On his CD release, Sound Pinnacle, Patrick Butler returns to the classic guitar/organ/sax sound he heard while growing up in New Brunswick, New Jersey. “On Sound Pinnacle, I sought to blend the funk of Prestige Records with the spiritual sound of Larry Young,” says Butler. “Sound Pinnacle has a very straight forward sound - Hammond B3, guitar and sax out front with vibes, percussion and flute solos interspersed throughout.”
 
The diverse compositions on Sound Pinnacle include an old school ballad, a straight ahead swing tune, mystical funk, and freeform improvisations. An extended work, the Sound Pinnacle Suite, is featured on the CD. “When I grew up jazz and rock play- ers listened to symphonic pieces and included longer works on their recordings. Why stop this great tradition?” Butler asks.
 
Butler had the opportunity to study with Harry Leahey, jazz guitar genius. Leahey was a member of The Phil Woods Quintet and a student of chord legend Johnny Smith and Dennis Sandole, whose notable students included John Coltrane and Pat Martino. “Leahey's teaching was a perfect balance of chords and single line concepts. He taught you how to improvise both inside and outside. Leahey became a phenomenal guitar teacher by study- ing with these two diverse legends,” says Butler.
 
While gigging in New York, Butler met funk drummer and impre- sario, Bill Curtis, and was invited to join The Fatback Band, a funk unit from Queens, New York. The first record he recorded with Fat- back, Brite Lites/Big City, went gold. Butler recorded two more rec- ords with the band including Fatback XII, which includes the track King Tim III, the first rap track released on a major label. Moving to Los Angeles, Butler recorded with Stephen Perkins’ acid jazz jam band, Banyan. Sound Pinnacle is Butler’s sixth jazz release.