Groove Legacy

"What a completely ridiculous band and what an amazing set. I can't possibly begin to express how great it was meeting all of you and presenting you. This is one astonishing band and easily one of the very best to come along in the soul-jazz idiom in decades. Everyone in the band is a monster player and a sweetheart of a cat, but together, this project is off the charts."

Sam, Andrew, Kirk and that preposterous drummer are all monsters. OMG what a band. And your brilliant original compositions are sensational and super soulful and some of the best charts ever. This band is going to be extremely well received everywhere once the word is out. SO please don't forget me when you're playing all those giant festivals all over the world. It's Inevitable."

Frank Malfitano, Founder and Executive Producer , Syracuse Jazz Festival - Frank Malfitano

This band describes itself as “Soul Jazz’s Missing Link,” and that’s not too far off the mark. On first listen, I thought to myself “are these some outtakes of 70s Crusaders sessions?” You’ve got some rich an d punctuated horns, absolutely irresistible riffs with perfectly timed back beats, and bass lines supplied by Travis Carlton that would make Barry White smile.

Most of the tunes are composed by Rhode rider Bill Steinway and tenor saxist Paulie Cerra, with “Sweetness” and “They Know It All” begging for someone like Tony Joe White to grab the microphone. To keep things even more bonafide, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford and Kirk Fletcher bring their axes and sit in for some tasty solos on “Cornell,” “The Know It All” and “H-Town Hipster” respectively, wile Rickey Peterson warms up the Leslies for a hip B3 solo on “”Memphis 40 oz Hang.” You want your toes to tap and your Bass Weejuns to shuffle, you’re gonna grab for this one.

www.groovelegacy.com - Jazz Weekly

A shared love of the jazz funk music prevalent in the 1970s is the common thread bringing together the seven main members of the group Groove Legacy. Individually, the players are no slouches, having backed up the likes of Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Sara Bareilles and Carrie Underwood, but together they offer an exciting, tight sound of a band with several albums under their belt. The fact that this self-titled collection is their debut makes the offering all the more impressive and guest appearances from ace players such as Larry Carlton and Robben Ford don't hurt either.

The album opens with the appropriately titled "Sweetness (For Walter Payton)." The track mixes an irresistible groove with wah-drenched guitars and killer horns. The song recalls the heyday of bands such as The Average White Band and is an excellent way to begin the proceedings. "Odd Couple" offers more of the same, with guitarist Sam Meek adding a bluesy touch with his understated lead work. This music sounds at once both fresh and familiar and is impossible to sit still to.

Carlton guests on "Cornell," a track that opens with the distinctive sound of a Hammond B3 courtesy of Ricky Peterson. The song is a laid-back affair and Carlton's soloing fits the number perfectly. Along those lines is "The Know It All," featuring Robben Ford. Ford punishes his axe with some potent leads before giving way to Bill Steinway on Fender Rhodes. Throughout the record, these ace players know how to stay out of each other's way, allowing all of the soloists to shine, while playing perfectly off one another.

"My Someday Girl" offers a slinky groove with more tasteful playing from Steinway, while album closer "H-Town Hipster" ends the album on an up-tempo note. The rhythm section of Lemar Carter on drums and Travis Carlton on bass really shine on this one, pushing the other musicians in the process.

Groove Legacy offers an updated twist on an old sound played by crack musicians. The band is tight and the songs are strong, making for a killer debut album. - Blinded By Sound

Built around the core of saxophonist Paulie Cerra, keyboardist Billy Steinway and bassist Travis Carlton (son of legendary guitarist Larry Carlton), Groove Legacy is just as much a sound and feel as it is this band and the title of their eponymous debut. Although they've collectively played with everyone from Al Green through Stevie Wonder to Carrie Underwood, this debut shares the trio's mutual passion for the sound of 1970s jazz-funk—Creed Taylor's seamless, sparkling productions for CTI Records, The Meters, Stuff, and especially The Crusaders.

