The early 90s were a pivotal time for contemporary instrumental music. Adult Contemporary radio stations were getting strong response to instrumental music and there was a large and diverse community of people who were involved stations that played the music full time or hosted popular specialty shows. The music was selling and creating a lot of excitement. There were several CDs released in 1994 and early 1995 that captured all the elements that made this music appealing and ended up representing the road not taken. Chieli Minucci's Jewels and Mark Johnson, the sax player'sself-titled debut, come to mind but the standout in that cluster of gems was Greg Adams' Hidden Agenda, an album that managed to map and cover large chunks of the musical territory that adults were starting to get excited about. It was released in early 1995. Within months the Smooth Jazz format would emerge and shift the focus from an exciting adult alternative to nostalgic easy listening. To the advocates of this approach it seemed like the perfect way to make instrumental music even more popular. In retrospect one can only wonder where we would be now if the other path had been taken.

Adams began his solo recording career after spending 25 years as both a member and the arranger for the legendary Tower of Power horn section. He decided to get off the road and focus on session work and developing a solo career when Epic records, TOP's label, became interested in this newly popular type of music and offered him the chance to do a solo contemporary jazz album. He came up with a perfect one that explores and expands every facet of the then-evolving genre. His magnificent writing and arranging skills are showcased on every track. He approaches horn section arrangements from a variety of perspectives that range from TOP style upfront and in your face to adding subtle nuance to other settings. The set is timeless, even ahead of its time. It sounds just as fresh now as it did then and features several tracks that predate the chill groove that is so popular now but do it with an emphasis on melody that is too often absent from current releases.

Every track on Hidden Agenda has too many bright moments to mention and they all bring something different to the table.  There is a mix of heavy funk, retro-cool, a touch of straightahead, and ballads both cinematic and chilled out. The big time funky  opening track, "Metro," lays it all out from the get-go, throwing in just about every element of the genre that would be phased out over the next year or so: a feisty electric guitar solo, wailing sax, big loud horns and a chunky, funky rhythm that makes you want to move. "Smooth Operator" and "Burma Road," still get more corporate airplay than most current releases. He completely reconstructed "Smooth Operator," shifting the rhythm from punchy to subtle sway and playing the lead melody with muted intensity. It actually expresses the core emotion of the song better than the vocal version. "Burma Road" was right in line with the trend toward trance oriented world flavors that were being popularized by Deep Forest, Enigma, B-Tribe, Cusco and numerous other post-”new age” projects. The meditative synth line and bamboo flute (shakuhachi) surround Adams' flugelhorn and a hypnotic loop with atmosphere that evokes the promise of the title. Adam's trumpet on "Moon Over Palmilla" sounds like Alpert updated as he trades solos with flutist Gary Herbig. The arrangement is original, with a driving bass line and a keyboard loop that sound like nothing done before or since. "Five O'Clock Somewhere" again showcases Adams' inventiveness as an arranger. It's a textural playground with a growling low-end of layered tenor, alto and baritone saxes, the trumpet playing a higher pitch, a clear keyboard line and the drums big and upfront. "Madhi (the Expected One)" is retro-loungeish and jazzy, sounding like a clip from a very hip 60s movie. "Renaissance" is equally cinematic but entirely different, lush and romantic with a haunting melody line. The last group of songs on the album explore different facets of cool. On "Tribeca" it's a simmering groove, a more subtle mirroring of the themes in the opening "Metro," the title track is elegantly chilled, and "Amsterdam" sounds like a late night jam with some straightahead flavor.

Hidden Agenda covers a lot of territory without losing its cohesiveness, showing that an album can be exciting and present a lot of diversity without becoming a patchwork of inconsistencies. The songwriting and musicians hold it together. A lot of the instrumentation was provided by multi-instrumentalists James Wirrick and Nick Milo, who have remained a part of his musical team and played on his subsequent albums, Midnight Morning, Firefly, and Cool To The Touch, which have been equally impressive. While others have chased trends or tried to second guess the radio format Adams has stayed true to both his musical vision and his audience. Hidden Agenda is one of the genre's definitive must-haves. It doesn't get as much hype as the more high profile releases because unfortunately Adams got an early taste of the future. Shortly after the CD was released Epic decided to back off and move away from this type of music. They cut him from their artist roster and quit promoting the album, leaving probably four or five potential hit songs with no launching pad. And so it goes. But Hidden Agenda is still available for purchase and on top of the must-get list. A true example of the power, appeal, and diversity of this music. If  you don't already have it, grab it today. Then when you hear someone bemoan the state of contemporary instrumental music and its lack of appeal share this one. This is how it should be and if we hadn't strayed so far from this path we would not be having such a hard time finding our way back.

Hidden Agenda is available on Greg's website www.gregadamsmusic.com, iTunes, and Amazon.com. See Greg's website for the availability of the rest of his catalog..