Anteater's Muzak 101: Legitimizing Smooth Jazz For The Unwashed Masses

Blarobbarg · 07-30-2012, 11:35 PM

Anteater, you may have accomplished the impossible. You might have made me... enjoy some smooth jazz. *thundercrack*

Anteater · 08-08-2012, 07:35 PM

Kit Walker - Dancing On The Edge Of The World (1987)

ARTIST BACKGROUND
Classically trained in piano from a young age and proficient in a variety of other instruments as well, Kit Walker made a splash in the late 80's through Windham Hill at a time when contemporary jazz radio was in full swing. Influenced in equal measures by World music as he is Stevie Wonder and John McLaughlin, Mr. Walker's style is hard to pin down, tending to tread an ambiguous middle ground between Ambient music and the spacey jazz of the late 70's.

THE ALBUM
His first of two records released during his brief label stay, 1987's Dancing On The Edge Of The World was a huge success upon release, sitting up in the Top Ten Contemporary Jazz airplay charts for nearly half a decade afterwards. Steve Smith, drummer of Journey, contributed on every track and does a spectacular job in the groove department. Keith Jones, a bassist who is rather well known for his work with Wayne Shorter, is heard throughout these tracks as well.

WHY YOU WANT THIS
Although it certainly sounds like a late 80's record in the production department (immaculate as it is), Dancing On The Edge Of The World also sounds surprisingly different from what you'd expect out of a smooth jazz record. There's an emphasis on space, deep synths, percussion, flute and intricate basslines as opposed to saxophone, horns, etc. Two tracks in particular, the stargazing 'Temple Of The Stars' and the celestial yet cinematic 'Gates Of The Sun', are unbelievably gorgeous cuts that owe more to Bill Evans and Peter Gabriel than anything Kenny G cooked up around the same time period.

In many ways, this album is a late 80's smooth jazz-fusion record as opposed to a "smooth" jazz one. The arrangements are far more complex than average, there's very little brass and the New Age/ambient/World elements that categorize a lot of Windham Hill's output from the 70's and 80's are in full force from the very get-go. If anything, only a couple Walker's pad/timbre choices and a preference for melody over oodles of noodling made this marketable on radio at all.

CLOSING REMARKS
One of the best contemporary jazz records to come out of the 80's overall and a fine debut from an even finer keyboardist, this is a fun record to chill with and a must-own for fans of Harold Budd, Brian Eno, or David Sylvian from the same era. Bon appétit!

FINAL GRADE

Anteater · 08-25-2012, 05:33 PM

The Claus Ogerman Orchestra - Gate Of Dreams (1977)

ARTIST BACKGROUND
German arranger, composer and orchestrator Claus Ogerman was, for a great number of years, one of Verve Records' secret weapons back in the 50's and 60's. Whether it was Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim or Bill Evans, Claus was usually there behind the scenes to give Lord knows how many classic records that extra "oomph" factor they might have been lacking otherwise in the orchestration department -- generally with fantastic results. Once the 70's rolled around though, Mr. Ogerman began to stretch his muscles by collaborating more directly with others under his own name, and thus we come to...

THE ALBUM
While this isn't the first or last of Ogerman's various solo recordings, 1977's Gate Of Dreams is a Third Stream (jazz meets classical music) masterpiece that sort of looms over the rest of his recorded output like Mt. Everest. It features an all star cast in realms both pop and experimental jazz alike, including saxophone prodigy Michael Brecker, a young and newly famous guitarist named George Benson and pianist Joe Sample (among others).

WHY YOU WANT THIS
To put it mildly, this record's really smokin'. The opening suite in and of itself, a gorgeous string-led tour de force called 'Time Passed Autumn' is the kind of track that set the stage sonically for everyone from latter day Philip Glass to frequent Studio Ghibli soundtrack-master Joe Hisaishi. Romantic woodwind sweeps and soaring arrangements surge like river eddies toward a waterfall, broken in places by guitar and sax and then coming back together again into a harmonic flow.