"Ever since I had the pleasure of working with The Crusaders, I fell in love with the tenor and trombone melody blend," Steinway explains. "I can't think of a better group of musicians than Groove Legacy to recapture that sound—also putting a fresh spin on instrumental music." Highlighted by contributions from trombonists Andrew Lippman and Lee Thornberg, drummer Lemar Carter, plus several guitarists, Groove Legacy honors and consolidates this sound but keeps it moving forward, too.

"Odd Couple" is only one example of Groove Legacy's mastery of the classic Crusaders sound: Bright and sharp yet a little bit funky and round (and more than a little soulful around the edges), with the combined horns singing as a single voice; Ceara's tenor sounds as big as Texas and cuts as sharp as a cowboy's spurs while bassist Carlton and drummer Carter keep its rhythm rolling and tumbling.

Cerra and Travis Carlton co-wrote "Cornell" to feature Larry Carlton (Travis' dad) surfing on a tune assumedly written to honor legendary groove guitarist Cornell Dupree, who held down the guitar chair in Stuff. While the rhythm section gently lays down a Memphis groove, like the instrumental track behind a lost Al Green single, Papa Carlton's guitar dominates this piece with his twangy and tangy tone. Next comes "The Know It All," which featured guitarist Robben Ford slashes through in a more spindly and sharp, Albert King blues-rock style.

The sound of Memphis also comes through the rhythm, sound and feel of "Memphis 40 oz. Hang," a leisurely groove that sounds cut straight from a Stax Records session by Booker T. & the MGs with The Memphis Horns, and which pours nicely, with a sharp, robust body and creamy, foamy head.

Frank Malfitano's stylish liner notes describe Groove Legacy as, "It's the 'If Stuff and the Crusaders had a baby' band." There's no better way to say it.

Track Listing: Sweetness (for Walter Payton); Odd Couple; Cornell; The Know It All; Moneybags; Lolly's Dream; Memphis 40 oz. Hang; 47 Degree Angle; My Someday Girl; H-Town Hipster.

Personnel: Paul Cerra: tenor sax; Bill Steinway: Fender Rhodes; Travis Carlton: bass; Kirk Fletcher: lead guitar, rhythm guitar; Lemar Carter: drums; Sam Meek: rhythm guitar; Andrew Lippman: trombone; Robben Ford: guitar; Larry Carlton: guitar; Tim Curle: percussion; Chris Lovejoy: percussion; Ricky Peterson: Hammond B3; Lee Thornberg: trumpet, valve trombone. - All About Jazz

Contemporary funk with an edge. That’s Groove Legacy. The septet which released its self-titled debut album in February is led by a trio of vets with funk credentials that go back to powerhouse bands like The Crusaders and Stuff: Paulie Cerra floats the tenor sax, Bill Steinway handles keys, and Travis Carlton is the bass man. They have put together an ensemble—Andrew Lippman on trombone, Lemar Carter on drums, Tim Curle on percussion, and Sam Meek on rhythm guitar—who know their way around the groove and are ready to take what they know to a new level.
Groove LegacyWith guest appearances on several tracks by guitarists Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, and Kirk Fletcher, Ricky Peterson on the Hammond B-3, and Lee Thornburg on trumpet and valve trombone, they have put together a 10-tune set of original pieces that bring on the funk and push it into the new century, giving it a modern edge. Like painters who have mastered representational art and moved beyond to the abstract/the surreal, they have mastered the funk and now are guiding it in new directions.
The solo work throughout the album is a treat. Larry Carlton does a killer bit on “Cornell,” Meek’s guitar and Cerra’s tenor add some psychic colors to “Memphis 40 Oz Hang,” and Lippman’s trombone shines on “47 Degree Angle” and just about every other time he gets the opportunity. That being said, in a way, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to single out individuals. With a crew like this, every track, from the opener “Sweetness (For Walter Payton)” to the closing track, “H-Town Hipster,” has its bright spots.
Funk is alive and well. It is not only Groove Legacy, however. Check out the January release from Chuck Loeb, Everette Harp, and Jeff more serious Lorber, More Serious Business, their follow-up to 2014’s Jazz Funk Soul. Working with a varied cast of musical talent, they run through their own 10-tune set of originals. Not as cutting edge as Groove Legacy, Loeb, Harp, and Lorber offer up a sensitive blend of funk-based jazz. Or is it jazz-based funk? Listen to the solo work on a tune like “Fall Departs,” and you decide.
Other tracks include Harp’s softly exotic “Timmendorfer by the Sea,” which contains a pretty melody, a jumpy “You’ll Know When You Know,” and “Tuesday Swings,” which lives up to its name. Smooth jazz with a funky groove says it all. - Blog Critics

