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Ken Navarro

Top charting & award winning contemporary jazz guitarist and composer Ken Navarro is recognized as one of today's leading musicians. His impressive discography of 19 top charting albums showcase his appeal to a wide range of listeners with inspiring compositions and superb guitar performances.

Navarro's brand new CD Dreaming of Trains will be released on January 16, 2010 exclusively at kennavarro.com with a national retail release date of March 16, 2010. Ken's nine new compositions and his signature acoustic and electric guitar work are supported by world class musicians including drummer Joel Rosenblatt (Spyro Gyra, Manhatten Transfer), acoustic and electric bassist Tom Kennedy (Dave Weckl, Al DiMeola), and keyboardist Jay Rowe (Special EFX, Marion Meadows).

This is Ken's 19th CD release and is the follow up to his breakthrough release of 2008, The Grace of Summer Light which was named the #1 Contemporary Jazz CD of 2008 by Jazz Times magazine.

Navarro's 2007 CD "The Meeting Place" and his 2005 release "Love Coloured Soul" were in the National Jazz Charts for 62 weeks, reaching #6 in Radio & Records national smooth jazz airplay chart in November of 2005. Love Coloured Soul marked Ken’s return to his own record label, Positive Music Records. Ken’s 2003 release All The Way, and his 2002 CD Slow Dance spawned numerous radio hits including “Bringing Down The House”, “In The Sky Today”, “So Fine” and “Healing Hands”. Ken’s 2000 CD release Island Life scored two hits at smooth jazz radio including "Delicioso," as well as the title track keeping the CD on the airwaves for a solid 52 weeks! 1999's In My Wildest Dreams continues to be one of Ken's top sellers and 1998's live CD & Video Ablaze in Orlando has been acclaimed as one of the best live jazz CDs of the decade. Smooth Sensation, released in 1997, was in the Top 10 of Radio & Records' Smooth Jazz chart for 12 weeks, helping to make the CD the #17 Smooth Jazz album of 1997! Other recent releases from Ken Navarro include his 1996 album, When Night Calls, featuring Eric Marienthal on saxophone, and Christmas Cheer, a holiday album of contemporary jazz guitar and acoustic piano duets.

Ken's 1995 album, Brighter Days, was voted the #9 album of the year by Smooth Jazz radio. Brighter Days heralded a bold step forward for Ken, bringing to the forefront the strong R&B elements that have always been a part of his music, and enlisting a powerhouse of support from featured solo artists including former Rippingtons sax man Brandon Fields. Brighter Days reached the national radio top 5 and held a position in the top 20 for six months in 1995. His 1991 release, After Dark, was selected for screening by the 1991 GRAMMY nominating committee. His successive albums, The Labor of Love (1992), I Can't Complain (1993), and Pride and Joy (1994), all reached the top 5 in national radio, firmly establishing Ken Navarro as a mainstay on Smooth Jazz radio play lists.

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267
Album Review

Ken Navarro: The Meeting Place

Read "The Meeting Place" reviewed by Jeff Winbush


If George Benson, Al DiMeola, Earl Klugh and Ken Navarro all walked in for an audition, Navarro would be the first one eliminated from the competition.That's not meant as a put-down. There's nothing wrong with the way Ken Navarro plays. He is actually quite accomplished and on The Meeting Place never fails for a moment to deliver a polished presentation. But technical proficiency is not the same thing as being a visionary. What holds Navarro back from top-tier ...

109
Album Review

Ken Navarro: In My Wildest Dreams

Read "In My Wildest Dreams" reviewed by Dave Hughes


Ken Navarro returns with his annual batch of sunny, happy-go-lucky smooth jazz - his eleventh offering on his own Positive Music label. The tunes, all penned by Navarro, all feature catchy, easily accessible, and unfailingly optimistic melodies. Herein lies what is perhaps the disc's primary weakness - it all rides comfortably in the same mid-tempo stylistic groove throughout the entire program. What's more, it bears remarkable similarity to most of the rest of Navarro's catalog as well.

197
Album Review

Ken Navarro: Smooth Sensation

Read "Smooth Sensation" reviewed by Dave Hughes


Guitarist Ken Navarro's latest CD, Smooth Sensation , is aptly titled; it's silky-smooth, breezy, and relaxing music with just enough heartfelt feeling and energy to keep it interesting. Navarro's musical style, as well as his crystal-clear tone quality, are similar to that of Earl Klugh. He specializes in likable melodies and sonic textures, and manages to stay creative and not clone-ish. His playing, and that of his band, is spirited and tasteful yet stays within the comfortable boundaries of contemporary ...

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71

Video / DVD

Guitarist Ken Navarro Releases "The Test Of Time" (Video)

Source: Ken Navarro

Contemporary jazz guitarist Ken Navarro performs “Message In A Bottle" from his 2012 solo guitar album (his 20th CD release) The Test Of Time. (see below) About Ken Navarro Top charting & award winning contemporary jazz guitarist and composer Ken Navarro is recognized as one of today's leading musicians. His impressive discography of 20 top charting albums showcase his appeal to a wide range of listeners with inspiring compositions and superb guitar performances. Navarro's latest CD The The Test Of ...

122

Social Gathering

Listener Party at Facebook for Ken Navarro's Upcoming CD "Dreaming of Trains"

Listener Party at Facebook for Ken Navarro's Upcoming CD "Dreaming of Trains"

Source: Michael Ricci

On Sunday, February 28 from 2 pm to 9 pm Eastern Standard Time, listeners are invited to hear Ken Navarro's upcoming CD Dreaming of Trains in its entirety. Though the CD will not be released at retail and online stores until the official release date of March 16, fans will have the opportunity to hear the entire CD on Sunday February 28. Simply send Positive Music Records an email at [email protected] or send Ken Navarro a message at Facebook between ...

129

Recording

Ken Navarro Makes It Possible to Listen to His New CD in Its Entirety Weeks Before Release!

Ken Navarro Makes It Possible to Listen to His New CD in Its Entirety Weeks Before Release!

Source: All About Jazz

From Ken Navarro ... “I have been trying to work out a way to spread the word about my new, ground breaking CD The Grace Of Summer Light. The official retail release date is not until June 17 but it is already available at my website and we have already sold over 500 to fans who simply could not wait. This is a very special CD, with stunning compositions and ground breaking performances from myself, Joel Rosenblatt (Spyro Gyra) on ...

146

Recording

Guitarist Ken Navarro releases new CD "The Meeting Place"

Guitarist Ken Navarro releases new CD "The Meeting Place"

Source: All About Jazz

Wednesday November 29th - the brand new CD from Ken Navarro, The Meeting Place, has been released exclusively at www.kennavarro.com.

The Meeting Place contains 11 new songs, including 10 new Navarro compositions plus a superb version of the Pat Metheny classic “Lakes".

“I am thrilled with the finished CD; it is my most ambitious and mature work and I have never been prouder of my guitar playing and composing and the overall power and emotion this CD contains. I truly ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Meeting Place

Positive Music
2007

buy

Island Life

Dreamusic
2000

buy

In My Wildest Dreams

Positive Music
1999

buy

Smooth Sensation

Positive Music
1998

buy

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