 They
often say that you can’t tell where you’re
going unless you look behind you to see where you’ve
been. Bob James does exactly that on his release of the Essential
24 Smooth Jazz Classics. These gems span the
time period of 1974 through 1995. I had often wondered how
I would replace my earlier collection of Bob James albums over
the years, and this is a good start. This double disc collection
chronicles these works in order from “One” to “The
Genie.” A comprehensive inner sleeve shows each album’s
artwork along with musicians for that song and commentary about
each cut.
The listing
of musicians reads like a “who’s who” of
everyone James has recorded with over the years. The commentary
enables you to reflect on how his music has grown and how the
genre itself has evolved. James classical adaptations of Mussorsky’s “Night
On Bald Mountain” or Bizet’s “Farandole” show
his roots to the classics, but he stretches out with more original material
by the time Heads and Touchdown were
released. There are a couple of cuts from his album Three as “Women
of Ireland” and “Westchester Lady” represent much growth
from the earlier works. His breakout album Heads includes
the title track as well as the popular “Nightcrawler.” The first
disc finishes up with a cut from the successful classic disc One
on One entitled “Kari” with Earl Klugh.
“Angela,” the
theme from the TV show Taxi, leads the second disc and James’ popularity
grew with the success of the show. The upbeat “Touchdown” is a
great addition that shows how diverse James music can be. “Blue Lick” is
an interesting choice from Lucky 7 although the liner
notes say it “benefits from juicy chords in the transitional passages.” H is
well represented with three tracks including the Peaches and Herb hit, “Reunited.” The
title track from Sign of the Times reflects producer
Rod Templeton’s (Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall”)
influence with funky riffs and electro-pop. “Spunky” is one of
my favorites because of the consistent background beat that serves as a base
for James’ playing. “Miranda” (one of two from Foxie)
reflects his acoustic side while “Marco Polo” is multi-layered,
bass driven and is a sharp contrast. “Ruby Ruby Ruby” shows off
the talents of a young Kirk Whalum. Cuts from Swan and The
Genie round out the second disc.
This collection is a
must for newer jazz fans that want to invest in smooth jazz heritage or even
seasoned vets who grew up with these classics. The growth of this icon comes
through as does the sense of greater appreciation to his contributions over
the years.
- H.A.Cline |