After a monstrous cut like that, you'd think Claus would be out of ideas, but the other four tracks are wonderful in their own right -- 'A Sketch Of Eden' has a cool bassoon/flute combination leading it on toward the close, whilst 'Night Will Fall' goes for broke on a smoldering laid-back funk groove with Brecker's sax at the forefront, good for the bleary-eyed dawntreader in all of us.

CLOSING REMARKS
More romantic and tasteful as opposed to tending towards the schlocky (like some of the other attempts at blending jazz & classical I've run across over the years), Ogerman was making his mark on contemporary jazz long before there was anything resembling such a genre in the musical marketplace of the day, and his talent at blending cruise-friendly jazz-funk with celestial orchestral composition-sense is nothing short of killer. A big thumbs up on this one for you smooth jazz cynics out there, yessirree!

FINAL GRADE

Anteater · 09-08-2012, 11:32 AM

Dimension - [20] ~NEWISH~ (2007)

ARTIST BACKGROUND
A Japanese jazz-fusion power trio of sorts formed back in 1992 by Takashi Masuzaki (guitar), Kazuki Katsuta (sax) and Akira Onozuka (keyboards), Dimension specialize in highly technical yet lyrical smooth fusion with elements of rock and metal scattered about. They've released roughly thirty or so albums of material since their formation and continue to release more every year. Popularity wise, they're one of the top three jazz-related acts in Japan next to T-Square and Casiopea...and they're pretty goddamn sharp when it comes to live performance too.

THE ALBUM
Released in celebration of their 15th Anniversary and their 20th release overall, NEWISH is something of a benchmark release within an already massive body of work and isn't half bad as an entry point to newcomers either. While I have yet to hear an incompetent release when it comes to the musical chemistry these fellas have, this is a pretty strong record even by their standards.

WHY YOU WANT THIS
Although this is one of those bands who are so stylistically consistent that they don't change a whole lot from record to record, NEWISH does feature some of my favorite compositions from the trio on the whole -- 'Cut To The Cool', with its phenomenal keyboard bridge and underlying groove, was born to inhabit someone's highway blazing playlist, while 'Returns' is led by piano and, in the only instance in their entire career perhaps, Masuzaki-san plays acoustic guitar all the way through. Organic smooth jazz done right I'd say! A couple of 6+ minute numbers close out the record, with 'Far From Here' and its windy refrain sticking out the most as far as memorability goes. Only one real clunker on this record actually, the balladeering 'I Will', which sits a bit too close to muzak for my liking.

CLOSING REMARKS
When it comes to reallllly melodic jazz-fusion, Japan has had something of a monopoly since the 80's when some of the previously mentioned acts above came into commercial prominence. Energetic contemporary jazz from the land of the Rising Sun tends to have several stylistic tendencies that differentiate it from Western stuff: the prominence of shred guitar, watery keyboard pad leads, and the utilization of electronica elements in a way that complements the arrangement. If you've ever played any of the Sonic The Hedgehog titles from the late 90's or a Grand Turismo game, you know the kind of stuff I'm talking about: very busy, very catchy, lots of guitar and sax interplay, etc.

NEWISH, for better or for worse depending on your tastes, is very much a representative of not only Dimension as a band, but of the various trends present in Japanese contemporary fusion that has gotten more and more popular over on this side of the pond with the passage of time.

Thus, hard not to recommend it to anyone with a taste for instrumental, melodic technicality. The cheese is still there, mind you...but its cheese made by master cheesemakers! xD

FINAL GRADE

Anteater · 10-13-2012, 09:21 AM

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes - Visions Of A New World (1975)

ARTIST BACKGROUND
Pianist/Keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith is, perhaps moreso than anyone else I've reviewed here in the past, a man with a thousand pedigrees despite rarely popping up in jazz-related conversations. In the early to mid 60's he was a consistent member of both Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Art Blakey's touring and recording outfits (a couple of gigs with The Jazz Messengers he did in '66 were allegedly damn near legendary to see). Near the end of the decade he became well acquainted with both Miles Davis and Pharaoh Sanders, and jammed out with them for another half decade before forming his own group, The Cosmic Echoes in 1974 or so. And thus....

