The group Ultrablue was founded by keyboardist and producer John Smatla and… Read Full Bio ↴The group Ultrablue was founded by keyboardist and producer John Smatla and jazz guitarist Dave Stryker. John Smatla, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, did some great music jobs as keyboardist in NY. Dave Stryker, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, is a well-established guitarist in NY's jazz scene. His other projects are Stryker Slage band, The Blue To The Bone band, Trio Mundo, The Shades Project and The Dave Stryker Big Band.

Ultrablue is the living proof that established jazz musicians are no jazz purists and also like to play melodious smooth jazz. Their first album was "Dusked 2 Dawn", released in April 2003 on the Khaeon label. A label with the impetus to release the music of jazz professionals which are hardly instantly recognizable to the general public because they are mostly playing in the second row behind the jazz giants. The farsightedness of Khaeon unfortunately wasn't paired with economical success. That lead to the decision to change to a different label. The new album is released by 215 Records, a label with more promotional power and a roster of successful smooth jazz artists like Soul Ballet, e.s.t., Bob Baldwin, Steve Briody, Greg Adams, Gene Dunlap and more.