Contemporary jazz guitarist Les Sabler has spent the last two years building toward his milestone tenth album by releasing a series of singles crafted with GRAMMY®‑winning and Billboard chart‑topping producers. The aptly titled Ten arrives October 9.
Sabler began the project in 2024 with hitmaker Greg Manning, cowriting and producing three tracks that now anchor the album. Their first single, the funk‑charged “Hot Chicken,” is slathered in spicy horn section parts. It was followed by Sabler’s first Billboard No. 1 hit, “Patches’ Groove,” featuring trumpeter Michael “Patches” Stewart — a sultry, sophisticated cut that became Billboard’s No. 2 Smooth Jazz Song of the Year in 2025. The brisk and buoyant “Drive” completed the trio also climbed the charts.
A fourth Sabler–Manning collaboration, “Boomerang,” emerged from a second session shortly after the prolific run that produced “Hot Chicken,” “Patches’ Groove,” and “Drive.” It will be released as a single and begin collecting playlist adds on September 7.
“Greg and I came up with this song which started out with a completely different vibe,” said Sabler. “I left it alone for an extended time before revisiting it and came up with a different concept which Greg expanded on. We successfully reimagined the song, and it really came to life after Eric Valentine (drums), Mel Brown (bass), and Luis Conte (percussion) added their parts,” said Sabler.
Sabler then reunited with two‑time GRAMMY® winner Paul Brown (Boney James, Al Jarreau, Norman Brown), who produced his Tranquility (2021) and Flying High (2023) albums. Together with GRAMMY® nominee Brian Bromberg and Jeffrey Smith, they wrote “Café On The Square,” the mid‑tempo single that has already spent over six months on the charts, along with two additional tracks on Ten: “Once In A Lifetime” and the soulful R&B‑pop standout “Fly Away.”
To expand the album’s soundscape, Sabler sought fresh creative energy from Nelson Braxton, who has landed Billboard No. 1 singles as half of the Braxton Brothers.
“Expanding the sonic palette through a collaboration with Nelson added a brilliant new dimension to the project,” said Sabler, who cowrote “Corner Pocket” and “Sunset Comfort” with Braxton, who produced. Sabler reunites with pianist Allon Sams on “Corner Pocket” who appeared on his Bridge The Gap album
The album closes with “Serengeti,” which Sabler reimagined to pay tribute to legendary Canadian guitarist Sonny Greenwich, who he first saw perform in the late 70s.
“Completing this project with a tribute to Sonny Greenwich brings my journey full circle, as his music had a profound influence in my youth and continues to inspire my creative path today. I wanted to pay homage to Sonny for decades of inspiration, encouragement, and friendship,” said Sabler, who produced the track with Braxton (keyboards) and is joined by GRAMMY®-winning drummer Gregg Bissonette, upright bassist Brian Allen, pianist David Garfield, and Conte on percussion.
Across Ten, Sabler plays electric guitar with fervor — ripping runs and riffs with dexterity and alacrity. On “Sunset Comfort” and “Serengeti,” he shifts to expressive nylon‑string guitar and adds 12‑string acoustic textures on the latter. The album’s melodies are lively, its grooves soulful, and its production richly constructed.
Sabler grew up in Montreal, studying jazz at Concordia University before attending graduate studies at the University of Miami. He debuted in 1990 with Hidden Treasure and his breakthrough came with his third album, Bridge the Gap. The title track became his first No. 1 single in Canada and earned Album of the Year and Guitarist of the Year nominations at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards.
Throughout his career, Sabler has collaborated with elite musicians — GRAMMY® winners Jeff Lorber, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Jerry Hey, and GRAMMY® nominees Eric Marienthal and Alex Acuna. He has continually pushed himself creatively, from recording exclusively on nylon‑string guitars for Crescent Shores to singing in Portuguese on his elaborately orchestrated Jobim Tribute collection. Last year, Sabler’s music earned 6.6 million Spotify plays, contributing to more than 21.6 million streams to date.
With Ten complete, Sabler is eager to share the next chapter, which will be his first album available on vinyl.
“I am thrilled to share this album which features an immersive variety of songs that flow together seamlessly. It is deeply meaningful to me that I am continuing to create and release new music so vibrantly infused with inspiration.”
Ten contains the following songs:
“Drive”
“Boomerang”
“Corner Pocket”
“Hot Chicken”
“Patches’ Groove”
“Once In A Lifetime”
“Café On The Square”
“Sunset Comfort”
“Fly Away”
“Serengeti”
Pre-save Ten: https://myiesstore.com/lessabler/product/ten-digital-download/
For more information: https://lessabler.net
