Special EFX All-Stars featuring Chieli Minucci, Lin Rountree, Eric Marienthal, Jay Rowe, Dave Livolsi, Joel Rosenblatt, Alan Grubner & Minu Cinelu

Guitarist, composer, producer, and arranger Chieli Minucci is longtime leader of the Grammy-nominated jazz-fusion group SPECIAL EFX featuring Chieli Minucci, a major force on the jazz and world music scene for over 40 years.

Earlier this year Chieli and Special EFX released “Meant To Be”, the chart-topping single!

In the summer of 2024, their previous single, “Cool Summer”, reached the #1 spot on Billboard, as well as a total of 5 charts simultaneously!

Chieli has also recently released 3 unique projects – “Return to Budapest With Love”, is an archived, 1990 live concert recording of Special EFX from their early days on tour in Europe; the solo, and mainly acoustic release, “Someone’s Singing”; as well as the 40^th anniversary Special EFX CD, “Twenty Twenty 2”.

Chieli & Special EFX’s previous release saw title track, “Deep as the Night”, win Billboard Magazine’s 2018 top honors, best-song-of-the-year.

Besides writing and performing his own music, Chieli shares his guitar brilliance throughout the entertainment world. He has recorded and performed with many top artists, such as Celine Dion, Lou Reed, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Lopez, Jewel, Marc Anthony, Michael Bolton, Rupert Holmes, Anastasia, even classic artists Eartha Kitt, and Eddie Fisher. He’s collaborated and worked alongside contemporary jazz artists Kirk Whalum, Maysa, Jeff Lorber, Norman Brown, Bernie Williams, Marion Meadows, Lao Tizer, Mindi Abair, Rick Braun, Gerald Veasley, Omar Hakim, and many others.

Although renowned in the jazz and pop world, Chieli is also a gifted television and film composer. He has won 3 Emmy Awards and been nominated 10 times for his eclectic compositional work. His music can also be heard on the soundtracks of the films No Country for Old Men, Bowfinger, Legally Blonde, Panic, and others. Chieli’s original scoring work can be heard in live stage productions of Peter Pan, Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine, and others.

Lin Rountree isa Soul/Urban Jazz Trumpet player, Music Producer, and Composer. He has recorded six solo albums, the last three for Trippin N’ Rhythm Records. Between the years 2011 – 2018 Lin Rountree released thirteen singles that landed on the National Billboard Top 25 Smooth Jazz Chart which included his single “Pass The Groove” that hit #1 for three consecutive weeks. Rountree’s sixth solo album “Stronger Still” peaked at #20 on the Billboard Top 50 Jazz Albums Chart.  In 2014, Lin Rountree appeared alongside Jordin Sparks and CeeLo Green in the Major Motion Picture “Sparkle”.

Saxophonist Eric Marienthal started his professional career in 1980 with famed New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt. After returning to Los Angeles, Eric became a member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band. He recorded six albums with that band and two of them won Grammy Awards. Six of the songs that Marienthal has recorded have made it to the top 10 of the National Contemporary Jazz Radio Charts and two have made it to No. 1. His Oasis album hit the top 5 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. Shortly after that, he was voted one of the year’s “Favorite Alto Sax Players” in Jazziz magazine’s Readers’ Poll. Marienthal has also written instructional books, including Comprehensive Jazz Studies & Exercises, The Ultimate Jazz Play Along, and The Music of Eric Marienthal and instructional videos, including Play Sax From Day One, Modern Sax and Tricks of the Trade.

Keyboardist Jay Rowe attended New England Conservatory of Music where he became a part of the New Haven, Connecticut music scene – playing alongside such players as Acoustic Alchemy, Bela Fleck, Stanley Jordan, and Jeff Lorber, and his good friend Marion Meadows.  He’s been a regular touring member of Special EFX for over 25 years, having played on numerous releases over the years. Jay has 7 solo CDs out, including his latest, “Smooth Ride”.

Bassist David Livolsi attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA for two semesters. It was there in Boston where he began combining all of his influences of Rock, Jazz, R&B, Blues, Fusion, Funk, and Soul Music to create his “sound” on the bass.  David has gone on to work with such notable artists such as, John Scofield, Bill Evans, Jazz Is Dead, T Lavitz, Jerry Goodman, Roberta Flack, Maysa, Najee, Chuck Loeb, Sam Rivers, Kung Fu, John Tropea, David Spinozza, Nelson Rangell, and many more.

Joel Rosenblatt is a world-renowned drummer and producer.  He has performed and recorded with such greats as: Spyro Gyra, Special EFX, Lee Ritenour, Freddy Jackson, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton. Eileen Ivers, Michel Camilo, Chick Corea, Steps Ahead, Paquito d Rivera, Manhattan Transfer, Randy Brecker, Ken Navarro, Bill Evans and many more. Having toured the world many times over, Joel brings an international musical awareness to the music.  Currently the owner and main engineer at world class Cliff Sound Productions, Joel is also actively involved in producing and cultivating new artists.

NYC string-master Alan Grubner, was been featured on Special EFX’s 25th anniversary release, Without You.   He’s performed with Christian McBride, Paquito d’Rivera, & Jason Lindner.

Alan’s violin and viola are featured on multiple episodes of the Emmy Award-winning TV series, Louie, starring Grammy Award-winning comedian, Louis C.K. Alan is also a longtime collaborator with renowned jazz singer, Allan Harris, and was featured soloist in Harris’ celebrated off-Broadway musical, Cross that River.

Percussionist Emedin Rivera is a highly respected and accomplished artist in a vast array of contemporary music genres. Emedin’s unique rhythmic percussion clearly underscores the Latin-Caribbean-African influences. Emedin has performed with such accomplished artists as Stevie Wonder, Harry Belafonte, LaToya Jackson, Sting, Gregory Hines, and Ben E. King. He has also appeared on The David Letterman Show, Show Time at the Apollo, Dellaventura, The Harry Belafonte PBS Special, and Robert Wuhl’s World Tour.

Emedin’s commercial credits include , Anheuser-Busch, Visa Cards, Bose Sound System, and Mercedes-Benz. Emedin Rivera has appeared in magazines such as Modern Drummer and Christian Musician. Not only that but Emedin is also an accomplished inventor. He invented a custom drum kit called Conga-Toms. Including an unbreakable bongo head that he calls Em-Rays and a shaker that sounds like a rain stick called the Cyclone Shaker.