roadside tavern in bowie md absorbing the hits of the sixties from the beatles to motown i was inspired by the idea that you could touch people s emotions with melodic songs and lyrics that meant something as gregg puts it my favorite musical term is composer coming up my role models were the great composer keyboardists herbie hancock stevie wonder chick corea carole king leon russell joni mitchell joe zawinul and the recently departed george duke gregg s 13 solo cds have garnered consistently solid airplay and reviews and his musical versatility easygoing nature and professional work ethic is what has kept him in demand as a musical director and keyboardist in the company of the top acts in the smooth jazz and r b pop genres for decades touring with boney james peter white rick braun dave koz melissa manchester larry carlton sergio mendes brenda russell jeffrey osborne and featured with various allstar groups in recent years he has received multiple best keyboardist nominations at the oasis and national smooth jazz awards and his best known radio hits girl in the red dress 4 nightshift 1 and jessy j s 1 hit tropical rain showcase gregg s funky melodic compositional style familiar to his fans gregg karukas music is the epitome of class and elegance he s got such a nuanced touch on the piano and his compositions are always so satisfying add in a great ability to communicate live and you have an all around great talent dave koz people say my music sounds romantic and uplifting and i look so happy on stage gregg says it s totally true for me the best music comes out of an inner feeling of either intense happiness or sadness i always try to stay faithful to that original inspiration because that is where the true sound of emotion comes from as a key player in the emergent la smooth jazz scene gregg s late 80 s bands and cd s included young undiscovered sax talents dave koz gary meek and yes boney james before his breakout warner brothers deal his first major la sessions were playing synthesizers and bass lines for rockwell s motown gold album somebody s watching me then arranging and playing the theme songs to disney s ducktales and chip and dale s rescue rangers while doing lots of tv film music sessions cheers stand and deliver life goes on mr wrong gregg kept developing his own original contemporary jazz catalog on the la club scene and the gregg karukas group became the house band for it s garry shandling s show on showtime in 1986 gregg hooked up with russ freeman and founded the rippingtons when russ needed a signature expressive ewi wind synthesizer sound for the genre defining moonlighting cd gregg suggested dave koz and the rest is smooth jazz history when dave began his own dave koz and friends at sea cruise in 2011 he asked gregg to be musical director and together they established what has become one of the ultimate destination concert events gregg honed his multi keyboard synth programming songwriting and album production skills in the studios and clubs of washington dc paying dues thru the late 70 s with jazz fusion groups tim eyermann and east coast offering and natural bridge jingle sessions provided a great education in production arranging and engineering his solo career began in la with the nightowl cd in 1987 and thru 13 cds he has stayed true to his no covers policy gregg s uplifting attitude shows in his concerts as he has emerged over the years as one of the genre s most dynamic and inspiring live performers since he took the stage in 1987 with the original rippingtons at the very first jazztrax catalina jazz festival since then he has headlined the festival 4 times and played over 15 times with many other artists most recently gregg has taken his ever present smile and energetic show around the world to java jazz in jakarta manila and the mallorca spain smooth jazz festival trivia gregg s very first lp session was for naturalist author euell gibbons adding background moog synthesizer textures along with tim eyermann s echoing woodwinds for gibbons readings of the work of henry david thoreau a collector s item that can occasionally be found on ebay more trivia gregg lost the tip of his right middle finger at age 12 and kept practicing piano with 4 fingers for the next 2 years until it healed enough to take the impact triviana the only time the music of the jazzmasters paul hardcastle was performed live was a short us tour in 2009 featuring gregg as keyboardist and musical director and brits shilts and chris standring paul hardcastle who has never performed live was not involved contact al evers 510 893 4705 alevers a train com radio promotion bud harner 818 788 9577 bud chapmanmanagement com click to read gregg s selected tv film credits serenata review by kathy parsons mainlypiano com with serenata his first solo piano album in a long and illustrious career gregg karukas dazzles not with piano pyrotechnics but with subtle nuance and a deep love for this music a mix of new and re imagined original compositions along with piano impressions of brazilian artists milton nacimento clube da esquina and dori caymmi karukas clearly demonstrates that in the right hands great music and great musicianship defies genres and categories to enrich the ears and hearts of anyone willing to take some time to listen calling the project a labor of love that came out of the isolation of the last few months the album was initially inspired by a rediscovered cassette tape of his live performances from the 1990 s with dori caymmi and ricardo silveira at le cafe in los angeles one evening karukas sat down at the piano and played some of the pieces from memory a deeply emotional experience that set him off on a new adventure to create this wonderful collection of 15 solo piano gems a grammy award winner gregg karukas 30 year career as a keyboardist composer producer has included twelve solo albums many 1 radio hits touring with a variety of artists that include sergio mendes and melissa manchester being a founding member of the rippingtons contributing to more than 100 albums and sessions for many films and television shows he has recorded and played on the world s biggest stages with many of his brazilian musical heroes including montreux jazz with caymmi and multiple shows at the hollywood bowl with ivan lins oscar castro neves tom jobim toots thielemans mendes and caymmi serenata brings this musical love affair full circle a crossover treat from the heart for the heart karukas words the album begins with travessia by fernando brant and milton nascimento a beautifully wistful and dreamy piece that sets the tone of the album ponta de areia also composed by brant and nascimento conveys a warm soothing energy in a relaxed and understated style the title track a karukas original has a sweet simple melody that floats on the flowing left hand broken chords a favorite tudo o que você podia ser by lô borges and marcio borges combines a jazzier