THE ALBUM
Released in 1975 to unusually critical acclaim with normally jazz-adverse audiences, Visions Of A New World laid back approach to the jazz fusion idiom made it a popular longplayer for clubs and the like, especially in Europe and the Netherlands. This record, along with 1976's Reflections Of A Golden Dream, established Smith's style to the world and turned him into a household name in the world of chilled out jazz overnight.

WHY YOU WANT THIS
Visions Of A New World is almost like a dream to these ears: the record is a striking blend between warm, groove friendly Samba, the cool jazz of the mid 60's pioneered by guys like Herbie Hancock, and swirling spacey funk that gives the whole proceedings just enough inertia to keep the whole shebang interesting. Not hard to understand why this was popular back then: 'A Chance For Peace' shuffles along briskly to a slick bass pulse and horn refrain, while other cuts like 'Sunset' and 'Summer Nights', with their galactic sounding rhythmic patterns and keyboard arrangements, serve as nearly perfect audio aphrodisiacs when you just want to fall and rest awhile in the space of your own mind.

It's not just them either: the whole album is like this: balanced between deep funk and deep space, yet managing to cross them over in ways that are downright subversive if you let your guard down.

CLOSING REMARKS
1975 was quite a threshold year for jazz fusion: many of the musicians who had helped pioneer the genre were either going harder and wilder...or softening up the idiom in an attempt to reach larger demographics. In Smith's case, he took his love of Brazilian music, Motown funk and his own experiences with Davis, Sanders, etc. and concocted a devilish new approach to the genre that would herald everything on smooth jazz and New Age radio to, hell, even Trip-Hop and House in a mere decade or so's time....and yet there's a strength and craft to this material that puts the LP on a level far above most of the drivel inspired by it.

This isn't muzak you get high to in order to enjoy it...but if you do, don't be surprised if you end up having your own Visions Of A New World...xD

FINAL GRADE

Anteater · 01-08-2013, 01:51 PM

Paul Hardcastle - The Jazzmasters (1991)

ARTIST BACKGROUND

See Paul Hardcastle - Paul Harcastle (1985).

THE ALBUM
Transitioning from club oriented instrumental synth-pop to swirling, soulful jazz pop may not be considered a huge leap in musical orientation to some of you, but Paul Hardcastle was considered to be one of the best studio prodigies on the planet by the late 80's so people were fairly interested in what The Jazzmasters project was going to be like back then. Recruiting vocalist Helen Rogers and bringing in a variety of session buddies (including Snake Davis on sax), the album was recorded and released to a fair degree of acclaim back in 1991 -- its a seminal record in contemporary jazz that helped redefine production for the 90's, especially in dance and electronic music.

WHY YOU WANT THIS
Whilst most contemporary jazz is fairly nondescript, I can only describe The Jazzmasters approach to the genre as a joy to hear: swirling flutes, a tasty bassline and some synthesized percussion open up this debut in the form of 'Sound Of Summer', and it isn't long before Rogers' sultry vocals come cascading down. Very laidback, but it gets one-upped by 'Blue Days', which hits next with a killer sax refrain amidst the club-oriented flute psychedelia. There's even a xylophone solo! Along with excellent early 90's jazz pop cuts like these, there's some tasty instrumentals to jam to, such as the lush 'Lost Summer' and the sky faring 'Hearts Of Space', which has synth flourishes straight out of Sega Genesis! xD

CLOSING REMARKS
Paul Hardcastle is fairly prolific and consistent in his solo work, almost the point where I think he needs someone to give him a good shake now and then. However, the first three albums he did in The Jazzmasters series (I, II and III respectively) are all minor classics and did the whole dance pop/smooth jazz crossover thing better than anything else in the 90's. Give 'em a go!

