| Urban Knights Presents the Chicago Project | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Urban Knights | ||||
| Released | March 26, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 44:09 | |||
| Label | Narada | |||
| Producer | Ramsey Lewis (Exec.), Frayne Lewis | |||
| Urban Knights chronology | ||||
| ||||
Urban Knights Presents the Chicago Project is the fifth studio album by the jazz group Urban Knights released in 2002 on Narada Records. In the US, the album reached No. 30 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 21 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
Overview
Singer Bryan Sledge made a guest appearance. The groups covers Stevie Wonder's song "That Girl" on the album.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| JazzTimes | (favourable) |
Hilarie Grey of Jazz Times noted "Though the urban-funk focus is there, this Project provides more opportunities for solo stretches and dazzling technical skills, tailored to best exploit the talents of each player."
Matt Collar of AllMusic favourably wrote "Trumpeter Ron Haynes, guitarist Fareed Haque, and keyboardist Kevin Randolph under the production guidance of Urban Knight Frayne T. Lewis have concocted a funky and slick offering sure to please most smooth jazz aficionados", concluding that "this is hip, danceable, studio-perfect music that references the best of European acid jazz."
Tracklisting
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That Girl" | Stevie Wonder, Ron Haynes | 03:36 |
| 2. | "A Place in Time" | Fareed Haque, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 04:25 |
| 3. | "All the Way" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 04:25 |
| 4. | "Three's Company" | Fareed Haque, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph, Lambert Waldrip | 03:44 |
| 5. | "Myths and Legands" | Fareed Haque, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 04:28 |
| 6. | "On the Block" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 04:09 |
| 7. | "Always" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph, Lambert Waldrip | 03:58 |
| 8. | "Bombay Streets" | Fareed Haque, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 03:58 |
| 9. | "Tight Rope" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 03:50 |
| 10. | "Keep It Real" | W. Allen Howard | 03:35 |
| 11. | "Always" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph, Lambert Waldrip | 04:01 |
References
- ^ Urban Knights: Urban Knights Presents the Chicago Project. Narada Records. 2002.
- "Fareed Haque". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- ^ Grey, Hilarie (June 1, 2002). "Urban Knights Presents: The Chicago Project". JazzTimes. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- ^ Collar, Matt. "Urban Knights - Urban Knights Presents the Chicago Project". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2025.