| Urban Knights II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 8, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 49:50 | |||
| Label | GRP | |||
| Producer | Maurice White | |||
| Urban Knights chronology | ||||
| ||||
Urban Knights II is the second studio album of the jazz group Urban Knights released in 1997 on GRP Records. The album reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 24 on the UK Top Jazz Albums chart. [1] [2] [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Los Angeles Times | [5] |
| Jazz Times | (favourable) [6] |
| Sun Herald | (favourable) [7] |
Jazz Times stated "With moods playful to passionate and players in a relaxed goodtime frame of mind, it’s a perfect party disc." [6] Don Adderton of the Sun Herald wrote "When you surround a master artist with a strong supporting cast, usually great things happen. On this second outing, Ramsey Lewis scores big on Urban Knights II (GRP)." Adderton added "Still the master craftsman, Lewis leads this all-star aggregation rampaging into funk, jazz, rhythm-and-blues and Latin-flavored ballads." [7] Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times found that "The music that results can perhaps best be described as rhythm & jazz--bits and pieces of improvising from Lewis and the horn players juxtaposed against insistent, funk-driven rhythms. South African Butler, especially on the tracks in which he sings (“South African Jam” and “Brazilian Rain,” especially), brings a seductive world-music ambience to the proceedings." [5] Jonathan Widran of Allmusic called the album a "Maurice White-produced exercise in easy funk and potent, machine generated urban grooves." [4]
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top Jazz Albums | 7 [8] |
| US Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums | 5 [2] |
| US Billboard Heatseekers Albums | 48 |
| UK Jazz Albums | 24 [3] |
Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
The Urban Knights are an American all-star jazz fusion band. They released their self-titled debut in 1995. They have a total of 8 studio albums.
In Concert is a live double album by the American jazz musician Miles Davis. It was recorded in 1972 at the Philharmonic Hall in New York City. Columbia Records' original release did not credit any personnel, recording date, or track listing, apart from the inner liner listing the two titles "Foot Fooler" and "Slickaphonics."
In the Storm is the third studio album by El DeBarge released in 1992 by Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 22 on the Blues & Soul Top UK Soul Albums chart.
Brave New World is the ninth album by American jazz group The Rippingtons, released in 1996 for the GRP label. The album reached No. 4 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. It was the group's final release on the GRP label.
The Best of The Rippingtons is a compilation album by the American jazz group The Rippingtons, released in 1997 by the GRP label. The album is a retrospective of their previous GRP albums, and also includes two previously unreleased tracks.
Millennium is the sixteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire released in September 1993 on Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, No. 39 on the US Billboard 200, No. 18 on the Japanese Pop Albums chart and No. 29 on the Dutch Album Top 100. Millennium has also been certified Gold in Japan by the RIAJ.
Bringing Back the Funk is a studio album by Brian Culbertson released in 2008 on GRP Records. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and No. 15 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.
Urban Knights I is the debut album of the jazz group Urban Knights released in 1995 by GRP Records. The album reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 9 upon the UK Jazz Albums chart.
Love and Other Obsessions is the eighteenth album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1995 by GRP Records.
Heritage is the fifteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in February 1990 on Columbia Records, and was their final release of new music for the label. The album reached No. 19 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No.18 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart. Heritage also got to No. 31 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart and No. 39 on both the Finland Suomen virallinen albumilista and the German Pop Albums chart.
Dreams is an album by Philip Bailey released on Heads Up International Records in June 1999. The album peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.
Tender Togetherness is a studio album by tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, released in April 1981 on Elektra Records. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.
Night-Lines is an album by American pianist Dave Grusin released in 1984, recorded for the GRP label. The album reached No. 4 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart.
Color Rit is an album by American jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour that was released in 1989 by GRP Records. The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard magazine Contemporary Jazz chart.
Portrait is the sixteenth studio album by American jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour, released in 1987 through GRP Records. The album reached No. 7 on the Billboard magazine Contemporary Jazz chart.
Urban Daydreams is an album by American pianist David Benoit released in 1989, recorded for the GRP label. The album reached #3 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart.
That Secret Place is the tenth album by Patti Austin, released May 10, 1994.
Routes is a studio album by American jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, released in 1980 on Columbia Records. The album reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.
Urban Knights III is the third studio album of the jazz group Urban Knights released in 2000 on GRP Records. The album reached No. 4 on the US Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 3 on the US Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.