Jacksonville Beach, FL
Richard Smith - June 12, 2005
Nelson Rangell - July 17, 2005

There couldn't be a more perfect place to hear live music than the grassy lawn of an oceanside amphitheatre on a warm, breezy, humid summer evening. This is the setting North Florida music fans experience monthly as the City of Jacksonville Beach presents the "Smooth Sounds of Hot Summer Nights" series, a group of free concerts by major smooth jazz artists that is now in its fourth year. The concerts are held at the Sea Walk Pavilion, a small amphitheatre bordered by clubs and restaurants on three sides and the ocean on the other. These may be the most casual, accessible, and family-friendly smooth jazz concerts in the country. The area is surrounded by a waist-high fence that passers-by are welcome to lean on. Seating consists of beach blankets and lawn chairs, shoes and shirts are not required. Dogs on leashes are invited and children are welcomed and embraced. One of the highlights of these shows is watching the children gravitate toward the area in front of the stage, totally entranced by the music. They play and dance and wave at the musicians, inviting the grown-ups sitting close by to join them, which they do.

The underlying theme of this year's series could be "virtuosity can be fun." The first two concerts have featured Richard Smith and Nelson Rangell, two crowd pleasers who are also among the genre's most technically accomplished musicians. They've got the chops and they know how to use 'em to get you on your feet and into it.

Richard Smith can best be described as a rock star who happens to be a jazz guitar professor who happens to be a smooth jazz musician. He does a bit onstage about fans who come up to guitarists and rave "Dude, you shred!" In his case that covers it. He has the stage presence of an all-around guitar hero. It is rare for an artist to bring backup musicians across the country to do just one show but he brought two of the finest: Larry Antonino on bass and Hans Zermuehlen on keyboards. They were joined by drummer Dave Reinhardt, a Florida resident who backs up a lot of major smooth jazz artists, and Mike MacArthur, an up-and-coming saxophonist from the Tampa Bay area. The band tore through a series of songs from "Soulidified," his latest CD, and stretched out versions of "First Kiss" and "A Minor Love Affair." "Latisimo," with its mambo flavor, lured beach walkers into the front stage area, and an acoustic flamenco tour-de-force played as he walked through the crowd kept them there. By the time he wrapped up with his versions of "Sing-A-Song," "Put It Where You Want It," and "Tell Me Something Good," old and new fans were moving toward the merchandise area to take some of this music home. Smith jumped straight off the stage and ran to the tent to meet them, dripping with sweat and guitar still in hand. This guitar hero is not afraid to be just a regular guy!

Nelson Rangell doesn't try to be an imposing presence as he takes the stage. The band starts playing and he casually walks to the front. Then he hits that first note and the effect is electrifying. He doesn't have to move, he doesn't have to talk. The way he plays each note establishes his presence. Over the years one strain of his signature sound has been a group of songs that are big, full, funky and energized. He opens with two of these, “Mean Business” and “The Road Ahead," a perfect way to lure in the curiosity seekers on the fringe of the crowd. The band was showcased early with fusion-tinged keyboard solos from Robert McDaniel and some wild, slammin' bass chops from Vernon Barbary, who reminds me of Richard Patterson, David Sanborn's bassist! His Latin-flavored version of “Don't You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” got the crowd loose and dancing and ready for what became a magical experience. It is almost impossible to describe the effect that “A House Is Not A Home” had on the audience. He began with an improvisational solo, standing alone in the spotlight. As recognizable strains developed the crowd became hushed, and people who had never met before shared looks of recognition. When he hit the first big note of the melody, everyone exhaled and began to clap, yell and whistle before quieting down for the song. Coming just days after Luther Vandross' death, it was as if this was our shared celebration of his life and music. Following this song with a groove you could sway to and the spiritual undercurrents of “That's The Way Of The World” was simply perfect. One of the highlights of a Nelson Rangell concert is the fact that he can whistle a song and have it sound like a serious instrumental, not a novelty gimmick. This time around he has chosen a jazz classic, Hampton Hawes' “Sonora.” He segues seamlessly from whistling to playing the piccolo, a rarity in the jazz/smooth jazz world. He wrapped the set up by raising the funk-factor with an energized version of "All For You" that allowed drummer Tarell Martin to really cut loose. In just over an hour he has showcased everything about the music we call “smooth jazz” that gives it such a wide appeal in live settings. Go see him and bring your local music writer who thinks this stuff is snoozy. I can't think of a better way to convert them than by taking them to see either Richard Smith or Nelson Rangell.

- Shannon West