FINAL GRADE

Anteater · 02-03-2013, 11:31 PM

Kyoto Jazz Massive - Spirit Of The Sun (2002)

ARTIST BACKGROUND
Serving as a creative outlet of sorts between two pioneering DJ brothers, Shuya and Yoshihiro Okino, Kyoto Jazz Massive is their duo moniker as well as a studio brand for both original recordings and remixes they are conscripted to produce for other artists on a variety of electronic, nu-jazz and contemporary jazz labels from all over the world.

THE ALBUM
After these two industrious brothers signed with international jazz label Compost in the early 2000's, they produced KJM's first and (so far) only original album of music Spirit Of The Sun in 2002. Since its inception, the LP as proven to be something of a cult classic amongst fans of chilled out electronica, Nu-Jazz...and yes, smooth jazz aficionados as well. And its only getting better and better as the years go by it seems...

WHY YOU WANT THIS
A unique album in some respects, its hard to put Spirit Of The Sun in your typical one-note genre box. From my perspective, the record is very much like a Deep House take on Return To Forever's early 70's output, but there's a lot of contemporary jazz elements at play too, especially the emphasis on soft beats and early morning sax that rises out of the mix like some kind of mist. Very complementary to the whole morning sunrise imagery on the cover. Sonically, the vocal cuts are particularly impressive (English Nu-Bossa Nova maestro Victor Davies guests on the electrical, bass heavy 'Deep In Your Mind') and the instrumental numbers balance the electronic and jazz elements in a variety of ways, with the former occasionally being emphasized over the other and vice versa ('Stargazer' has classic 90's Ethno-Trance written all over it, whilst songs like 'Eclipse' and 'Between The Lights' emphasize more organic jazz instrumentation with a smooth Fusion bent).

CLOSING REMARKS
This is a fantastically laidback contemporary jazz record with a strong Acid Jazz/Nu-Jazz bent. It's one of those superlative gems in its particular niche, an end all-to-end all record where every good idea in post-90's Japanese jazz and electronic music has come together in synthesized, ear-tingling harmonium. Very lush, but not cheesy at all: like Amon Tobin or St-Germain taking an island vacation perhaps! Contemporary in all the best ways, these guys go down real smooth-like with some fresh java and a hot shower.

FINAL GRADE

misspoptart · 02-04-2013, 04:58 AM

Quote:

on soft beats and early morning sax that rises out of the mix like some kind of mist.

OMG I totally read this as "early morning sex," which was EXACTLY what I was thinking about while listening to the tracks you posted. LOL.

Anyway I love what you posted. LOVE it. But then again, I already love nu-jazz and Japanese people, so it was a marriage foretold in the heavens.

Anteater · 02-24-2013, 04:09 PM

Special EFX - Party (2003)

ARTIST BACKGROUND
Special EFX is the brainchild of one Italian-American guitarist Chieli Minucci, who is also known for his various musical contributions to film and TV. The band has been releasing material since the early 80's, with nearly two dozen studio records under their belt as of 2013. They were nominated for Grammys quite often back in the day, but as contemporary jazz's popularity began to decline in the late 90's, those...stopped happening I suppose. Fun Fact: Minucci is the guy behind ALL of the music in Dora The Explorer!

THE ALBUM
Released two years after the death of Special EFX co-founder and percussionist George Jinda in 2001, Party also serves as the first album from the band in the wake of that loss. Minucci serves as the main songwriter and producer this time around, and he brought in some considerable sidemen to perfect the lineup (including David Mann on flute and sax!)

