When you listen to the contemporary jazz of Richard Franklin, you will hear music that will both please your ear and engage your mind - music that isn't bound by "genres". If you like smooth jazz, you will like this music. But if you think smooth jazz is just lightweight and prefer more serious fare, you should still check this out - it is definitely not just ear candy. This music is original while also traditional in many ways, even a bit challenging while still being very accessible. You will enjoy this CD on first hearing, but will want to also listen to it again and again. Richard Franklin is one of the best-kept secrets of the contemporary jazz world. His musical background is in classic guitar; as a student of Carlos Barbosa-Lima and Sophocles Papas, his lineage goes directly back to the great Andres Segovia. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in music from Carnegie Mellon University. A very successful classic guitarist, he performed extensively in recital and with orchestras; he also won a number of performance competitions. The influence of the classic guitar style is evident in his jazz work, particularly the emphasis on tonal warmth and expressivity. Through the mid-1980's, Franklin worked as a performing and studio guitarist as well as a respected teacher, until he withdrew from the public music scene. Since then, his musical activity has focused on composition and studio production. "A Step Along the Way" will also give you more than your money's worth -- an hour of music with no "filler" -- great tunes, tight arrangements, and first rate playing. Check it out for yourself -- every tune is available for your preview.