American
Steve Oliver is a charting nylon-string guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer. He's well-known for his soulful singing, snappy guitar lines, playful vocalese, and innovative approach to the synth guitar. His fluid, deft, melodic playing style has resonated with musicians as well as audiences. In addition to his own recordings, he has played sideman, producer, and vocalist to a number of contemporary jazz artists including
Rick Braun,
Larry Carlton, and
Gato Barbieri. In the world of soul and R&B, he has also worked with the
Neville Brothers and many others. Beginning with
First View, his 1999 leader debut,
Oliver has employed his precise lead style in hooky R&B- and world music-flavored jazz compositions that reflect his greatest influences,
Pat Metheny,
Michael Hedges, and
Santana among them. As a recording artist, he's placed more than a dozen singles on the contemporary jazz charts including several number ones: "Fun in the Sun” held the top spot for eight weeks. 2002's
Positive Energy hit the Top 20 and ranked number one on the year-end list of Canada's 50 most-played recordings in 2003. He was named Best New Artist and Best Guitar Player the same year. 2006's Radiant was co-produced with
Spyro Gyra keyboardist
Tom Schuman and keyboardist and programmer
Michael Broening. It landed well inside the Top 50 on the jazz album charts. His concert offering, 2008's One Night Live, charted even higher. While
Oliver always included a few vocal tracks on his own jazz albums, he delivered his first all-vocal set with 2016's
Pictures and Frames, a full-on shift from smooth jazz to adult contemporary pop.
In the mid-'90s,
Oliver became an established sideman on guitar and vocals in contemporary jazz. He was an audience fave on recordings and in concert, and a former member of
Acoustic Alchemy. During a featured opening stint with former
Rippingtons' percussionist
Steve Reid's band,
Oliver expanded his own following. It was 1996 when
Reid contacted
Oliver at the last minute to fill in for a canceled opening act.
Oliver hit the stage as a solo act and
Reid was impressed with the guitarist's vocalese skills and summery sound.
Oliver had come to vocalese not through
King Pleasure or
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, but through
Bobby McFerrin and
Pat Metheny's work with
Richard Bona and
David Blamires, who sang along with guitar solos. Being a fan of the earthy
Metheny sound,
Reid hired
Oliver after the gig and featured him in his touring band.
Reid's
Mysteries and Passion in Paradise albums featured
Oliver not only as guitarist, but as a songwriter as well.
Oliver struck out on his own in 1999 with his debut,
First View, released by Night Vision. The album spawned three hit singles on smooth jazz radio and earned the guitarist a Debut Artist of the Year award from Smooth Jazz News. Duties in
Reid's band kept
Oliver busy until 2002, when he released
Positive Energy on Native Language.
Spyro Gyra keyboardist
Tom Schuman was in the producer's chair for
Oliver's third album, 3-D, released by
Koch in 2004. 2006's Radiant's standout tracks include a reimagined cover of
Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth" and "Good to Go," a Latin-fusion explosion featuring
Oliver's guitar, vocalese, vocal percussion, and trippy production ambience. It landed inside the Top 50 at contemporary jazz, and was followed by a holiday collection entitled Snowfall that winter.
Oliver eschewed the studio in favor of an audio/visual concert package entitled One Night Live in 2008. He was a one-man orchestra capable of numerous sonic delights including vocal percussion, breezy, wordless singing, and synth guitar simulating everything from a grand piano to bass, flute, and orchestrated strings. It too placed inside the contemporary jazz Top 50. His love for Brazilian, Latin, and African grooves shone brightly on 2010's
Global Kiss. After a remastered and expanded version of 3-D in 2010,
Oliver continued his global music expressions with 2012's World Citizen. His all-star studio cast included keyboardist
Tom Schuman and Trinidad born drummer/percussionist Bonny B (both
Spyro Gyra). Among the players were also saxophonists
Paul Taylor,
Andrew Neu, and
Will Donato, bassists Eddie Reddick, K.T. Tyler, and
Yes'
Billy Sherwood, as well as
Moody Blues keyboardist
Alan Hewitt. The guitarist spent no less than three years touring in support. The stopgap
Best Of: So Far followed in 2014.
When
Oliver returned to the studio proper, it was for the purpose of delivering a set of mainstream adult contemporary tunes for the first time. His songwriting had achieved what he considered a career pinnacle and he was anxious to showcase it.
Recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, 2016's
Pictures and Frames was the artist's first all-vocal album, deeply influenced by the music of
John Mayer and
Sting. It featured percussionist and exotic soundscape creator
Steve Reid, bassist
Lee Sklar, and jazz/rock drummer
Vinnie Colaiuta. Its diverse range of material featured pointed social observations in "Instant Gratification" as well as lush romantic expressions including "A Waltz to You" and "Long Time Comin'," a showcase for the singer's a cappella virtuosity. The following year,
Oliver issued
Illuminate, his first collection of all-new original material in seven years. Dedicated to late guitarists
Chuck Loeb and
Allan Holdsworth, the set featured
Oliver's instantly recognizable guitar lines alongside bass virtuoso
Jimmy Haslip, the drummer Joel Taylor, keyboards from
Brian Simpson (who had also worked on
Pictures and Frames), and saxophonist
Nelson Rangell. Its title-track lead single placed at number five on the contemporary jazz charts.
Oliver and
Simpson were so inspired by the
Illuminate sessions that they re-entered the studio immediately, joining forces for
Unified. The set captured their interplay in 11 originals, two of which leaned toward EDM. The pair were supported by bassist
Alex Al, drummer
Eric Valentine, and percussionist
Ramon Yslas. Previewed by Smoothjazzradio.com and SoundCloud, the set was issued by Shanachie Entertainment in January of 2020. ~ David Jeffries