Dubbed the “Steely Dan of smooth jazz” by All About Jazz and praised by JazzTimes Magazine for their “consistently winning contemporary jazz,” Pieces of A Dream has been churning out chart-topping hits for four consecutive decades. Even the iconic Count Basie declared Pieces of A Dream “A tough act to follow!” Throughout their illustrious career, childhood friends, pianist James Lloyd and drummer Curtis Harmon, have managed to stay true to their mission!  

Pieces of A Dream, whose name is inspired by Pittsburgh tenor titan Stanley Turrentine’s song “Pieces of Dreams,” remains one of the architects of contemporary jazz and has no plans of slowing down. Not many groups manage to stay together for 42 years and amass a catalogue of 24 recordings. The story of Pieces of A Dream is remarkable considering James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon were 16 and 18 respectively when they released their first recording in 1981. Pieces released three albums in quick succession, firmly establishing its place in the world of smooth jazz with the albums Pieces of a Dream (1981), We Are One (1982) and Imagine This (1983). Those albums include some of their biggest early hits, including “Warm Weather,” “Mount Airy Groove,” and “Fo Fi Fo.” Pieces of A Dream recorded their Shanachie debut, In the Moment, in 2013, followed by 2015’s All In and Just Funkin’ Around in 2017.