The young guns of smooth jazz continue to impress as keyboardist Nicholas Cole releases his latest entitled Endless Possibilities. He surrounds himself with a lot of great artists here, and the fourteen tracks really stand on their own.

The opening track features guitarist Tim Bowman and is a lively one that will have you snapping right away. “Please Don’t Say No” keeps a nice back beat and is great showcase for Cole’s keys. He and Bowman play off each other for some great riffs before settling back down to the familiar groove. I like what he does on “Between Us.” The song moves along at a nice pace and has sort of a “Culbertson” feel to it. It is highlighted by the muted trumpet of Michael Stever. “When I Think Of You” is co-written by Marcus Anderson and also features him on vocals as well. The mood is a little more subdued here with a romantic twist. He picks up the pace for one of my favorites, “In It To Win.” It features some great sax work from Anderson as well as an infectious melody. This will be a good one to hear live.

Steve Cole joins Julian on “Just One Night” for one that I know you will enjoy a lot. Cole has always had a way of sounding great with other keyboardists ever since his start with Culbertson years ago. The two play off of each other and Steve’s sax adds intensity to the mix. Bet you hear this one a lot. He picks up the pace again with “Endless Possibilities.” This one showcases the talents of this young keyboardist. He goes a lot of places on this one and really keeps it interesting through out on the title track. “Snap” features the sax of another young player, Vincent Ingala. It is fun to hear these two youngsters together. The feel here is deliberate which gives it that “snap” feel. Vincent adds a lot to Cole’s keys and is also featured with some good sax work as well. “Oasis” is light and lively as guitarist Steve Oliver joins the mix. He always adds a positive spin on a song, and really does here as well. I really like the way the two of them sound here, and Oliver’s solo is a nice touch.

One of my favorites has to be “Triple Threat.” It features bassist Julian Vaughn and saxophonist Marcus Anderson. We reviewed Vaughn’s new release last month, and interviewed Anderson the month before, so it is really nice to see the three of them together on this track. Julian walks his bass during some nice clips, and Marcus features showcases his sax while Nicholas adds in the keys. The three of them are outstanding. “Conversations” is another Cole showcase where he shines on the keys. He keeps the pace going really well and “tickles” the ivories til the end. He concludes with the slower “Tatiana” which he plays piano instead. I like the chorded sound here and where he takes this on. You can feel the emotion of this young man as he takes Endless Possibilities to a close.

The last few months we have featured some really good new artists that are taking the smooth jazz scene by storm. Nicholas Cole is another one that I believe you’ll be hearing from for a while. This North Carolina native continues to impress with this fourteen track release and background of featured artists. I’ve been looking forward to this one, and I hope you’re able to pick it up soon. Given his age and abilities, the possibilities are endless.