Nashville-based guitarist and composer Les Sabler has been on the cutting edge of the current jazz fusion scene even going back to his 2003 album Bridge The Gap. Les’s 2014 Jobim Tribute album turned a lot of jazz-heads on while his 2011 Crescent Shores was equally enthralling. The 2020 release of Tranquility was somewhat overlooked yet it’s also worth a spin.

One thing that came out of Tranquility was Les working with producer Paul Brown and fellow guitarist / songwriter Shane Theriot and it’s cool to say that both have reunited with Les again on his 2023 album Flying High. Some may call it smooth jazz and yes, there are elements of that genre on Flying High yet it’s also filled with a great variety of jazzy styles and other instrumental-based guitar grooves. Interesting to note that Theriot has composed some cool tunes for the album, which also includes some imaginative cover tracks.

Among the highlights of Flying High are the Shane Theriot penned title track along with covers of the Michel Legrand classic “Windmills Of Your Mind” and a wild jazz take on the Lovin’ Spoonful classic, “Summer In The City”, a number one pop smash from 1966. The ten-track Flying High is a welcome addition to the repertoire of jazz guitar maestro Les Sabler.