With sexy soulful style to spare, saxophonist Jimmy Sommers has been warming up the nights of smooth jazz lovers since his 1997 debut, James Cafe. With each successive release, the Chicago to Los Angeles transplant has carefully cultivated a fan base that appreciates classicism as well as the cutting edge. ‘Lovelife’ features the distinctively sultry tones of Macy Gray, 'What Am I Gonna Do' a neo-soul hit with Rahsaan Patterson, cover of Kool & The Gang's 'Take My Heart' a sassy remix of this soulful tune. Trumpeter Chris Botti sits in on 'Why Must I' and super group Ruff Endz is featured on 'The World To Me'. As with his previous albums (James Cafe, 360 Urban Groove, Sunset Collective) Jimmy collaborates with some of the most reknown artists around. Reviews: Carmen Meyer Out of 5: If you’re looking for intense and passionate smooth jazz, then you’ve come to the right place. With his second album, "360 Urban Groove", saxophone prodigy Jimmy Sommers captivates his audience by way of stroking smooth vocals from his smoking brass instrument. The album is a surround-sound of steamy solos, feel-good beats and inspired grooves. Mind you, Sommers is certainly not a new kid on the jazz block. The Chicago-born saxophonist first picked up a sax at 10, and by 16 he was such a proficient player that he was performing at local clubs with such blues legends as Buddy Guy and Dion Patton. Since then, he has established himself as a headliner whose career is moving from strength to strength. While Sommers’ musical style has its roots in the Chicago blues tradition, his eclectic sound incorporates jazz, soul, R&B, pop and hip-hop. Of this mix Sommers says simply: "I play the music that I make. My goal is to wrap listeners in sound that’s funky yet smooth and makes them feel good." www.hiphophotspot.com Give it up to Chicagoland native turned Southern Californian Jimmy Sommers for winning over a crowd at the Chicago Historical Society with that magic saxophone of his after zooming onto the Georgian-style building’s patio on a Harley-Davidson with blond streaks among his auburn locks. The crowd was comprised of industry folk and paying customers on the patio and the non-paying groundlings on Lincoln Park’s adjacent green. But don’t be fooled by the smooth jazz label that been attached to his genre and current LP album LOVELIFE. With cordless mic attached to the bowl of his sax, Jimmy can stealthily pimp walk into a crowd and make em holler till they’ve had enough. In fact, plenty of buppie scum dames found themselves clutching their chests or cooling off with church fans behind his handiwork (or should we say mouthiwork?).