Sunday Night Jazz Showcase
Program 26 (July 6 at 11pm)
Bassist Cedric Napoleon, drummer Curtis Harmon, and keyboardist James Lloyd founded crossover jazz group Pieces of a Dream in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were teenagers at the time of their 1976 formation.
Although they were jazz-oriented, the group also emphasized R+B and incorporated funk, quiet storm, hip-hop, new jack swing, and smooth jazz into their recordings, which often featured vocalists (including Barbara Walker, Eva Cassidy, and Maysa Leak).
Grover Washington Jr. produced their first three albums: “Pieces of a Dream”, “We Are One”, and “Imagine This”, all of which were released on Elektra from 1981 through 1983. Three additional '80s releases, including a pair co-produced by Lenny White, appeared on EMI-Manhattan.
Saxophonist Ron Kerber became a member in the 1990’s, an addition that proceeded varied releases throughout that decade for Blue Note. In the early 2000s, Pieces of a Dream moved to Cleveland's Heads Up label, where they remained for a decade. In 2013, they released “In the Moment” on Shanachie Records.
Story courtesy of Allmusic