more rhythmic style with a beautifully poignant melody karukas better days is another favorite simple direct and from the heart sound of emotion karukas feels like an intimate conversation without words i love it paisagem da janela by fernando brant and lô borges is a light and breezy bit of musical sunshine karukas tender loving dori s song is a heartfelt tribute to a dear friend he also composed para sempre until forever a reflective and deeply emotional soul searching at the piano perhaps late at night by the light of a candle my favorite piece on the album the last two tracks were also penned by karukas lament final embrace is a heartbreaking goodbye that goes far beyond any words to describe it and long ago brings the album to a very peaceful serene close i sincerely hope that serenata is just the first in a long series of solo piano albums by gregg karukas and predict it will be one of the best and most honored albums of 2021 album links amazon referral apple itunes spotify contemporary fusion reviews dick metcalf melodic solo keyboard magic gregg karukas serenata i ve spent a lot of time with the piano playing it both live and in studio as well as reviewing 100 s of other players so i can tell you that solo pianist gregg karukas melodic solo keyboard is pure unadulterated magic get an intimate look at his preview trailer for the album first when you subscribe to gregg s youtube channel you will experience his magic on many other instruments as well this is his first solo piano album ever the thing that truly sets gregg s piano apart from other pianists is his sensitivity for what the listener will need to hear nowhere is that more evident than on his original composition better days his pacing is perfect and every note is formed with the utmost care dj s of all stripes will be plugging this into their playlists for days and months years to come another original composition that really impressed me is gregg s para sempre until forever in his own words for me the best music comes out of an inner feeling of either intense happiness or sadness and both moods are reflected in this emotional song of the fifteen fascinating songs gregg offers up for our piano pleasure i found one of the shorter performances 2 59 lament final embrace was my choice for personal favorite he reaches down inside his own heart to touch yours with passion and intensity i just loved this song i give gregg a most highly recommended rating with an eq energy quotient score of 4 99 jw vibe by jonathan widran a thoughtful reflective and ultimately joyful work after so many years of in the pocket smooth jazz hit making it s wonderful to experience karukas truest heart on display to quote one of those earlier titles that s truly the sound of emotion coming through loud and clear gregg karukas extraordinary success over the past 30 plus years as a 1 charting smooth jazz artist and one of the genre s busiest sidemen make it easy to overlook the deeper elements of versatile composer keyboardist s expansive resume including winning a grammy in 2013 for his work with new age pianist omar akram and his many years of touring with brazilian greats sergio mendes dori caymmi and ricardo silvera in the 90 s both of those extracurriculars come into play on serenata a thoughtful reflective and ultimately joyful work that marks karukas first ever solo piano album his first release in over six years and first since losing his wife yvonne to cancer the unique concept captured in the album subtitle piano impressions of milton nascimento clube da esquina and dori caymmi grew out of a recent discovery of old cassettes of some of those brazilian shows listening most attentively to his shows with caymmi at the small l a club le café where the singer often introduced karukas as my orchestra sparked a powerful emotional reaction the keyboardist also re discovered the video of his 1992 wedding where caymmi sang o cantador a gently wistful piece that is one of the emotional centerpieces on the generous 15 track collection karukas also thought back to memories of his early days driving to gigs in his hometown of washington dc listening to nascimento imports combining all of these inspirations with the isolation of the covid 19 lockdown created an ideal palette for him to explore his deeper piano artistry and find the kind of healing and hope that only the music of the heart can bring that s the sparkling magic karukas shares throughout from the elegant seductive nascimento penned opening tracks travessia and ponta de aeria to the equally subtle graces of club da esquina and caymmi s historia antga and the playful hypnotic romp paisagem de janela in a good way serenata s subtitle mentioning the brazilian influences isn t quite accurate because nearly half the tracks are delightful ultra melodic karukas originals that fit in perfectly among the works of the masters these include solo piano reworkings of two gems from his mid 90 s smooth jazz classic sound of emotion including naturally the soulful tender hearted tribute dori s song and moody originals whose titles better days lament final embrace long ago capture his process of acknowledging and letting go of the sorrows of the past and embracing the grand possibilities of the road ahead after so many years of in the pocket smooth jazz hit making it s wonderful to experience karukas truest heart on display to quote one of those earlier titles that s truly the sound of emotion coming through loud and clear a thoughtful reflective and ultimately joyful work after so many years of in the pocket smooth jazz hit making it s wonderful to experience karukas truest heart on display to quote one of those earlier titles that s truly the sound of emotion coming through loud and clear jonathan widran jw vibe https www jwvibe com single post gregg karukas serenata serenata by gregg karukas written by steve sheppard there are moments in time when you really need to be lifted into a better frame of mind and sometimes just sometimes it will be music that will help you get there this was the case for me this sombre monday morning in march when the refrains of the quite tranquil yet deeply pleasing album entitled serenata by gregg karukas lifted my mood and raised my spirits gregg s slice of piano heaven is a jam packed 15 track album of beautiful layered and textured offerings that are all undeniably lush and beautiful the opening piece is a fine example of that charm as we can enjoy the first footsteps of the album with the warm and all embracing opener travessia my personal favourite from the release would be the title track serenata the lightness of performance and the melody together for me was a touch of magic from beyond the supposed limits of brilliance and reminded me greatly of classic david lanz at times with emotive and thoughtful offerings like better days or the colourful refrains of pieces like o cantador this album was always going t...