Boney James – The Beat
Smooth jazz. Soprano saxophone. Cover of pop or R&B ballad. Generally, that’s a recipe for blandness – a sound that’s trite.
However, make an arrangement that doesn’t merely turn a vocal into an instrumental and put some competent musicians behind it, and you can get something that sounds really nice.
So it is when Boney James brings in Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Lenny Castro on percussion and Brandon Coleman on keyboards – the combination for his cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing.” It’s a charming opening to The Beat (Concord Music Group, 2013).
“Giving back to the community,” a phrase often used when someone from a given location achieves success at something and then contributes in some way to another’s quality of life. What better way for a renowned recording artist to give back than to discover or introduce new talent?
How do you make a trio sound like a quartet? Well, one way to do it is put a Novax eight-string guitar in the hands of Kelly McCarty. When not actually playing like a guitarist, McCarty uses the instrument like he’s playing organ chords while covering for the bass. It’s part of what makes the Kelly McCarty 3’s Roux Steady (72 Offsuit Records, 2012) work.
Like anything in life, visual art can inspire song. Joe Gilman captures that thought with Relativity (Capri Records, 2012), a set of 11 compositions that interpret the art of M.C. Escher.
Sweet Honey In The Rock is an a cappella ensemble of African American women. Members are Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, and Shirley Childress Saxton. The group comprises a rotating cast for many years. The group name has its origin in a quotation from the Bible. From Psalm 81:16 comes the promise to a people of being fed by honey out of the rock.
Brazilian saxophonist Felipe Salles brings an international lineup to his fifth recording as a leader, Departure (Tapestry Records, 2012). The ensemble consists of musicians born in Uruguay, Germany and the United States.
Lao Tizer has assembled a cast of stars for Downbeat (JLK Productions, 2012), recorded by the group he named after himself.
A native of San Diego, pianist Danny Green is equally versed in jazz, Latin and classical music. Though mostly jazz, elements of the other styles also appear on A Thousand Ways Home (Capri Records, 2012).
Pianist and singer Peggy Duquesnel is since more than 25 years an active musician. She has released eight jazz, pop and inspirational CDs as a featured artist. Although at home with straight ahead jazz, she had always an affinity for pop music.
