The Collaboration

The Collaboration was formed to allow these artist to bring their unique brand of music and individual talents together to recreate a distinctive sound, an atmosphere of excitement and a lifestyle of fashion and intrigue, known as The “Rebirth of the Smooth” which is a way of life a return to an era of time when Smooth Jazz was synonymous with Sophistication, Style and Elegance. We want to venture back to a smoother time when artist and audiences were truly entertained. We would appreciate your company as we embark on this musical journey to a period of time and a state of mind that can only be described as “The Rebirth of the Smooth”.

Dee Lucas Bio

Once considered one of the country’s best kept secrets, soprano saxophonist Dee Lucas has evolved and catapulted onto the jazz scene. After launching his well-received 2004 debut CD, “Remembrance”, a tribute to legendary saxophonist George Howard, Lucas has been greeted both nationally and internationally with stunning reviews, garnered extensive airplay, and consistently climbed the charts. Lucas has developed and polished his distinctive style by collaborating urban funk sounds to smooth infectious melodic tunes, thus branding his timeless sound in the soul jazz market.

A writer, producer, arranger and performer, Lucas’ career was birthed by blowing his horn on Atlanta’s jazz circuit and since then his passion with the saxophone has landed him in some of the country’s hottest jazz festivals, corporate gigs, celebrity birthday parties and well- recognized spots across the country. One of the performances that he’s most proud of is the famous Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. Lucas has either opened or co-billed alongside some of the finest contemporary jazz greats such as: Kirk Whalum, Gerald Veasley, Boney James, Phil Perry, Chris Botti, Warren Hill, Nancy Wilson, Abbey Lincoln, Bobbi Humphrey, Ramsey Lewis, Ronny Jordan, Greg Karukas, Peter White, Gerald Albright, and the list go on. Lucas has opened for such artists as: Roy Ayers, Michael Franks, The Gap Band, Lalah Hathaway, Hugh Masakela and 5-time Grammy nominee Nneena Freelon.

Born and raised in Tanner, Alabama, Lucas always loved listening to music and many genres of music often played in his family’s home. Year after year, he yearned to play an instrument. Instead, he chose sports during his adolescent days. Lucas graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1988 with a dual major in Marketing and Computer Information Systems. A year later, he moved to Atlanta to pursue life after college. After a couple of years of getting settled in his ‘9-to-5’ job, Lucas suddenly got an urge to pick up the sax for the first time at the age of years of 28. Finally, his years of listening to music from his personal collection would begin to pay off.

Dee would also visit local jazz clubs to get a feel of the musical pulse. “Listening to some of the talented sax players around the city was education enough to build a thirst and go home and mimic what they did,” says Dee. “With the combination of listening to a plethora of music on CD while going to see local cats like Darien Emory, Antonio Allen, Sam Skelton, Jimmy Brown (Brick), and trumpeter Melvin Miller, that was truly enough to develop a personal vote of confidence.”

In 1997, Lucas got his start as a professional saxophonist by playing in a local band called “Between 9&7”. The band recorded a CD which was a moderate regional hit. Although getting a chance to get performances, both rhythm and solos, Lucas felt it was time to develop his own ensemble to demand more challenges within himself as both a musician and entrepreneur. So, on New Year’s Eve of 1999, Lucas formed his own band called Xpressions, a contemporary jazz trio. They produced and recorded a CD titled “Footprints”, which gained notoriety in some regional markets. The record contained the classic hit “People Make the World Go Round”. All of the compositions were produced and arranged by friend and keyboardist Karey Davis and assisted by the sax man himself.

Driven and not one to be complacent, Lucas conjured another challenge, which would be his ultimate goal: solo artist. “I recalled going to my keyboard player Karey Davis to discuss my interest as a solo artist, and I wanted him to produce my debut record, which would be a tribute to one of my musical influences, George Howard. He approved with no problem. It really worked out because his ultimate goal was to focus on production. So, in a sense, we were both happy about the idea and now had future musical commitments toward each other.”

In 2004, his entrepreneur skills surfaced and Lucas’ newly-formed record label, Mo Better Recordings, was conceived. His debut solo CD “Remembrance” was released and independently distributed in 2005. It received airplay from over 115 radio stations and as an independent release, it received stunning reviews. Smoothjazz.com Scott O’Brien said, “Dee Lucas has done a marvelous job of re-creating the instantly recognizable style and legacy of George Howard, while at the same time putting his own unique signature on each fresh, new performance….” Adding consistency to his young but surprising start, Lucas released his sophomore CD, “Something to Ride 2”, which peaked at #10 on the Smoothjazz.com “Top 50 Indie Charts”. With this record, the saxman wanted to further develop his own distinctive sound as a solo artist. His style, from a horn perspective, is different from that of many traditional smooth jazz artists in terms of melodic phrasing. Lucas mentioned, “I like taking off on an uncharted path in music and ‘Something To Ride 2’ is a representation of the journey that I take each time I pick up the sax.”

