For Urban Flamingo, his first studio album in quite awhile, Bob James has gone back to doing it the way he used to do it.  While his recent smooth/contemporary leaning projects have been collections of slickly produced, tightly written songs, this one recalls the sound of his great 70s and 80s recordings.  Lengthy tracks featuring lots of extended soloing that weaves in and out of James’ trademark melody lines - catchy songs and fragments that sound fresh and familiar at the same time. That’s what created the crossover appeal of signature releases like the groundbreaking “Touchdown.”  They lured “non-jazzers” into listening to improvisational music because the framework for the improvisation was so catchy.  Over the years he has tossed in a few songs like that between more radio friendly fare.  Now we get a whole CD.  It’s a brilliant, enjoyable, and very eclectic listening experience.

Except for Earl Klugh and Fourplay band-mate Nathan East, who are each featured on one song, the musicians James has assembled for these sessions are Detroit-based members of his touring band.  They don’t have the name recognition of the session heavy hitters you see on most liner notes these days, and that works in their favor.   There is nothing imitative or formula-driven here.  These are seasoned, virtuoso players, and they tear it up.  Sax player David McMurray, who is best known for his work with Was Not Was, has been touring with James for years. Guitarists Perry Hughes and Wayne Gerard, drummer Ron Otis, and bassist Al Wilson round out the Detroit gang. James Genus and Billy Kilson, who played bass and drums on Take it From The Top - the 2004 acoustic trio CD - also return to bring the jazz trio setting to one beautiful track.

“Choose Me,” the opening track, starts out sounding like a late 80s Sanborn song with McMurray on alto sax playing a tight melody over a funky bass line. Then it segues into a bluesy guitar solo from Hughes which leads into some improvisation from James.  McMurray comes back in for another shot at the verse and bridge, then just cuts loose and blows an avant-garde tinged solo over percussive keyboard effects, all while the bass and drums keep it tight and moving forward. 

Clocking in at almost nine minutes and delivering a whirlwind trip through such a variety of styles all within the framework of intriguing melodic fragments, this song is a preview of things to come. “Skidaway” starts out loose and swingy with a sneaky sounding exchange between keyboard and flute that surrounds guitar and sax solos, while James adds some glistening keyboard textures to the background.   The title track starts out with a lyrical solo piano passage, builds into a crescendo, then becomes subdued as the setting for a Beck/Golub sounding fusion guitar solo from Gerard.  “Bobary Coast,” sounds a bit like early Fourplay with a straight ahead jazz break in the middle.   “Wingapo,” is an update on that original Tappan Zee sound.  “Make it More Blue” is the most structured song, a seductive sax-driven ballad that creates a mood rather than becoming the background for one.   "Fresh Start" reunites James and Klugh for a mid-tempo romp, and “Niles Ahead” is an acoustic jazz piece that provides a breezy contrast to “Choose Me.”  The shimmering keyboard chords and textures that are layered into a lot of these songs, and the subtlety and speed of some of the solos are something you need to experience with headphones. On the other hand, watching one of the more exciting March Madness games with the sound down and this music playing the rhythms seemed to match the action on the screen. There is so much going on musically that you can put it on and experience it on a lot of different levels.

There are two vocals.  “Lay Down With You” features Hilary James.  She has a beautiful, expressive voice, and the melody and instrumentation on this song mesh nicely with the surrounding songs.  “Endless Time” is an R&B ballad that would sound more in place on an Urban Adult Contemporary project.  It’s kind of pleasant but not a standout track.

Listening to Urban Flamingo will take long time fans back to the pre-smooth era, when songs did clock in at six minutes or longer, and soloing wasn’t verboten.  For listeners who became smooth jazz fans within the last ten years or so, as the music evolved from being a genre to being a format, this is your chance to experience what it can be when boundaries aren’t imposed and great musicians just play!

- Shannon West