Back in November of 1979, deeply respected saxophonist and arranger Tom Saviano assembled a group of outstanding musicians and vocalists to create an incredible jazz infused R&B/Pop debut album under the band name HEAT. In addition to the outstanding vocal talents of Jean Marie Arnold & Joe Pizzulo, Saviano booked players for the HEAT sessions that have since gone onto legendary status such as David Foster, Paul Jackson Jr., Neil Stubenhaus, Jai Winding, Steve Porcaro, James Gadson, Harvey Mason, Lenny Castro, Jerry Hey, Chuck Findley and more.
Billboard, Cashbox and other trade magazines at the time immediately recognized the debut HEAT music as a force that came blazing into the atmosphere with a sophisticated presence usually expected from veterans such as Quincy Jones or a team like Maurice White & Charles Stepney. The album featured two top 40 hits, “Just Like You” and “This Love That We’ve Found.” A 2nd HEAT album titled STILL WAITING was released in 1981 featuring Jean Marie-Arnold & Ed Whiting on vocals. Many session cats from the first album returned along with newcomers like Barnaby Finch, David Diggs & Pat Kelley. More energetic arrangements and performances were found on tracks like “Don’t Waste A Minute”, “Follow You Home” and “Still Waiting”.
Over the decades since those releases, HEAT had been rediscovered through three separate limited edition CD reissues of both albums in Japan. Saviano also received a steady stream of contact from the individual HEAT tracks would appear on various European music compilations.
So in February of 2012, Saviano decided to begin re-examining all of the original HEAT recordings. Time and technology has enabled him to go back and meticulously reshape the sound field on chosen songs by adding (and sometimes subtracting) musical elements within each track to give them a modern groove and feel. Saviano was also able to improve the overall fidelity by giving the recordings a wider frequency and impact. The collection has exciting new contributions from musicians and vocalists including Bill & Tamara Champlin, Vinnie Colaiuta, Michael O’Neill, Charles “Icarus” Johnson, Nathan East, Carmen Grillo, Bruce Gaitsch and more!
This incredible compilation titled HEAT - “Revisited” is now set for release on July 17th as a limited edition SHM (Super High Material) CD on the Vivid Sound label out of Japan. Anyone who has a passion for this classic era groove seriously needs to lay it down and secure their copy of this special release.
By Scott Gross
Click Here to pre-order HEAT Revisited
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