In 2010, Dee Lucas released “Standing Room Only” which was composed and produced by several talented producers including Grammy winner Phil Davis. The CD peaked at #26 on the Smoothjazz.com Top 50 Indie Charts and #29 on the Billboard jazz charts making Lucas an artist worth taking notice.

With his brand new release of “Rebirth of the Smooth”, saxophonist Dee Lucas visions this CD as a celebration on what he has accomplished in his short but steadily rising career, but it also indicates his direction in SOUL Jazz. It offers a wide array of styles coming from various producers pushing the envelope in this competitive genre of jazz.

With his profound sense of style and technique, and his love of life, Dee Lucas plans to be around for a while. Lucas’ music is like a bottle of fine wine. It just keeps getting better with time.

Joel Del Rosario Bio

Joel Del Rosario brings the fresh, unique, stylistic, funky, exciting, spiritual music that this genre needs. He is such a humble cat. Look forward to him becoming a legendary musician. He is AWESOME the new generation of contemporary jazz is emerging!"- Tony Exum Jr.

With a music career spanning over two decades, guitarist and songwriter, Joel Del Rosario has just about touched every genre of music from: Classical, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Southern Gospel. Classically trained in Viola, Joel studied, performed, and was second chair in the San Francisco School of the Arts Orchestra. Though winning several competitions with the renowned SOTA orchestra, Joel felt the pull to venture into the world of jazz, which began his love affair with the genre and which would envelop a majority of his music career.

His passion for the guitar however was born from tragedy. Experiencing the loss of his mother through breast cancer at 11, Joel sought solace and peace through playing guitar. It was during those quiet moments in the dark: contemplating, practicing and developing an intimate relationship with his instrument that Joel developed his guitar voice.

Through the mentorship of Robyn Kazmarcyk, (and later Elroy Jones who taught guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan) Joel went on to pursue jazz fully and later received the Stan Getz Jazz Scholarship to attend the prestigious Stanford University Jazz camp during high school. Empowered by these positive experiences, Joel has gone on to work, write music for, and or co- write music for the following artists and record labels: Inline Records, Romantic Records, Classified Records, Saylah Flowz, and many others. He has self produced two albums “All Him” and “Calm In The Storm” encompassing jazz and smooth R&B with a positive message. In addition has also been featured on several periodicals and radio stations all around the world including: MSNBC, The Italian Smooth Jazz Channel, www.jazznet247.com, Coffee Talk Jazz, Smoothjazz.com, and many others, while his international fan base continues to grow.

Currently, Joel has just completed & released his 3rd album; "Coast to Coast" (available for purchase now) while his previous albums “All Him” and “Calm In the Storm” continue to be aired both nationally and internationally. He is on tour with smooth jazz artist Will Clark and is also active in various community organizations.

William “SureWill” Clark Bio

2012 Emmy Awards Soundtrack for Detroit 187 Best Sound Track 2012 Los Angeles Music Awards Winner Jazz Duet of the Year SureWill & Joel Del Rosario 2011 Los Angeles Music Awards nominee for "Jazz Artist of The Year". 2011 Los Angeles Music Award Winner For National Touring Artist of the Year

William "SureWill" Clark - Arranger / Composer / Recording Artist / Music Director. SureWill is a dynamic breakout Smooth Jazz Artist whose main instrument is Keyboards. Other instruments include: Drums, Bass Guitar, Alto Saxophone and Clarinet. This dynamic artist shares his extensive knowledge with anyone serious about the musical arts. Mentoring and encouraging those who want it, to follow their dreams. While SureWill has enjoyed playing with and for some of the greats in the music industry. He is now stepping out on his own to make his mark in the world as a solo artist. SureWill's thirty year music background began with his playing in church in Buffalo, NY. Will has had the pleasure of working on projects and performing with Grammy Award winning artists: Al Jarreau, George Duke, Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, and New Edition. He has also performed with many hard working artists in the industry such as NeYo and Sade. Will has worked hard in the industry and has gained the respect of many peers and A-List artists. He has performed live in some great venues and events such as The Long Beach Jazz Festival (2006 & 2007). NeYo and Faith Evans World Tour (2005-2006), JVC Jazz Festival (2005), Newport Jazz Festival (2005). He has also performed for the following shows and televised awards: Grammy's (2005), American Music Awards (2003- 2005), BET Awards (2003-2005), Country Music Awards (2004). His writing and producing skills have taken him to an area where he wants all those who have the "Told U So" mentality to realize their dream. SureWill is now stepping out of the shadows and will continue to reach the world through his gift of music artistry.