Jan. 4, 2010

Ava Lemert -- From My Soul

New vocalist/saxophonist Ava Lemert is an artist who’s clearly excited about her debut release, From My Soul, and that excitement was alive and well in the studio as she recorded this effort. Such energy, zest, and drive make this young lady one to watch.  The album simply drips with enthusiasm, clearly from her soul, and it’s plain to see (or hear) that she wants you to know she was having a party in the studio throughout the entire time that she was laying down the tracks for this collection of well-produced R&B-laced smooth nuggets.
 
After a sweetly seductive opening track entitled “You Know You Got It,” she cuts loose on a Candy Dulfer-like funkster, “I Want to Funk It Up.” With a title like that, you really need to be able to “bring it,” and “bring it” she does.  Nice way to break the ice and cozy up to jazzers.  O.k., so I think the vocals on this one track weren’t quite pitch-perfect in spots (hmm, I sound like Randy Jackson or Simon Cowell!), but that does nothing to slow this artist’s groove and pace, as she climbs back in the saddle and continues her seduction.   She then slows down the pace to a syrupy, sexy crawl with a very nice and soulful piece called “Rhodelea.” Umm, umm, umm! is all I could muster on this one.  Read full review


Jan. 3, 2010

Elan Trotman -- This Time Around

Barbados native Elan Trotman offers a neatly dressed collection of tunes here on his latest release, This Time Around.  The saxophonist, whose love of sports and whose relationship with several pro athletes and teams (e.g., Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, L.A. Dodgers, and Cincinnati Reds) have led him to such opportunities as performing the National Anthem at several ballgames, as well as performing at weddings and charity events for a great many of these athletes, seizes another opportunity here as he captures one’s attention with some really slick and solid grooves.
 
Reminding one in spots of another notable saxman, Everette Harp (an example would be the popping title track), the passion in Trotman’s playing can be felt from deep within and with each note.  When you listen to the peppy “Me and My 22’s” and how easily and comfortably he lays into the smooth lead sax solos, you are reminded that there is so much to love about smooth jazz sax, in addition to all of its other warm and fuzzy elements.  Read full review
 

Dec. 20, 2009

Mark Drummond & Grooveometri -- Yuletronica

Here’s truly an atypical rendering of Christmas music, certainly unlike anything I’ve ever heard.  Smooth jazz guitarist Mark Drummond treats us to a thick mix of funk, R&B, and jazz on this, his holiday jazz follow-up to his debut 2008 release, Six Strings, One Love.
 
The dance groove on Yuletronica is quick to separate you from your idea of a traditional Christmas carol. If you’ve ever questioned whether it’s all in the interpretation of the music, no matter what type it is, this CD is living, breathing proof of that.  Read full review


Dec. 17, 2009

dee Brown -- A Little Elbowroom

Looks like NuGroove Records really knows a good thing when they see it. Here, during the Christmas season, the sophomore release from guitarist dee Brown, A Little Elbowroom, comes neatly wrapped in grooves and moves that are sure to find a home with most smooth jazzers.  It comes on the heels of his 2007 release, No Time to Waste, which I didn’t have the pleasure of reviewing. However, it’s obvious that debut was encouraging enough to launch this second illustrious effort.

With help from sax sensation Darren Rahn and keys master Nate Harasim on the opening track, “True Reality,” Brown quickly grabs your attention as this piece bounces and jams its way right into the swaying, mellow number two track, “It’s Just a Good Feeling” (and it is just that).  Not about to be stopped there, Brown further pours it on with several mid-to-slow tempo airy tracks that touch lightly but leave a heavy impact, such as track three’s “I Know Your Voice.” Marvelous guitar work, by the way, as is actually evident throughout, as well as a really nice touch on sax provided by Dezie McCullers, Jr.  Read full review    


Dec. 10, 2009

Michael Ross -- A Special Thing

This smoky, seductive slice of smooth jazz comes with the added bonus of some of the finest male vocals I’ve heard in quite some time, barring a few special names.  Guitarist/ vocalist/composer Michael Ross, who is no stranger to the genre (having released 3 other CDs dating back to the late 90s), pours on the charm in abundance, both with his guitar and his easy, silky vocals, with his latest offering, A Special Thing.
 
