June 11, 2006
Jacksonville Beach, FL

Studio CDs, tailored for the smooth jazz radio format, often leave listeners with a singular impression of the artists who record them. In the case of smooth jazz artists they rarely get to cut loose the way they do in live performances. Ken Navarro has had a string of radio hits that show him to be a guitarist and songwriter of considerable skill who can create interesting, ear-catching melodies and still stay within airplay boundaries. On the live Ablaze In Orlando and the deeper tracks from his studio CD's that don't get heard as much as they should -- songs like the fusion-y "Play, Don't Worry" from All The Way or the live version of "Try Again," with extended guitar solos building it into straight-on power ballad rock -- you get a picture of what Navarro can do when he gets to just get in front of a crowd and play.

Every summer the City of Jacksonville Beach presents three monthly smooth jazz concerts at the Sea Walk Pavilion, a smaller amphitheatre that is literally on the beach. These concerts draw a crowd that is there more because it is a free concert on the beach rather than because it is specifically smooth jazz. The musicians see the crowd and "get it" immediately and most of them strut their high energy stuff. Ken Navarro was no exception. He hit the stage with "In My Wildest Dreams," high energy but still in the smooth jazz pocket.  Then he took it up a notch with "Skating on the C&O Canal." Shifting to acoustic and slowing it down, he did a beautiful stretched out version of "Eric's Dream" with a solo that hinted at the acoustic rock/jam band flavored textures that were going to become the defining moments of the show. "You Are Everything" moved deeper in that direction with some marvelous Fender Rhodes-type textures from Jay Rowe. By this time the crowd was beginning to get the idea. A couple started dancing by the side of the stage. A group of guys with a rather glazed look gravitated toward the stage. Someone wearing a T-shirt from the classic rock station asked his girlfriend what band this guy used to play in.

"Smooth Sensation" was sensational and not quite as smooth and "Fortunate Son," a song he wrote for his dad, began as your basic guitar-lite ballad but built into something positively anthemic. Through the set the spotlight was on Navarro, who played loose and clean with a kind of understated energy that comes from knowing you don't have to rely on pyrotechnics to win over a crowd.  And he brought his "A-Team": Jay Rowe on keyboards, drummer Trevor Somerville, and Gary Grainger on bass. They were tight! Trading off occasional solos but basically staying in the groove.  Rowe is probably the most underrated and under-hyped keyboard player on the smooth jazz touring circuit. He owned the crowd during his solo in the middle of "Can't Get Enough," just tearing it up on an acoustic piano. "Play, Don't Worry" stepped into fusion territory, then came the showpiece, "Try Again." It's indescribable. It starts with just Navarro on guitar then builds into a rock power ballad with searing solos that would be just as much at home across the street at the Free Bird Cafe, a live music venue that specializes showcasing the best of four generations of progressive and Indie rockers. The whole set had that feel, even live versions of the smooth jazz radio hits. Maybe it was the dynamics of the sound coming from the stage or the way the keyboards sounded when they veered toward the Rhodes type textures.  Or maybe it was the way the band surrounded the guitar solos with this deep, loose undercurrent, but this concert seemed to have caught the other end of a thread that ran years back, when the Jacksonville Beach Coliseum stood on the same ground and we used to go see bands like Quicksilver Messenger Service and several of the precursors to the Allman Brothers and were treated to evenings of endless guitar.

The crowd was primed for an encore that would keep them in this place where you discover a new artist and discover that rock instrumentals are still alive and well. The radio guy came onstage and tried to get us to clap for "Stoned Soul Picnic," but Ken knew what we wanted. He tore into an extended blues jam that brought it all back home, got everyone back on their feet and made us all glad that we didn't let a little wind and rain keep us from coming down to see him. The people who hadn't heard him didn't know what to expect.  The ones who knew him but hadn't seen him live thought they knew what to expect. He didn't just go beyond expectations; he gave us something that was totally unexpected!

- Shannon West