A Nice Place To Be is the fifth studio album by jazz saxophonist George Howard released in 1986 on MCA Records. On the Billboard charts, it spent two weeks on top of the Traditional Jazz Albums chart, while peaking at number two on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and number 22 on Top R&B Albums chart.
Most people don't know George Howard is arguably one of the greatest saxophonist to put his hands on the instrument.
I would put him in a category with John Coltrane and Charlie Byrd. Most people would think I'm going out on a limb to say that.
George Howard was more than just a contemporary player. He had all the chops of people we look up to as Jazz greats.
"A Nice Place To Be" is, for my taste, George Howard's most accomplished and most distinctive album.
Beautiful Quiet Storm/Smooth Jazz gems like "No, No", "Jade's World", "Let's Live In Harmony" and his nice cover version of Sade's massive international hit "The Sweetest Taboo" are all superb examples of the best that the Quiet Storm/Smooth Jazz scene had to offer in the mid-1980s and this beautiful album (as a whole) proves that George Howard was a truly talented and innovative musician who (sadly) never got the recognition he so richly deserved.
Track listing
1. No No - 6:08
Bass – Victor Bailey
Bongos – Dr. Gibbs
Electronic Drums [Simmons Drums] – Raymond Griffin
Guitar – Paul Jackson Jr.
Keyboards, Synthesizer [Bass, Emu Strings] – Wayne Linsay
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Producer, Arranged By, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals, Synthesizer [Bass, Emu French Horn], Drum
Programming [Drum Machine Program.] – George Howard
Synthesizer [Emu Harp] – Robert Brookins
2. Jade's World - 5:15
Bass [& Tenor Bass] – Stanley Clarke
Keyboards, Synthesizer [Emu Strings] – Wayne Linsay
Percussion – Dr. Gibbs
Producer, Arranged By, Soprano Saxophone, Synthesizer [Harp Sequence, Emu Strings], Drum
Programming [Drum Machine Program.], Electronic Drums [Simmons Drums] – George Howard
Synthesizer [Emu Harp] – Robert Brookins
Written-By – G. Howard
3. Sweetest Taboo - 5:05
4. A Nice Place To Be - 5:18
Bass – Victor Bailey
Guitar – Paul Jackson Jr.
Keyboards – Robert Brookins
Percussion – Dr. Gibbs
Producer, Arranged By, Soprano Saxophone, Synthesizer [Emu Violin], Electronic Drums [Simmons
Drums], Chimes, Piano [Acoustic] – George Howard
Synthesizer [Emu Strings], Drum Machine, Keyboards – Wayne Linsay
5. Let's Live In Harmony - 6:00
6. Pretty Face - 5:02
7. Spenser For Hire - 4:36
Acoustic Bass – Stanley Clarke
Keyboards, Synthesizer [Emu Strings] – Wayne Linsay
Percussion – Dr. Gibbs
Producer, Arranged By, Soprano Saxophone, Idiophone [Marumba], Drum Machine, Synthesizer
[Emu Strings], Chimes – George Howard
Written-By – L. Herbstritt, S. Dorff
8. Stanley's Groove - 5:45
Companies, etc.
- Recorded At – Larrabee Sound Studios
- Recorded At – Le Gonks West
- Mixed At – Larrabee Sound Studios
- Mixed At – Lion Share Recording Studios
- Manufactured By – MCA Records, Inc.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – MCA Records, Inc.
- Copyright © – MCA Records, Inc.
Credits
- Art Direction – Bobby Holland
- Coordinator [Project] – Denise Weathersby
- Design Concept [Cover Concept] – Bobby Holland, George Howard, Welch Golightly
- Engineer [Assistant] [ [Larrabee Sound Studios] – Toni Green (tracks: A1 to A5, B4)
- Engineer [Assistant] [Le Gonks West Studios] – Mitch Gibson (tracks: B1, B2)
- Engineer [Larrabee Sound Studios] – Randy Tominaga (tracks: A1 to A5, B3, B4), Toni Green (tracks: B3)
- Engineer [Le Gonks West Studios] – Gary Olazabal (tracks: B1, B2)
- Engineer [Mixing] [Assistant] [Lion Share Recording Studios] – Ray Pyle
- Engineer [Mixing] [Lion Share Recording Studios] – Tommy Vicari
Mixed At Lion Share Recording Studios
Mixed At Larrabee Sound Studios
Recorded At Le Gonks West
Recorded At Larrabee Sound Studios
Phonographic Copyright MCA Records Inc
Copyright MCA Records Inc
Notes
Released: 1986
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style: Soul-Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Length: 42:34
Produced: George Howard, George Duke
Label - MCA Records