With an opening and title track that sways with that special rhythm that might remind one of walking along the shores of Rio de Janeiro, hand-in-hand with that special someone, Ross sets a delightfully tasteful tone that starts here and might move through the end of the album, but certainly not to the end of the experience.  Read full review    


Dec. 4, 2009

Mark Barrios -- West Tampa Style

How can one effectively wrap a smooth jazz piece around a Latin piece and roll into a searing rock riff before settling back into the smooth, still Latin-tinged jazz mode, all while still being well within the realm of good smooth jazz?  Easy.  Just ask guitarist Mark Barrios. That’s how he opens with his lead track on his newest release, West Tampa Style.  Don’t get me wrong: We hear this type of cross-over and fusion often in smooth jazz, but I have seldom witnessed such a fluid transition between the elements on one tune as is displayed here. That alone piqued my interest in this guitarist who, after playing rhythm and lead guitar in working bands for some 25 years, finally gets a toehold in the genre and struts his own stuff here.

Barrios (and I know artists hate this) bears a resemblance to the styles of Carlos Santana (listen to “Spanish Morning”) and Jeff Golub (listen to “West Tampa,” the opening track, before it morphs into the other interesting things that take place deep into the cut), but does hold on to what identifies him, as displayed in cuts like the mid-tempo bouncy “Bouncin’ Back.”  Read full review


Dec. 2, 2009

Al/Capone -- Mr. Smooth

“A mixture of jazz, R&B, funk, fusion and Latin,... is contemporary and melody driven while always remaining true to its jazz roots.” This is how the band Al/Capone (headed by Allen Young and Jeep Capone ) describes itself. Not only is this a top-quality group, they should be in the jazz critic biz with such a spot-on analysis of what they offer, and they do it in an unpretentious, selfless, matter-of-fact manner. There’s no bloated ego emerging from that description. They are who they are, and they are very, very good at it.  Their debut release, Mr. Smooth, featuring Jason Miles (producer of To Grover, With Love and the great follow-up, 2 Grover, With Love), is as well-rounded and stylish as you could hope to hear in smooth jazz today. The manner in which they integrate the core elements of jazz with the finer points of R&B, blues, and funk is simply remarkable and polished.
 
As mentioned above, at the heart of the group are Al/Capone founding members, Jeep Capone (drums, percussion, keyboards, and vocals) and Allen Young (trumpet, flugelhorn, valve trombone, EVI, keyboards, vocals). Rounding out the ensemble is a group of exceptionally talented musicians, including Jason Craft (keyboards), Peter Vircks (saxophone and flute), Vincent Rose (guitar), Chris Lomheim (keyboards), Mark Hoyt (background vocals), and Graydon Peterson (bass).  Read full review    


Nov. 29, 2009

Drew Davidsen -- Around (Again)

If you’re good, if you’re effective, you can sometimes speak delicately and have the effect of thunder.  In my humble opinion, this sophomore release by guitarist and native Marylander Drew Davidsen is cut from the fabric of some of the most melodic smooth jazz to date.  From the opening note of the first track, Davidsen had to know he had something special here, something truly worth sharing.  Full of flavor, memorable hooks, solid rhythms, and an unimposing sweetness in its approach, Around (Again) leaves such a pleasant imagery in your head long after the final chord of the final track.

I’ve always felt that the opening track of any good release should always be the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, a precursor to the vibes and grooves that will follow. Often, that holds true.  At other times, it’s the only track that stays on track.  Davidsen kept his eye on the ball and delivers solidly on all ten tracks here, including the very comely lead track, “Bounce” and the title track (featuring Gerald Veasley on bass, by the way) which immediately follows. Both tunes have the hooks and melodies that never seem to leave you.  Then, there’s the drive and cool of “Going Coastal,” a tune that just mildly jams along with another of those cozy hooks.  Before you can take a breather, he’s back with a jammin’ little number called “Astro” that’s equally full of body.  The album had its hooks in me with the first four tunes—just like that.  Read full review    


Nov. 22, 2009

Vision Jazz -- Distant Visions

If a new and refreshing jolt to the genre is what the doctor is ordering, Vision Jazz just may have that prescription in stock.  The group’s debut effort, Distant Visions, features veteran saxman Greg Vail and is a bright, totally genre-appropriate collection of grooves with an emphasis on how you incorporate those grooves into the coolly sophisticated nuances and intricacies of contemporary jazz.  A one-stop shop of great jazz quality.

