He Had a Hat

He Had a Hat
Studio album by Jeff Lorber
Released	April 3, 2007
Genre	Smooth jazz
Label	Blue Note
Producer	Bobby Colomby
Jeff Lorber chronology
Flipside (2005) He Had a Hat (2007) Heard That (2008)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

He Had a Hat is a 2007 album by jazz pianist Jeff Lorber. All compositions on this album were original, except for "Grandma's Hands" which was originally composed and performed by Bill Withers.

The album, and title track, are named after the punchline of an old Jewish joke about a grandmother whose grandson is saved from drowning in the ocean after she prays to God. The joke was told to Lorber by the album's producer, Bobby Colomby, in the recording studio, and Lorber felt it fit in well with the album's lighthearted mood.^[2]

He Had a Hat was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, losing to Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters.

Track listing[]

1. "Anthem For a New America" - 3:48
2. "He Had a Hat" - 4:34
3. "Grandma's Hands"; featuring Eric Benét (Bill Withers) - 4:07
4. "Surreptitious" - 4:10
5. "All Most Blues" - 4:24
6. "Orchid"; featuring Chris Botti - 3:53
7. "Be Bop" - 2:28
8. "The Other Side of the Heart"; featuring Eric Benét and Paula Cole - 5:35
9. "Hudson" - 3:58
10. "Super Fusion Unit" - 3:52
11. "Eye Tunes" - 3:50
12. "Requiem For Gandalf" - 3:44
13. "Burn Brightly" - 3:52
14. Bonus Track: "Deep Night"

Personnel[]

• Jeff Lorber – pianos, keyboards, horn arrangements (2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13)
• Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar (2, 3, 4, 8, 10)
• Paul Brown – guitar (3)
• Russell Malone – guitar (13)
• Brian Bromberg – bass (1, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14)
• – bass (2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 13)
• Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums (1, 2, 3, 8, 9)
• Dave Weckl – drums (4, 10, 13)
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14)
• Lenny Castro – percussion (2, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14), tambourine (3)
• Kirk Whalum – tenor saxophone (2), horns (2)
• Gerald Albright – alto saxophone (3)
• Ada Rovatti – tenor saxophone (4)
• – saxophone (4, 7, 9, 11, 13)
• Tom Scott – horns (3), horn arrangements (3, 5), alto saxophone (5)
• John Mitchell – bass clarinet (5, 10, 12)
• Bob Sheppard – alto flute (5, 10, 12), flute (5, 10, 12), tenor saxophone (6, 9)
• Jeff Driskoll – alto flute (5, 10, 12)
• Hubert Laws – flute (9, 11)
• Steve Dumin – French horn (5, 10, 12)
• Richard Todd – French horn (5, 10, 12)
• Jacques Voyemant – trombone (2)
• Jens Wendelboe – trombone (4, 7, 9, 11, 13), bass trombone (4, 7, 9, 11, 13)
• Bob McChesney – trombone (5, 10, 12)
• Greg Gosnell – bass trombone (5, 10, 12)
• Randy Brecker – trumpet (4), horn arrangements (4)
• Steve Jankowski – trumpet (4, 7, 9, 11, 13), flugelhorn (4, 7, 9, 11, 13)
• Hernan "Teddy" Mulet – trumpet (4, 7, 9, 11, 13), flugelhorn (4, 7, 9, 11, 13), horn arrangements (4)
• Gary Grant – trumpet (5, 10, 12)
• Chris Botti – trumpet (6, 14)
• Bobby Colomby – horn arrangements (7, 9, 11, 13)
• Jeremy Lubbock – orchestrations (1, 8)
• – orchestra (1, 8)
• Eric Benet – vocals (3, 8)
• Paula Cole – vocals (8)

References[]

External links[]

• He Had A Hat by Jeff Lorber on lorber.com