CHRIS STANDRING

TIME OF CHANGE

Ultimate Vibe Records

Chris Standring, guitars/keyboards/programming/horn & string arrangements/composer; Andre Berry & Brian Bromberg, bass; Chad Wright & Dave Karasony, drums; Lenny Castro, percussion; George Whitty, piano; Rodney Lee, keyboards; Brandon Fields, tenor saxophone; Tom Saviano, alto saxophone; Michael Stever, trumpet; Erik Hughes, trombone.

Contemporary jazz guitarist, Chris Standring, has written and produced eleven new songs for his latest release, “Time of Change.”   Standring says that 1970s cool jazz inspired his retro-rhythms and blues grooves that infuse these new songs.  The single pulled from this album is “Hollywood Hustle” scheduled for a February 2^nd  debut.

Much of Standring’s songwriting on this project is nostalgic.  However, his musical crew keeps the music current.  Standring grew up in England but spent the last thirty-five years as a resident of Southern California.  In December of 2026, Chris Strandring will release a book called “A Jazz Life In Pictures” using snapshots of his life in stages, with accompanying stories about how his eighteen albums came about, as well as childhood photographs. His album, “Time of Change” opens with a tune called “Photographs.” George Whitty takes a stunning and passionate solo on this tune.

The staccato rhythm section beneath the melodic guitar line on “Magnetic” is catchy! It is Standring’s original song created using two simple chords, but has rich rhythmic groove enhanced by bassist, Andre Berry and groove master, Chad Wright on drums.  Standring says his inspiration to write this one was the funky smooth jazz of the early Yellowjackets group.

The thing about Chris Standring’s music is that he systematically creates melodies that stick with the listener and are always accompanied by a rich rhythm section groove. “Slippin In These Streets” sounds a little bit like a Curtis Mayfield hit record called “Freddie’s Dead” that was part of the soundtrack from the Super Fly film. This is followed by the song that’s supposed to be the next single release, “All the Good Times”

“Quincy Jones is a producer I always looked up to for inspiration,” says Standring.

Every composition on this new album is masterfully written and produced. His album release preview show will be held at the popular Spaghettini club in Southern California on February 7, 2026 in Seal Beach.     

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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