Ultrablue

CONTEMPORARY
JAZZ / FUSION ENSEMBLE

New York, NY

 

Ultrablue is a contemporary jazz group performing the music of
pianist and writer/ producer, John Smatla -  a former school teacher from Cleveland
now based in New York City.  Ultrablue’s sound is an elegant blend of contemporary jazz, Brazilian and Latin music styles, funk / R&B and pop / rock.  The group is known for its tight, sophisticated music production and outstanding instrumental performances by a core all-star cast including David Mann (sax & flute), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), John Benitez ( bass) and Romero LuBambo (acoustic guitar).

Jazz luminaries such as Randy Brecker, John Patitucci, Gabriela Anders,
New York Voices, Omar Hakim, Kevin Mahogany, Gregoire Maret, Nestor Torres, Rachel Z
and Pete Belasco have all been special guests on Ultrablue songs.
   
The group began as a collaboration between John and  virtuoso jazz guitarist Dave Stryker and resulted in Ultrablue’s debut -  “Dusk 2 Dawn” in 2003.  The album was released on a European record label and had modest chart success that year.  Subsequently, John assumed full artistic control of the project and produced the more successful, eponymous “Ultrablue” album released by 215 Records in 2006. That release reached the top 5 on Amazon’s smooth jazz albums chart.  But with John increasingly focused in the education world, the group was on hiatus until 2022.  That fall, the reboot of Ultrablue yielded a middle-of the-chart hit titled  “Until We’re All Free”.

In 2023, the self-titled album was re-released to the digital/streaming world and reintroduced the group to smooth jazz fans. A streak of top 30 hits have been released since then, including “Maria In Blue”,  “Herbie”, “We Were In Love” and “Girl with the Sunflower Tattoo” which were all included on 2025’s “New York Stories” album.

    Ultrablue appeared on the year-end Smooth jazz chart of 2024, reaching #54 on the annual top 100. The group performed its first live show in the spring of 2025 in New Jersey and is recording music for an early 2026 release. A new single, “Something Like Summer” featuring Gabriela Anders, is set for a late July release. 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

 SAMPLE RECORDINGS