If you want to see how
much potential this music we call "smooth jazz" has
to reach a wider and younger audience and expand its appeal
across the board, all you have to do is experience it live
in a setting where those outdated stereotypes that have been
holding it back are stripped away. Forget the idea that you
have to be "sophisticated and upscale" to enjoy
it. Lose the "smooth and relaxing." Shed
the chilly high-gloss veneer and "instrumental oldies
for the elders" image. Then add the forbidden
flavors - powerful horns, rock guitar solos, extended jamming,
ventures into progressive and fusion territory, DJs scratching
onstage, and charismatic performers who don't hold back -
and mix it up in front of a crowd composed of all ages, colors,
and walks of life. That's what we have every summer
in North Florida thanks to the City of Jacksonville Beach's
Special Events Department. For the last eight summers
they have brought in some of the genre's biggest names, put
them in an amphitheater by the beach, and drawn a crowd of
people who are wrapping up their weekend and ready for one
last party before they head back to the workweek.
The Summer Jazz Series consists of three free monthly concerts
at the Sea Walk Amphitheater. It Isn't one of those
cavernous outdoor venues you see in some markets. It's
a stage in front of a grassy field that is big enough to
accommodate a good sized group of musicians but small enough
in front too keep some level of intimacy. There is
no assigned seating and the VIP area is to the side of the
stage, not blocking the front, so anyone can experience the
music up close. All you have to do is arrive early and plant
your lawn chair or beach blanket close to the stage. It's
a casual scene. You see a lot of extended families
making a day of it - grandparents, parents, and kids all
enjoying the music, playing with beach toys and dancing together. Dogs
are even welcome if they are well behaved and on leashes.
This type of setting is the perfect way to build an audience
for the music, because you can hear it from a distance. It's
on a basically open field with main walkways on both sides,
and anyone can walk up and walk in with nothing more
than a bag check from one of a group of very nice and unobtrusive
security people. People are drawn to music that sounds
and feels good. Every summer they fill up the park
and line the fences - the crowd growing larger as the evening
progresses. The comment heard the most is, "I've
never heard this kind of music but I love it!" or "I
thought I didn't like jazz, but I really love this." They
demand encores then line up at the autograph tent to buy
music they hadn't heard before that evening and come back
for more the next month.
This year's three concerts showcased three different facets
of the music that all contribute to the diversity of the
genre. It wasn't a calculated plan, the artists were
booked on their specific dates for reasons that had more
to do with availability and logistics than any specific teaming-up. As
it happened the June concert leaned toward the progressive
side with a lot of jam band, fusion and progressive elements
in full force. The July show was one big jammin' party
and the August show was more straight down the center smooth
jazz.
June brought Ken Navarro and Alex
Bugnon with special guest Paul Taylor. Navarro's
most recent release, The Grace of Summer Light,
topped a lot of people's best-of lists in 2008 and illustrated
how an artist can expand (or disintegrate) the boundaries
while delivering heartfelt, accessible music. That
feeling was present during his set, with even his familiar
smooth hits getting revitalized in the process. He
brought two key contributors from The Grace of
Summer Light, keyboardist
Jay Rowe, and bassist Tom Kennedy, along with drummer Trevor
Somerville, so the live set ventured deep into this same
progressive territory, sounding much more like a tight and
jazzy jam band than anything close to "smooth." His
interpretation of Pat Metheny's "Lakes" was an
obvious highlight, with Navarro making the speediest, and
most complex guitar licks look effortless. "On
My Way To Somewhere" was stunning. The musicians
were in that state of complete immersion and communication,
and the layers of sound effects gave a real progressive undercurrent
to the music. Alex Bugnon's most popular hits have
had a smooth R&B lean, and his albums have taken that
inclination, expanded on it, and sometimes veered into more
innovative territory. But none of that prepared me
for his live performance. No litesy keyboard tickling
here, this set delivered a heavy dose of progressive-fusion
influences that recalled the music that came out on the Impulse
label in the 70s. Sitting behind the keyboard, he would
start a song then segue it into all kinds of riffs and improvisations,
then flip into a crowd pleaser like the hit "107 in
the Shade," or "Yearning for Your Love," which
had the whole crowd singing along. Into this stepped Paul
Taylor, whose presence brought such a party vibe that people
literally ran to the front of the stage to dance before he
hit his first note.