It’s all about the funk, or maybe it’s fusion. A group of Los Angeles-area musicians come together as Groove Legacy to release their debut, Groove Legacy (2016).

The leaders of this ensemble are saxophonist Paul Cerra, keyboardist Bill Steinway and bassist Travis Carlton. Guitarists Kirk Fletcher, Sam Meek, Robben Ford and Larry Carlton contribute here and there. Other musicians are Andrew Lippman, trombone; Lemar Carter, drums; Tim Curle, percussion; Chris Lovejoy, percussion; Ricky Peterson, Hammond B3 organ; Lee Thornburg, trumpet and valve trombone.

The opening track, “Sweetness,” is a tribute to NFL great Walter Payton. It’s got a smooth groove, reminiscent of the type of sound one might have heard in the 1970s when Payton made his transition from the Jackson State Tigers to the Chicago Bears. Cerra and Lippman team up for the lead, playing in unison at times and harmonizing. When Cerra breaks into his tenor solo, one can imagine a highlight reel of Sweetness in action. If the tenor represents Payton’s speed, Fletcher’s guitar personifies his agility and the Rhodes his gracefulness. The bass, drums and rhythm guitar exemplify Payton’s power.

“The Know It All” features Ford out front. The horns carry the melody with the guitar providing fills. The song has an easygoing, 6/8 rhythm that’s offset by Ford’s rock star licks. Steinway follows on the Rhodes with a style that’s like a hybrid of Bob James and Eumir Deodato. Carter and Travis Carlton cut loose in the background. The rhythm section lightens up on the front of end Cerra’s solo, but as he heats up, so does the overall intensity.

“47 Degree Angle” is a sassy tune, punctuated by more of Cerra and Lippman’s tight syncopation. Steinway, Carlton and Carter maintain the same eight-bar rhythm through most of the song, occasionally deviating a bit during transition lines. Carlton employs some wah­wah and other effects during his solo. Toward the end, Carter gets busy, dancing among the toms and cymbals while the rest of the band engages in that base rhythm.

The seven core members have careers that include sessions or performances with artists as diverse as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Sara Bareilles and Carrie Underwood. Influences include the Crusaders and the James Brown horns.

Cerra, Steinway and Carlton worked in mix-and-match pairs, composing all 10 tracks on Groove Legacy. The music, while fresh, is a throwback to the 1970s sounds of bands like the Crusaders, and the instrumental side of such vocal acts as Earth, Wind & Fire, Commodores and Kool & the Gang. - The Jazzwriter

Groove Legacy is a group of L.A. musicians who have banded together to make an album in the soul/jazz/funk vein that harkens back to the ’70s, but still sounds vibrant and current. It was all started by saxophonist Paul Cerra, keyboardist Bill Steinway, and bassist Travis Carlton. They’ve recruited some fine horn players and two guitarists that play wonderfully throughout – Kirk Fletcher and Sam Meek. Two famous guitar guests are also featured on separate cuts – Robben Ford and Travis’ dad, Larry.

A listen to the entire record will immediately bring to mind albums by the Crusaders. Sometimes it’s the subtle R&B of “Cornell,” featuring Larry Carlton, or the in-your-face funkiness of “Sweetness” with Fletcher’s melodic yet gritty solo. Meek gets his chance to shine on the jazzy blues of “47 Degree Angle.” And guest Ford, as you’d expect, is tasty and full of surprise licks on the fusion of “The Know It All.”

A tip of the cap to Travis Carlton who holds down the bottom beautifully throughout – and then lays down solos on several songs that tear the roof off. - Vintage Guitar Magazine