There are stand-out elements in this production that simply cannot go unmentioned. The standard classy runs of Vail and the fluid, lilting, and melodic offerings by Chuck Leichner on keys are two very good examples.  Read full review


Nov. 13, 2009

Fabio Mignola -- Take Me Higher

With a bright Mediterranean flair and Brazilian moves intermingled with some truly fine smooth highlights, guitarist/composer Fabio Mignola oftentimes reminds one of the illustrious Marc Antoine, but with a vision all his own.  He has been the recipient of Smooth Jazz Artist of the Month awards by a few radio stations. If this latest project, Take Me Higher, is any indicator, you can clearly see that those awards were truly deserved.  On this album, there may be nothing groundbreaking in terms of novelty, but it certainly has an abundance of taste and quality. The guitar melodies sing sweetly throughout, and the rhythms are undeniably contagious and full of body.  With the occasional entry of celestial strings and even the steel pan, this one has all the romance and exoticism you’d expect on a journey across “the pond” to other lands. 

The colorful, smooth opening and title track brings with it a lot of promise as the horns work their way through in conjunction to Mignola’s suave melody and spot-on hook.  Mignola’s guitar, the magical strings, and Brazilian aura of “The Light In Your Eyes” embody the very fabric and culture of that exotic stretch of the world, while “Sparklin’” does just that, sparkles, with fluidity and a stirring rhythm full of dance and charm.  Read full review

Nov. 1, 2009

Craig Sharmat -- So Cal Drivin

Guitarist/composer Craig Sharmat showcases his debut release here with So Cal Drivin, a most apropos title, considering the mood he instills in you with this project.  No stranger to smooth jazz or music in general, since 1995, Sharmat has written music for the popular America's Most Wanted. This show led to his finding work with Sirens Media, for which he has written the main titles and background music for The Real Housewives of New Jersey among many other shows.  He also wrote the opening for the 2007 MTV Movie Awards featuring Sarah Silverman. In 2008, Sharmat scored the movie Gotta Dance, produced and directed by Academy Award nominee Dori Berinstein.  He has also toured with Randy Crawford and Ronnie Laws and worked on Rick Braun's Truly Yours album, as well as guitar icon Peter White's Christmas album featuring renowned trumpeter Rick Braun and sax lady Mindi Abair.
 
The guitarist and some members of his performing “groove jazz” band (I like that term), Comfort Zone, bring a pleasant vibe and some great compositions to this production, including a really poppin’ title track to get us started.  It has a driving rhythm, funk, and a marvelous hook to properly introduce the artist to those who may not yet be quite familiar with his corner of groove.  Bringing with him featured tracks with Braun and keyboard whiz Philippe Saisse, among others (including drummer Mike White), Sharmat makes it clear that he intends to make an effective entrance here, and he does.  Read full review


Oct. 22, 2009

Cecil Ramirez -- Talk to the Hand

O.k., on-the-spot trivia: Who is Cecil Ramirez? If you’re taking too long, allow me to introduce one smokin’ smooth jazz pianist who’s been at the ivories since age 5.  His debut CD, Talk to the Hand, actually released back in 2008, is just getting on my radar screen.  Am I glad I finally caught up with this guy!

