Smooth jazz
/
NAC
music has often been the whipping boy of
jazz
's hardcore fans, and in many cases, the attacks are justified -- a lot of
artists do specialize in bloodless, uncreative, insipid dreck. But commercial
pop-jazz
doesn't have to be devoid of substance. Like
David Sanborn
,
Joe Sample
, and the late
Grover Washington, Jr.
Rob Ryndak
realizes that a jazzman can be accessible to
pop
and
R&B
audiences without prostituting himself and throwing integrity to the wind.
Stay With It
Ryndak
's third
Southport
release, often falls into the "
smooth jazz
with a difference" category. Congenial, laid-back instrumentals like
"Discovery"
(which recalls
George Benson
's
"Breezin'"
),
"Gentle Gubbio,"
and the Brazilian-flavored
"Compassion"
have a lot of
appeal, but without being elevator music or sacrificing a commitment to improvisation. And even though much of
is
-minded,
can also play straight-ahead --
"Spiritual Renewal"
"Soft Spoken"
are essentially straight-ahead
post-bop
offerings, despite the fact that the latter finds
on electric piano and sideman
Richard Patterson
on electric bass. Meanwhile,
"Bliss"
is a funky number that successfully combines a
Jazz Messengers
-like horn arrangement with a
jazz-rock
edge -- if
Art Blakey
had invited
Al Di Meola
John McLaughlin
, or
Larry Coryell
to sit in with his
in the '70s or '80s, the results might have sounded something like guitarist
John Mouler
's contributions to
"Bliss."
As much as
has going for it, the CD is a bit uneven. Some of
's material is excellent, and some it is merely decent. But on the whole,
paints an attractive picture of the Chicago-based pianist/keyboardist. ~ Alex Henderson