Blessed with a multitude of melodic and soul-grooving talents, New Zealand bred and based guitarist, saxophonist and bassist Ryan La Valette brings an explosive energy to the smooth jazz genre. Due to his lifelong passion for the music and style of George Benson – whose classic tune “This Masquerade” he first heard around age five when his mother played it in the house – La Valette considers himself primarily a guitar player. Yet the title and cover image of his 2020 independently released EP ‘Dimensions of Me’ say it all – almost! – about his many modes of musical expression. The photo shows the well-dressed musician on a couch, looking pensive, with a saxophone to his right and an electric guitar to his left. Just a few years ago, after many years of mastering these two instruments, the graduate of the School of Audio Engineering (SAE) Auckland picked up the bass and effortlessly added it to his repertoire. Ryan earned his first Billboard #1 with his lead single, ‘Let It Flow’ only a week out from his debut appearance at the Seabreeze Jazz Festival in 2022 where he opened for R&B superstar, Ruben Studdard.