The master of that special sax “groan” and serious funk, household smooth jazz artist Richard Elliot, is again knocking ‘em dead with his latest release Summer Madness. The man simply never misses. Here on Summer Madness, after opening with a slammin’ cover of Spyro Gyra’s “Cachaca,” Elliot proceeds to coax his way into our listening sensibilities and capture our every musical sense with his classic combination of funk, soul, jazz, and just being Elliot. Tracks like the mid-tempo “Breakin’ It Down,” the killer cover of Carlos Santana’s classic “Europa” (can’t you just hear Elliot playing that even as you read this??), and the ultra-funky “West Coast Jam,” among others here, are simply the typical slayers always offered by the saxman. No one does it quite like this giant funkster. Joined here by longtime friend and cohort trumpeter/producer Rick Braun, Elliot also recruits other familiars like Ron Reinhardt on keys, Randy Jacobs on guitar, Nate Phillips on bass, Third Richardson on drums, and Lenny Castro on percussion. He also pulls in baritone saxman Curt Waylee who proceeds to knock it out of the park. In fact, the complete horn arrangement is absolutely killer (check out “Harry The Hipster” for a great example). Of the musicians, Elliot says, “I didn’t want to direct them. I wanted to bring them in and let them be part of the process –the writing, the arranging—and do it all together. I had a lot of confidence that these guys are mature enough musically. Everybody brough