The party vibe went into full force in July with Four80East and Eric
Darius headlining the show. Matt Marshak and Shilts were
with the band, which also featured a DJ workin' the turntables. Playing
mostly songs from their latest CD, Roll On,
their groove jazz sound was tight with a solid backbeat that
didn't just make you want to move, it made you have to
move. Marshak delivered some sizzling guitar solos
and Shilts brought on the funk - going into really high gear
during the last part of the set when he kicked into a series
of hits from his days with Down To The Bone. By then
they had drawn a crowd that flooded out from the main venue
and into the parking lot on one side and the walkway on the
other, and everybody was movin'.
Eric Darius followed and was absolutely electrifying. Talk
about leaving it all onstage - he doesn't just play,
he becomes the music. He covered the whole stage, making
eye contact with the fans in the front and posing for everyone
who held a cell phone camera up, but never missing a beat
or a note. His take on Ne-Yo's "Because of You" had
everyone singing along, and the energy didn't stop building
until the last notes of "Going All Out," which
left even the non-dancers breathless. One beautiful
highlight was when he introduced "Just for The Moment" by
talking about a point in time when he had gone through some
personal difficulties that made the beautiful ballad come
across as even more heartfelt. When someone is that
talented and charismatic, you forget that they go through "stuff" too. Darius
could not have found a better guitarist to back him up than
fellow Floridian Nate Najar. He is to guitar what Darius
is to sax. In a word, he rocks. Literally. Words
cannot explain. Check out the videos linked below.
August smoothed out a little. Lin Rountree brought
some future-star quality to the opening slot with a strong
set of songs and a tight backup band. Michael
Lington is always a crowd pleaser, completely stylin'
even in the face of 90% humidity, and delivering a set of
his catchy, anthemic hits. He turned several of his
hits into medleys, which left you wanting to hear the whole
songs, but the energy he brought made it fun, and the whole
songs more than made up for it. He went out into the
crowd during "Everything Must Change," making
his way all the way to the back of the field, stopping to
play for appreciative fans, then returning to the stage for
a powerful wrap up. Brian Simpson's
set started off pretty laid back, but when Jackiem
Joyner joined him they lit into one hard, heavy,
blues based jam. Joyner doesn't sound like Darius,
but he has that same kind of energy and presence. He even
turned the beautiful, but subdued smash, "I'm Waiting
For You," into a rock-edged power ballad. This
show was guitar-geek heaven too with Randy Jacobs backing
up Simpson and Joyner, and new favorite, Nate Najar, was
back again.
With that, the series wrapped up for another year. A
whole new group of people discovered a type of music they
most likely didn't know anything about, and long time fans
were reminded of how good it can be, and hopefully nudged
toward a download site or store to add some new music to
their collections. An artist bemoaned our lack of a
smooth jazz radio station, but it is for the best. This
crowd skewed young. If they had been fired up by the
danceable, sizzling, high energy music, then got into their
cars and turned on a radio station that was playing a "smooth
and relaxing" version of a song that was older than
they were, we would have lost them for good. As it
is they can treat it like any other type of music, turn on
their computers, and go exploring then come back next summer
for more.
Catch the vibe! Here are some short video clips from
this year's concerts.
Paul Taylor draws a big dancing crowd: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYknCKmlH68
Ken Navarro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znUCffZPSZA
Michael Lington and Randy Jacobs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kj8-s8-vUM
Eric Darius: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri2tkj82XrM
Jackiem Joyner blues solo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kj8-s8-vUM
