3rd Force

All Music Guide:

One of the mainstays of the Higher Octave label, 3rd Force is an instrumental trio composed of multi-instrumentalists William Aura (also the group's producer and chief composer), Craig Dobbin, and Alain Eskinasi, plus varied and frequent guest musicians. 3rd Force is considerably more eclectic than most artists who fit into smooth jazz radio formats; in fact, their work often straddles the line between smooth jazz and dance-heavy, electronic-tinged acid jazz, sometimes incorporating ethnic influences as well. 3rd Force's self-titled debut appeared in 1994, and a series of "force"-themed titles followed: 1995's Force of Nature, 1997's Vital Force, and 1999's Force Field, all at a similar standard of quality. In 2000, Higher Octave released a best-of retrospective titled Collective Force.

Wikipedia:

3rd Force is a New Age/smooth jazz band on the EMI Higher Octave label, consisting of trio William Aura, Craig Dobbin, and Alain Eskinasi. Founded in 1994 by William Aura after a prolific solo career in New Age music, he, Dobbin, and Eskinasi immediately set out working on their self-titled debut album, 3rd Force which was released that same year. After the album's commercial success, the trio continued the studio project with their next release, Force of Nature in 1995. This album garnered an even bigger success than their debut spawning the popular single Here Comes the Night featuring guest guitarist Peter White. After a two year break, 3rd Force released their 3rd album Vital Force in 1997. The album gained 3rd Force's second hit single You Gotta Be Real once again featuring guest guitarist Peter White. The 4th album, called Force Field, was released in 1999 resulting in another of the band's singles Revelation of the Heart, with guest saxophonist Paul Taylor. In 2000 Higher Octave released a best-of compilation of 3rd Force, entitled Collective Force, which featured the band's best hits in both radio and fan favorites,along with two new songs, Dance With Me and Sweet Surrender. 2002 saw the release of their 5th studio album, Gentle Force, which showcased a mellower jazz sound than the band's usual output. Three years later,3rd Force released their latest album to date, Driving Force in 2005. Their latest release showcases a completely opposite style than the previous Gentle Force album which was almost lounge-style mellow jazz in sound. Driving Force, however, features a funky lively jazz mix never before heard in 3rd Force's music. The most popular singles from their latest release are Believe In Me, featuring the trumpeter Greg Adams, keyboardist Jeff Lorber, and guitarist Brian Hughes, and You Got It, featuring guitarist Marc Antoine.

Notable Guest Musicians

Throughout the course of their career, 3rd Force has performed with numerous guest musicians including guitarists Peter White, Marc Antoine, Acoustic Alchemy, Grant Geissman, Brian Hughes, Craig Chaquico, Earl Klugh, Shahin Shahida of Shahin and Sepehr, and saxophonists Paul Taylor, Tom Scott, Dave Koz, Eric Marienthal, Jimmy Sommers, Bryan Savage, Richard Elliot, Boney James, Eric Darius, and Euge Groove.