This is a potpourri of covers and originals not to be missed. Skillful, polished, smooth, and funky.  It is said that he resembles his good buddy, Brian Culbertson.  Yes, but what I also hear is Cecil Ramirez, so effective he is here in establishing his own style and identity, especially in interpretation of covers and his own compositions.  Read full review 


Oct. 21, 2009

Brian Bromberg -- It Is What It Is

Brian Bromberg never ceases to amaze me with his repertoire of diverse stylings and compositions. A master of acoustic and electric basses alike, his work with the piccolo bass is  astounding. Here, on his latest, It Is What It Is, the virtuoso comes at us with such a wide and cool variety of aural delights that you just have to drop whatever you’re doping and give this project your undivided attention.  Not even considering the impressive scale work and overall proficiency, taking jazz theory on a serious “high,” Bromberg embarks on everything from a touch of big band-flavored swing to island grooves to some of the most serious funk I’ve heard in a while.

Breaking out with the let’s-get-this-party-started up-tempo swinging title track, the journey becomes one filled to the brim with delightful freshness and surprises.  You can always tell the artists who truly think through a project and take those thoughts seriously before even getting into the studio. Bromberg is without a doubt one of the true practitioners of this.  By the way, I should mention that he uses no guitar melodies or solos here.  It’s all done on piccolo basses.  Read full review


Oct. 21, 2009

Euge Groove -- Sunday Morning

My Maryland “homeboy” is at it once again, and he does me proud once again, this time on the Shanachie label as he celebrates his 10th anniversary as a solo artist (Wow! Has it been that long already? He still sounds as fresh as yesterday).  Euge Groove has insisted on captivating us time and again with catchy hooks, funky rhythms, and solidly soulful phrasings since his self-titled debut release back in 2000 (probably still my fav because of that awesome and addictive build-up and ultimate crescendo laid down on the monster cut, “Sneak-A-Peek”).  Quality has always been number one with this smooth jazz sax giant, and Sunday Morning, scheduled for release on Oct. 27,  steps up to the plate with that in mind, ready to smack yet another home run. 

The CD’s title comes from Euge’s respect for that day and time of the week.  While on a 4-month European tour with the electric Tina Turner, he found himself missing that period of time back home. “It’s the most peaceful time there is. It’s laid back, very spiritual, and reflective.”  The CD’s mood definitely reflects that.  While not calling so much on the “phat funk monster” found on cuts like “Born 2 Groove,” “Get Em Goin”,  or “Cantstopdafunk,” from previous releases,  this album points to the “Chillaxin” side of the man with suave, clean, and laid-back—yet still funky--tunes that often do have that reflective and spiritual edge and keep the groove engaged.  Read full review

Everette Harp -- First Love

Today, fusion means so many different things to so many different people. However, what Everette Harp presents here is, hands down, what was intended by the original interpretation, in my opinion. Here with First Love, available on October 27, is Harp fusing straight-ahead jazz with contemporary jazz in such a masterful fashion that even if you’re not a jazz purist or traditionalist, you will surely appreciate the musicianship and outright artistry of Harp.  He proficiently plays the runs and scales and uses perfect phrasings to capture the essence of both genres.
 
Working with George Duke, who co-produced this splendid piece of art (and the project does have Duke written all over it), Harp leans more heavily into the straight-ahead element, but still offers layers of funk and R&B and truly lets us inside the musician. As he says, “ With First Love, I was given the opportunity to explore some of the elements of jazz that made me crave to learn more about this wonderful music.”  Read full review


Oct. 20, 2009

George Anderson -- Positivity

It’s not news when an artist spins off from a group to do his or her own thing. It is news when that artist can create a really personal signature touch and has such a magnetic appeal with the material he has written to identify and introduce himself as a solo artist.  In this case, that person is the bassist for British acid jazz group Shakatak, George Anderson.  His solo debut album, Positivity, is of the stuff I wish I could hear constantly in smooth jazz.  A genuine blend of smooth charisma, dirty funk, top-shelf vocals by one Debby Bracknell (a name to remember!), and instrumental mastery is just what any music doctor would order for a so-called ailing genre (and “ailing” is what smooth jazz has been depicted as being lately).  When you hear Anderson’s material, you have to seriously wonder how bad off is smooth jazz these days…really?  The music is here in abundance; the commitment to quality and the drive are so alive and well! This album should serve as a recruitment tool—or, at the very least, a serious hit of encouragement--for those in doubt of our beloved genre’s direction and/or fate, the rationale of many radio stations notwithstanding!  Read full review


Oct. 9, 2009

Matt Marshak -- Family Funktion

Blue, smooth, and funky with a vibe that just tears it up.  Jeff Golub?  Well, in the same ballpark, but it’s Matt Marshak--back again with another smoker called Family Funktion.  This one gets started right away in a most unpretentious, let-it-fly manner, nonetheless still coated in class.

