Erich Cawalla is an extremely versatile and accomplished Singer/Saxophonist. His performance style invokes a classic swinging yet contemporary R&B sound mixing some of his biggest influences including Smokey Robinson, David Sanborn, Chet Baker, Bobby Caldwell, Frankie Valli, and John Pizzarelli, to name a few. In 2005, Cawalla started The Uptown Band, becoming extremely popular as a featured act headlining hundreds of shows and numerous charitable functions in the Northeast. The group's recordings have received critical acclaim throughout the world with the release of 2 full-length albums including Waiting for Her in 2008 and Heart, Soul, Body, & Mind in 2014. Special Guests on the band's albums have included Will Lee, legendary bassist for the CBS Orchestra on the former Late Show with David Letterman, trumpetist and founding member of Tower of Power Greg Adams, and legendary percussionist Doc Gibbs, former Musical Director on The Food Network's Emeril LIVE. "Waiting for Her", the band's 2008 title track written by Cawalla and Marty Mellinger, received airplay on Music Choice's Smooth Jazz Channel on National Cable TV. "SJ3", written by Cawalla and the band's Producer and The Three Degrees' Musical Director Bennie Sims, rose as high as #9 in the country on the Groove Jazz Radio Chart. Most recently, the band released a cover of the Maxi Priest hit "Close to You" which charted as high as #27 in USA Today's National Contemporary Jazz Chart. Cawalla and Sims, along with Curtis Harmon (drummer for Contemporary Jazz legends Pieces of a Dream) wrote "BJF25", a commemorative song celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their hometown Boscov's Berks Jazz Festival. The recording features Cawalla, Sims, and Harmon performing alongside Contemporary Jazz Heavyweights Rick Braun, Chuck Loeb, and Brian Bromberg. 2017 is poised to be a breakout year for Cawalla as he is releasing his debut Solo Contemporary Jazz instrumental "222 South", named after his hometown highway in Reading, PA. Featured musicians on this release include legendary Drummer with Pieces of a Dream Curtis Harmon, Cawalla's Producer and The Three Degrees' Musical Director Bennie Sims on Bass, Cliff Starkey on Piano, Forrest Brown on Guitar, and Jimmy "Fingers' Towles on Rhodes Piano. "222 South" will fit right into your Smooth Jazz library alongside the likes of Eric Marienthal, Nick Colionne, and Eric Darius. For more information, visit www.erichcawalla.com.