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Worth Waiting For

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Worth Waiting For
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 1, 1993[1]
StudioJHL Sound (Pacific Palisades, California); Bill Schnee Studios (North Hollywood, California).
GenreSmooth jazz, jazz fusion
LabelVerve Forecast
ProducerJeff Lorber
Jeff Lorber chronology
Private Passion
(1986)
Worth Waiting For
(1993)
West Side Stories
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]

Worth Waiting For is the tenth studio album by jazz keyboardist Jeff Lorber, released on Verve Forecast in January 1993.[1] The album topped the U.S. Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart at the end of July 1993. Worth Waiting For is the only album by Lorber to hit number 1 on that chart; five others rose to number 2.[3] The album also hit number 33 on Billboard's Jazz chart, and number 71 on the R&B chart.[4][5]

The album marked a return by Lorber to his solo work, after a break of eight years in which he produced music for other artists.[6] In the interim, Lorber produced a number of dance remixes, including ones for U2 and Paula Abdul.[2] In 1990 he put together saxophonist Dave Koz's self-titled solo album, and in 1991 he produced saxophonist Eric Marienthal's successful Oasis smooth jazz album.[7] But Lorber was growing dissatisfied with compromising in favor of the artist; he said "My attitude became less positive".[6] Years later, he said he came back to solo jazz albums because he "wanted to be more in creative control and express myself."[8]

Worth Waiting For continued the 1980s series of Lorber's smooth jazz/jazz fusion albums featuring prominent synthesizer sounds, mixing jazz with elements of contemporary R&B, funk and pop.[6] The album sold very well compared to straight jazz recordings, as the American public in the 1990s was demanding contemporary jazz. Worth Waiting For stayed on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart for 30 weeks in 1993, selling more than 100,000 units. Similarly, Art Porter Jr.'s album Straight to the Point was also released later in 1993 in the jazz fusion style, produced by Lorber at Lorber's own JHL recording studio. Porter characterized both albums as having uncomplicated melodies supported by danceable beats. He said, "This music is entertaining and it has energy. It definitely has a groove, and we play it with integrity."[9] In the 2010s Lorber would shift away from synthesizers to emphasize more acoustic jazz sounds.[6]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Featured artist(s)Length
1."Rain Song"Jeff LorberArt Porter Jr., sax[1]5:21
2."The Underground"Lorber 4:44
3."Yellowstone"Lorber, Jeff PfeiferBruce Hornsby on second keyboard solo4:29
4."Punta Del Este"Lorber, Alec Milsteinvocals by Alec Milstein and Janis Siegel5:03
5."Lost with You"Lorber, Carl FyshEric Jordan, vocals5:18
6."Worth Waiting For"Lorber, Dave KozDave Koz, sax5:28
7."High Wire"Lorber, KozDave Koz, sax5:56
8."Wavelength"Lorber, Gary MeekBuzz Feiten, guitar6:00
9."Columbus Ave."Lorber, Brian BrombergArt Porter Jr., sax5:22
10."Do What It Takes"Lorber, Curt BisqueraLee Ritenour, acoustic guitar solo5:17
11."Jazzery"Lorber, Steve Harvey 4:22

Personnel

[edit]

Production

[edit]
  • Guy Eckstine – executive producer
  • Jeff Lorber – producer, engineer
  • Alan Meyerson – mixing, additional engineer
  • Allan Sides – live drums recording
  • Greg Hull – second engineer
  • Nikki Trafalian – second engineer
  • Gerard Zaffa – second engineer
  • John Zaika – second engineer
  • Nate Herr – product manager
  • Sheryl Lutz-Brown – art direction
  • Ben Argueta – design
  • Caroline Greyshock – photography
  • Shelly Haber – management
  • Leanne Meyers – management

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1993) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums[3] 1
U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums 33
U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums 71

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Worth Waiting For". Jeff Lorber. 1993. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Widran, Jonathan. Worth Waiting For at AllMusic. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Jeff Lorber Chart History: Contemporary Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "Jeff Lorber Chart History: Top Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  5. ^ "Jeff Lorber Chart History: Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Nowlin, Rick (March 20, 2011). "Jeff Lorber still fusing jazz elements after all these years". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  7. ^ Soergel, Brian (April 25, 2019). "Jeff Lorber: Kickin' Back". JazzTimes. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Stockman, Sarah (March 16, 2018). "Palisadian Jeff Lorber Wins Grammy Award". Palisades News. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  9. ^ Stewart, Zan (November 19, 1993). "Simple Melodies, Danceable Beat Pay Off for Art Porter". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2020.