WHY YOU WANT THIS
One of the few smooth jazz records I've heard over the last ten years where clubby electronic elements are actually effectively used in conjunction with the typical guitar lite-fusion approach, Party is the group's top record of the 2000's, as well as being one of the best albums in their twenty-some year discography. Like most smooth jazz records, this is fairly straight ahead, groove oriented material -- its uniqueness comes from its sonic makeup. The keyboard programming on cuts like 'Dream Come True', 'Dusk Til' Dawn' and the swirling, beautiful 'No Money, No Honey' is a major cut above the norm for this genre, and everything sounds really clear and punchy in the mix department as well. The flute and electric guitar give the album a wider palette to work from than usual also, which would make it interesting even to those who don't normally dig this sort of background wizardry.

CLOSING REMARKS
Although nothing mindblowing in the composition or technicality department like some of the output of Pat Metheny or Ken Navarro is, Chieli Minucci is a talented guitarist and producer in his own right: the fact he could make a smooth jazz album as catchy and listenable as Party in the first place is quite an achievement in this musical subset, and it remains a nice slice of contemporary jazztronica even a decade later!

FINAL GRADE

Anteater · 03-31-2013, 09:54 AM

Jean-Luc Ponty - The Gift Of Time (1987)

ARTIST BACKGROUND
Even if you don't know Jean-Luc Ponty and his virtuosic violin abilities to any degree of familiarity, you've more than likely run across him via his numerous contributions to the albums and material of others. He was mainstay on a lot of the classic output of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, toured and did studio work with both Elton John and Frank Zappa, not to mention his innumerable live performances with guys like Stanley Clarke and George Duke. Thus, he's arguably a living legend in the realm of jazz fusion and still one of the best violin players on the planet today (if not of all time).

THE ALBUM
1987's The Gift Of Time was the culmination of a decade in experimentation for the much lauded stringmeister and his 17th studio album overall. Perhaps due to the fact that this record marked a transition from label Atlantic to Columbia, the sound quality production-wise is remarkably good compared to some of his earlier 80's explorations. It went on to sell fairly well, followed by a world tour or two. Notably, Ponty replaced his usual session guitarist Scott Henderson on this record with Gino Vanneli guitar alumni Pat Thomi. Schweeet!

WHY YOU WANT THIS
Well, the thing to realize about Jean-Luc Ponty, particularly in regards to The Gift Of Time, is that he's never dumbed down his music merely to play to contemporary jazz trends of the day. For him, synthesizer overload and attaching all kinds of crazy pedal effects to his violin was a combination of curiosity and ingenuity. The technical playing and tight arrangements he's been known for since the halcyon jazz-fusion era of the mid 70's remains very much intact well into the 80's and 90's. Furthermore, some of the neatest radio-length material he ever wrote is on this album: the title track in particular, with its swirling psychedelic orchestral swelling and hypnotic drum/bass foundation, is probably the single best smooth jazz song of the 1980's period, and the rumbling, tribal 'Faith In You' coupled alongside the spacey, 7-minute cloudscaper 'Introspective Perceptions', certainly give the listener plenty of engaging fusion-lite to chew on.

CLOSING REMARKS
Whilst there is no contemporary jazz record from the 80's that completely escapes the realm of synth-laden cheesiness, The Gift Of Time has such a unique sound that its easy to enjoy it on its own merits. In the same way that Allan Holdsworth turned the synth-axe into an institution all its own during the period, Jean-Luc Ponty's own sonic explorations through treating his violin like a guitar, modifying and layering his sound painstakingly as electronic technology exploded throughout the 80's...its really something special to sink your ears into.

In short, this is not only a really interesting contemporary jazz album...the music is pretty snazzy in general! Not for everyone, mind you, but definitely worth checking out by anyone who desires to experience just how far violin-based jazz got pushed a few decades ago.

FINAL GRADE

07-30-2012, 11:35 PM	#21 (permalink)
Blarobbarg Do good. Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Posts: 2,065	Anteater, you may have accomplished the impossible. You might have made me... enjoy some smooth jazz. thundercrack __________________ https://rateyourmusic.com/~Blarobbarg ｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆　^my RYM^　｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆ (◠‿◠✿)