3rd Force is a New Age/contemporary 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

New Age music

New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...

, 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 and keyboardist Jeff Lorber

Jeff Lorber

Jeff Lorber is an American Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist, composer, and record producer.After leading his own group, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, he went on to pioneer the smooth jazz genre....

, and You Got It, featuring guitarist Marc Antoine

Marc Antoine

Marc Antoine is a jazz fusion guitarist. Marc currently resides in Madrid, Spain. His guitar play style is based on Roma music.-Early life:...

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Notable Guest Musicians

Throughout the course of their career, 3rd Force has performed with numerous guest musicians including guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

ists Peter White

Peter White (musician)

Peter White is a smooth jazz and jazz fusion guitarist. He also plays the accordion and the piano. His brother, Danny White, was one of the original members who formed the UK based band Matt Bianco.-Career:...

, Marc Antoine

Marc Antoine

Marc Antoine is a jazz fusion guitarist. Marc currently resides in Madrid, Spain. His guitar play style is based on Roma music.-Early life:...

, Acoustic Alchemy

Acoustic Alchemy

Acoustic Alchemy is an English contemporary instrumental and smooth jazz band formed in England in the early 1980s , originally fronted by acoustic guitarists Nick Webb and Simon James...

, Grant Geissman

Grant Geissman

Grant Geissman is a crossover jazz, contemporary jazz and new age guitarist and an Emmy-nominated composer for network TV series and TV movies. An in-demand studio musician, he has recorded extensively for several labels since 1976, and he can be heard playing guitar on the theme for Monk and...

, Brian Hughes

Brian Hughes (musician)

Brian Hughes is a Canadian guitarist whose work draws from both the smooth jazz and world music genres. Not restricted entirely to conventional guitars, Hughes has also been known to employ the oud, bouzouki and balalaika...

, Craig Chaquico

Craig Chaquico

Craig Chaquico is an American guitarist of Portuguese and Native American descent. He has had over thirty years of success in a variety of genres: in the 1970s with the post-Summer of Love Jefferson Starship, in that band's 1980s incarnation, Starship, and in the 1990s and 2000s as a...

, Earl Klugh

Earl Klugh

Earl Klugh is an American smooth jazz/crossover jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and composer.At the age of 13, Klugh was captivated by the guitar playing of Chet Atkins when Atkins made an appearance on the Perry Como Show. Klugh was a performing guest on several of Atkins' albums...

, Shahin Shahida of Shahin and Sepehr

Shahin and Sepehr

Shahin and Sepehr are an Iranian-American guitarist duo.Their music is mainly composed of Spanish guitar melodies fused with components of soft rock, flamenco, jazz, new age, and influences of traditional music of Iran. Their influences also include artists such as Cat Stevens among others.The...

, and saxophonists

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

 Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor (musician)

Paul Taylor is an American smooth jazz saxophonist who has released eight albums since his debut On the Horn in 1995. He is signed to Peak Records. Although originally from Denver, Colorado, he is based in Las Vegas, Nevada...

, Tom Scott

Tom Scott (musician)

Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...

, Dave Koz

Dave Koz

Dave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....

, Eric Marienthal

Eric Marienthal

Eric Marienthal is a Los Angeles-based contemporary saxophonist best known for his work in the jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, and pop genres....

, Jimmy Sommers, Bryan Savage, Richard Elliot

Richard Elliot

Richard Elliot is a Scottish-born saxophone player.He was a member of the funk band Tower of Power playing tenor sax for 5 years during the 1980s. He also worked on Stacy Lattisaw's 1986 album "Take Me All The Way". His solo career took off when he remade the Percy Sledge classic "When a Man...

, Boney James

Boney James

Boney James, is a saxophonist, songwriter and producer who popularized urban jazz...

, Eric Darius

Eric Darius

Eric Darius is a smooth jazz saxophonist and composer. He is a native of New Jersey who grew up in Tampa, Florida.- Biography :Darius began his performing career at the age of 11 when he toured with the youth-based Sonny LaRosa and America's Youngest Jazz Band. The tour's final performance was held...

, and Euge Groove

Euge Groove

Steven Eugene Grove , better known as Euge Groove, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist with a strong Top-40 background....

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Discography

• 3rd Force (1994)
• Force of Nature (1995)
• Vital Force (1997)
• Force Field (1999)
• Collective Force: The Very Best of 3rd Force (2000)
• Gentle Force (2002)
• Driving Force (2005)