WALTER KITTLE, "Lovin' the Jam"

Nearly 60 years after John Lennon wrote the immortal line “Picture yourself in a boat on a river” to start “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” acclaimed bassist/composer Walter Kittle creates the slammin’, seriously funked out contemporary jazz equivalent with “Lovin’ the Jam,” whose concept of gathering a high octane all-star ensemble on a boat came to Walter’s wife, flutist Robin Bleier, one night in a dream.

Though she says she rarely remembers the events that occur in her dreams, the images of this one were indelible – and ultimately an inspirational spark for Walter, who launched his recording career with his 2016 full length debut Full Circle and has released a steady stream of popular singles over the years since. She dreamed he was on a river boat floating to New Orleans – not the classic Mark Twain kind, but a pontoon that would quickly turn into a party barge as new musicians joined in.

Every time the boat banked, another musician got on board. She “saw” Gerald Albright and Mitch Forman – who played on Walter’s 2024 single “Absolute Love” – get on board, followed by others. There were other musicians on the banks, and they ultimately hopped on board as well and began jamming. The bassist quickly visualized the scene and heard a tune in his head, including a snazzy backing horn section. He rang his longtime producer, #1 Billboard artist and guitar virtuoso Nils, and told him about the dream. Nils came up with a powerful chord progression, Walter put together an engaging up-tempo melody, and the two reached out to an incredible crew of the genre’s brightest lights to turn Robin’s dream into one of Walter’s most infectious, explosive and downright fun tracks yet.

“Lovin’ The Jam” extends the incredible dual artistry and musical chemistry of his full-on collaborations with Nils, which began with “Surrounded By Love,” inspired by the bassist’s young grandson Felix,” and includes the aforementioned “Absolute Love” and “Into the Night,” Walter’s 2025 single that marked his first-time breakthrough on the Billboard Smooth Jazz radio chart.

Complementing Walter’s snappy, irresistible 8 string bass melody and Nils’ guitars, Rhodes and synth – and playing aboard the pontoon from the dream – are Albright, Forman, the tight, intensely grooving rhythm section of Gorden Campbell (drums), Oliver C. Brown (percussion) and Darryl Williams (bass) and an electrifying horn section arranged by and featuring saxophonist Andrew Neu along with Mike Stever (trumpet) and Nick Lane (trombone). Robin, whose dream set all the magic here in motion, adds further dimension to the song with her flute.

Though the tracks were recorded by the musicians in different locations and ultimately Nils’ final production, it’s exciting, as we listen, to imagine all of them on that boat, rollicking and rolling on the river – or all at once in a studio. Walter describes the moment he began playing along with the sax part Albright sent as though he were engaging in a powerful conversation where he amped up his own playing in response. “Lovin’ the Jam” captures the fire of some of the genre’s greatest musicians outdoing each other to create a transcendent final track.

"Lovin’ the Jam” launches, appropriately enough, with Walter’s bass poppin’ immediately over a funky groove and snazzy horn accents before easing into his dynamic main melody. Horn splashes kick in just before and then throughout the irresistible hook, creating a compelling contrast between darker low and sunnier higher tones the same way the bass intertwining with Nils’ electric guitar lines do.

Once the main cool verse-explosive chorus pattern is established, Albright joins the jam with one of his classic, inimitable solos, which begins a bit laid back before bursting with energy along with the rising horns. After the second chorus, we hear Robin’s dreamy, whimsical flute lines swirling among the brass. Walter follows with a brief solo and a few tandem riffs with Albright before the final hook and the outro jam which features more of the Kittle-Albright conversation and a flurry of improvisational ivory energy by Forman.

Walter loves to say, “There’s nothing I love more than creating music, unless it’s creating it along with my friends in a jam session.” Sure to be one of smooth jazz’s most popular, talked about singles of early 2026, “Lovin’ The Jam” artfully fulfills the vision of a dream and the bassist’s desire to create just that.