The Jazz Real Book

Oteil Burbridge and Lamar Williams Jr. represent two generations of Southern-rooted improvisational music coming together through groove, soul, and message-driven songwriting. Burbridge is widely known for his work with the Dead & Company, the Allman Brothers Band, Aquarium Rescue Unit, and Tedeschi Trucks Band, where his fluid bass playing and deep jazz-funk vocabulary made him one of the most respected improvisers in modern jam and fusion music. Williams Jr., son of former Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams, has emerged as a powerful vocalist carrying forward the emotional intensity and Southern soul tradition connected to the Allman legacy.
Their 2026 collaborative album, The Offering, blends gospel harmonies, roots music, improvisational rock, and reflective songwriting into a warm and spiritually minded recording. Recorded in Iceland’s Flóki Studios, the album favors feel and atmosphere over flashy virtuosity, though the musicianship throughout is excellent. Songs like “The Way We Rise” and “Love & War” balance uplifting lyrical themes with earthy grooves and melodic depth. The project feels less like a commercial crossover effort and more like two musicians searching for sincerity, community, and healing through music.
Oteil Burbridge and Lamar Williams Jr.- The Offering

“Forest Flower” and Charles Lloyd (133) 
“Forest Flower” stands as one of the defining jazz compositions of the 1960s and remains closely associated with Charles Lloyd and his groundbreaking quartet. Built around shifting modal harmony, alternating Latin and swing feels, and a floating melodic structure, the composition captures both sophistication and openness. Rather than relying on traditional bebop harmonic movement, the tune unfolds through colorful major seventh sonorities and spacious melodic phrasing, creating an atmospheric and almost spiritual quality. The famous live recording from the album Forest Flower: Charles Lloyd at Monterey became a rare jazz crossover success, reaching rock audiences and helping expand jazz visibility during the late 1960s.
Lloyd’s performance balances lyricism with freedom, while the quartet featuring Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee, and Jack DeJohnette demonstrates extraordinary collective interplay. Jarrett’s piano work is especially dynamic, and DeJohnette’s explosive rhythmic energy adds dramatic momentum. More than simply a jazz standard, “Forest Flower” represents a bridge between modern jazz, world influences, and the countercultural spirit of its era, helping establish Lloyd as one of jazz’s most spiritually expressive and enduring voices.
Chico Hamilton 
Charles Lloyd 
The Jazz Real Book Podcast Playlist Vol.2

The Symphonic Jazz Orchestra’s “Salute to Maurice White” concerts take place on Saturday, May 9, 2026 (7:30 PM) and Sunday, May 10, 2026 (7:00 PM) at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, California. Tickets and additional information are available through the orchestra’s official site: SJOMusic.org.
Under the direction of Mitch Glickman, the program features orchestral arrangements of Earth, Wind & Fire material by a strong lineup of jazz composers and arrangers, including John Clayton, Derrick Hodge, Vince Mendoza, Marshall Gilkes, and Glickman himself. These contributors reshape White’s catalog into a symphonic jazz setting while maintaining its rhythmic vitality and melodic identity. The program also includes the world premiere of White’s rediscovered orchestral work Passages, co-composed with Bill Meyers and reconstructed for this performance

“I Love You For Sentimental Reason” and Dean Martin (122)
“I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons)” is a classic American ballad written in 1945 by William “Pat” Best and Deek Watson, emerging at the close of World War II when audiences gravitated toward direct, emotionally sincere songs. First popularized by the Nat King Cole Trio in 1946, the version became definitive, reaching No. 1 on the R&B charts and crossing into the pop mainstream. The song’s strength lies in its simplicity—both lyrically and musically. Rather than relying on narrative complexity, it presents love as an honest, almost conversational confession, which gives it lasting appeal. 
Structurally, it follows a 32-bar AABA form typical of the Great American Songbook, with clear harmonic movement that invites interpretation. Its ballad tempo allows singers to explore phrasing, tone, and timing, making it a favorite for jazz vocalists. Later versions, including the legendary Dean Martin’s more relaxed, orchestral take, highlight how style and delivery can reshape the song’s emotional character while preserving its intimate core.
The Real Book Vol. 2 
Nat King Cole Trio 
Dean Martin

Eric Darius is a contemporary jazz saxophone master  whose career bridges strong musical roots with a clear connection to modern audiences. Born in 1982 he grew up in a deeply musical household, with a bassist father and a mother who sang and played piano. Early exposure to Caribbean influences tied to his Haitian and Jamaican heritage, along with artists like Stevie Wonder, Prince, and George Benson, helped shape his stylistic versatility. He discovered the saxophone at age nine after a powerful church performance, quickly committing himself to the instrument. By eleven, he was touring internationally with Sonny LaRosa’s America’s Youngest Jazz Band, including an appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival. His debut album Night on the Town (2004) marked his arrival on the national scene. Since then, Darius has built a career defined by energetic performances, chart-topping hits, crossover appeal, and ongoing work as both a recording artist and educator.