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Saxophonist Paul "Shilts" Weimar knows a thing or two about living on the raw edge of contemporary jazz, R&B and funk through his associations with groove bands like Down to the Band, Brand New Heavies and Was (Not Was). Now, his unfiltered, energetic and high-octane energy reaches its apex with "Going Underground," 52 minutes of richly textured instrumental music that's leading the way for a new generation of musicians no longer tethered to the restrictive demands of major record labels." Going Underground," available on ITunes, Amazon and CD Baby, is Shilts' fourth solo CD and his first independent release, offered on his own Blanket Records. "I wanted to something a bit rawer, not too overproduced with too many instruments," Shilts says. To achieve this, Shilts recorded much of the music live and with the same musicians. Breaking away from his past, Shilts also brought in other writers - Jay Rowe, John Gilutin, Randy Jacobs and Bill Steinway - to collaborate on a few songs. "Throwing a lot of ideas about just beefed up my sound. I'm really proud of it." The nine songs on "Going Underground" add up to 52 minutes of music that mixes in Shilts' trademark blistering Yamaha tenor sax - he's a signed Yamaha artist - with his dedication and unbridled joy of the groove. The CD's title references both the train system of his native London and the yoke-freeing of his new independent career. "Lambeth Strut," which features an robust Nick Colionne guitar solo, is a nod to the famous "Lambeth Walk" song in the 1937 musical "Me and My Girl." "Lambeth is an area in south London," says Shilts, who now lives in Los Angeles with his family and is firmly entrenched in the area's high-profile smooth jazz scene. "I changed the song to 'Strut' since my version has a walking tempo to it." "Sneakin' Up Behind You" is the CD's only cover, and it's among one of Shilts' most energetic, jazziest tunes ever. Featuring the Hammond B3 of Ricky Peterson, the song boasts an old-school funk sound and daring, off-the-cuff solos from Shilts. The song is from the Brecker Brothers' 1975 debut, which they dubbed "skunk funk." Shilts himself gets filthy on the tune. "The Brecker Brothers and David Sanborn introduced me to the whole fusion, fun-rock thing. 'Sneakin' Up Behind You' has always been one of my favorites. Instead of covering a vocal tune, I thought why not put my stamp on this great instrumental. I'm pleased how it turned out." Another track that will surprise and delight Shilts fans is "Hip Bop," a traditional jazz tune with a modern sheen. It features smooth jazz superstar Rick Braun on trumpet. Another tune, "Five o'clock in Rio," took its inspiration from Shilts' fascination with music legend Sergio Mendes and his recent updating of cool and classic Brazilian music. "I gave it a Latin feel and threw in an underground hip-hop beat while still keeping an eye on tradition." The song has contemporary jazz stars Marc Antoine on guitar and Brian Simpson on piano. The funk and blues are well-represented on "Tunnel Vision," "Uncontainable," and "Standing Room Only," while Shilts slows things down - but not too much - with "Seeing Things Clearly" and jam-band groove of "Eyes Down." "Going Underground" follows 2008's "Jigsaw Life" and 2006's "HeadBoppin'," which features the hits "Back to the Hudson," "Broken Silence" and "Look What's Happened."

Tracklist:

1 Lambeth Strut 6:29
2 Sneakin' up Behind You 6:15
3 5 O'Clock In Rio 5:44
4 Tunnel Vision 5:23
5 Uncontainable 5:36
6 Seeing Things Clearly 5:52
7 Eyes Down 6:06
8 Hip Bop 6:39
9 Standing Room Only 5:59