Let me get right to it. There are tunes here that are so rich with substance and character that you just know that Marshak came to this project with the intent of pumping out the best he could and only after having envisioned such a meticulous production long before studio time.  Cases in point would be the funked-up mid-tempo vibe called “Uptown.”  That’s followed quickly by yet another funkster of the same quality and general blueprint, the title track.  Then, there is the smartly arranged and nicely phrased “Great Soul” and “Seduction,” the latter sporting one marvelous hook.  Read full review


Oct. 3, 2009

Tom Braxton -- Endless Highway

No stranger to robust, energized smooth jazz, Tom Braxton bolts out of the studio with another quality item with major potential. Like Imagine This and Bounce before it, the new release, Endless Highway, due in stores on Oct. 6, is packed with superior sax work that epitomizes the very essence and spirit of smooth jazz.

Endless Highway dedicates itself to putting its listeners in “chill” mode.  Its melodies and hooks are rich and crisp.  There are select tunes here that especially appeal to me. The tribute to our fallen brother, Wayman Tisdale, “That Wayman Smile!”-- who was not only a dear friend to Braxton but a mentor, as well-- is simply endearing, with Braylon Lacy doing a magnificent job of capturing that Wayman personality on lead bass.  Then, there are tunes like “The Journey,” a mid-tempo track that deliberately takes its time walking and grooving with you as it soaks into you with a sense of soothing.  The cover of soft rock group America’s “Ventura Highway” has a unique Tom Braxton touch with vocals by Arthur Dyer.   A very interesting and rather smart choice of a tune to cover.  I’ve always like that piece, anyway, and with the twist placed on it by Braxton, it breathes anew.  The cut “Open Road, which appears here twice—first as the original track, then as a radio edit—has a really smooth and catchy hook in both versions.  Two others appear here as radio edits, as well:  “That Wayman Smile!” and “The Journey.”  All have that “pop” associated with a good radio edit or remix.  Read full review


Sept. 30, 2009

The Sax Pack -- The Pack Is Back

You know, I happened to look over the latest tracks for the latest offering from the Sax Pack (Kim Waters, Steve Cole, and Jeff Kashiwa), entitled The Pack Is Back, and I realized that my review could almost be summed up by a few of the track titles. Let’s try that out:  Say these titles in your head: "Are You Ready," "The Pack Is Back," "Smooth As Silk," and "Here To Stay."  Works like a charm, especially once you’ve heard the CD!

The Pack Is Back sets out to continue the fine work of the debut self-titled release by these master saxes, who are truly committed to theirs being a working band and not just a project or two. Since the band’s inception via the vision of former Rippington Jeff Kashiwa, it has consistently worked to impress, inspire, and invigorate its fan base and all who appreciate good smooth jazz.  Its record in doing so is, so far, impeccable.  The guys have been on a hot 5-year tour as a band, delighting fans everywhere with memorable live sets.  Read full review


Vann Burchfield -- Blue Eyed Soul

Blue Eyed Soul is the debut release (well, sort of) from saxophonist Vann Burchfield. This is one of the most well-rounded, soulful, suave, and confident albums I’ve heard in a while, and it comes from one who claims this as his debut smooth jazz release.  While he did release an album entitled Par for the Course in 2007, he was told that it wasn’t really smooth jazz. Well, I beg to differ.  A milder, more subdued version than this current effort, perhaps, but smooth jazz nonetheless. Be that as it may, this current album is not just smooth in its delivery; it’s smart, and it’s comfortable.  Like an old plush recliner, it fits. 

Despite being new on the smooth jazz scene, you’ve heard of this artist, right? He’s the guy who beat Kenny G’s world record for holding the longest note on a wind instrument (47 minutes, 6 seconds!) in 2000.  Can you say “Whew?”  Read full review

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