With a smooth sound bringing together elements of funk, R&B, rock, and electric jazz, keyboardist Jeff Lorber helped pioneer a genre of fusion later formatted under such names as NAC and contemporary jazz. Born in Philadelphia on November 4, 1952, he began playing the piano at the age of four, and as a teen performed with a variety of local R&B bands. Lorber's infatuation with jazz began during his stay at the Berklee College of Music, and after forming the Jeff Lorber Fusion he issued the group's self-titled debut in 1979. During the first half of the following decade, the band became one of the most popular jazz acts of the period, touring non-stop and even scoring a Best R&B Instrumental Grammy nomination for their radio hit "Pacific Coast Highway." 1984's Step by Step was their most successful outing yet, but at the Fusion's peak, Lorber disbanded the group, instead turning to production and session work. He did not issue his first proper solo LP until 1991's Worth Waiting For, remaining both a prolific performer and producer for the rest of the decade. He recorded for Verve and Zebra in the '90s before moving over to Narada in the 2000s and releasing successful smooth jazz albums like 2003's Philly Style and 2005's Flipside. He released He Had a Hat on Blue Note in 2007.

Discography:
1977 The Jeff Lorber Fusion
1978 Soft Space
1979 Water Sign
1980 Wizard Island
1981 Galaxian
1982 It's a Fact
1984 In the Heat of the Night
1984 Lift Off
1984 Step by Step
1990 Private Passion
1991 Worth Waiting For
1994 West Side Stories
1996 State of Grace
1998 Midnight Zebra
2001 Kickin' It
2003 Philly Style
2005 Flipside
2007 He Had a Hat
2008 Heard That Peak