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When it came time for Everette Harp to nail down the right approach for his fifth Blue Note album, he found two competing musical adages playing against each other in his mind - "Less is more" and "Don’t Mess With Success". His previous efforts, from 1992’s self-titled debut through 1998’s Better Days, all featured very busy productions, by either Harp or George Duke, and an overload of stylistic diversity which found Harp branching from his sensual funk center and delving into straight-ahead jazz. Those albums were huge hits, though, and established Harp as a big force in smooth jazz. Even though this seemed like a huge dilemma, Harp had no trouble finding the right path. While high ambition has always been Harp's trademark as an artist and performer, on For the Love, the saxman looked forward to the challenge of letting go of pretension, focusing on the love of song and above all, keeping things simple. "I have to admit, I’m a bell and whistle kind of guy, I like to write good songs but also give them huge arrangements, a big and beautiful production," he says. "I've always looked upon each album as a learning experience, and for me that used to mean trying to fill each song with every sonic idea that came to mind, scattering styles on the other songs once the radio tunes were recorded, and playing a lot of notes. But like George Duke has long told me, there is an art form to being simple and communicating honestly. The result, I believe is my most focused project to date." To help him find that crucial balance, Harp brought in veteran producer Steve Dubin (George Benson, Al Jarreau, Richard Elliot) to co-write (with Harp) and produce six of the tracks. "Let’s face it, to succeed in smooth jazz, you need radio play, and Steve knows what makes a hit. He helped me get away from that experimentation, and use my horn to get straight to the point." Not surprisingly, the Dubin-produced tracks hit the mark every time. The retro-funk opening track "So Automatic" begins with Harp’s alto cruising along over a basic chunky hip-hop groove, with minimal synth and wah-wah guitar enhancement; Harp returns quickly to the catchy hook after each quick verse, enhancing the emotion of the tune by doubling his horn rather than going crazy with improvisation, as he might have in the past. The only exotic production touch on "I Just Can’t Let Go" is a simple synth generated vibes harmony that recurs at the beginning of each verse; the rest of the tune finds Harp just playing a pretty, low-key melody over a clicking groove. Most of the soulful, Sanborn like "Right Back Atcha" is about Harp’s increasingly aggressive sax over the moody, bluesy atmospheres created by keyboardist Ricky Peterson. Peterson’s Hammond B-3 is also the most prominent outside harmony feature on "Love Conditionally." Two of the best tracks on For the Love are pretty much sax and guitar duets. "Dancin’ With You" has a sensuous groove and a slightly bluesy keyboard harmony underneath a snappy note for note duet with Doc Powell. All this points towards Harp’s love for the blues, but he saves his best chops for last, a rollicking jam with Jeff Golub’s crisp electric guitar on a brassy cover of the Crusaders classic "Put It Where You Want It." Harp drives away the usual slick polish here, opening the track with loose call and response guitar-sax pleasantries before letting Golub lead the melodic way. Then the saxman joins in and the two ride an explosive wave over a sizzling horn section. Towards the middle, the two take breaks from the main melody for some raw and fiery solo action. It’s a more organic approach than Harp has ever taken. "I felt I had an obligation to be true to myself and find the right road," says Harp. "I had to ask myself, what is my true heart and soul? The answer was easy, strong melodies and keeping the sax front and center, with minimal distractions. So, there's less riffing, less eclecticism and more real feeling here, for sure. I stepped back a bit and took a more laid back approach. That was a bit of a struggle at first, but I absolutely love the results. "

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Harp’s favorite mentor George Duke wears shades on the back cover and calls his latest recording Cool (Warner Bros.), but "busy" and "scattered" might be more apt titles for this wild potpourri of R&B, pop, jazz, gospel and Brazilian sounds. Maybe he should have taken his own advice. It almost feels as if he’s taking a stand against the unwritten modern music biz rule that homogeny sells records, as each tune genre hops gleefully, capturing yet another facet of the keyboardist/producer’s spirited personality. He goes into a Curtis Mayfield falsetto to sing us his autobiography on the retro-soul minded "Marin City," and returns to that voice on "Ancient Source," an ode to the music of Africa featuring exotic chants and offbeat percussion. Once we have the background, Duke plays comedic social observer ("Wake Up, Smell the Coffee"); corny hopeless romantic ("She’s Amazing," sung soulfully with Chante Moore); a traveler to the joyous part of Rio ("If You Will," which features Duke’s Rhodes dancing over samba grooves, vocal choruses and the voice percussion of Flora Purim); spiritual leader (playing keys behind the gospel group Anointed on "Never Be Another"); and advisor to the lovelorn with stars in their eyes on "If He Ain’t Mr. Right (Then He’s Mr. Wrong). Some of the tunes are catchy and fun, but few measure up to his vast catalog. More effective is his Quincy Jones-like flair for bringing in way too many musicians to the party yet making the most of each invitee. It’s always been clear, however, that Duke is far superior as a jazz/funk keyboardist than vocalist, and it’s unfortunate that most of his best solos are found midway through vocals that don’t always catch fire. Two of the all instrumental pieces - especially the meandering ambient piece "At a Glance" - fall short, but the brassy, snappy "Whatever It Takes" keeps the focus where it should be, on his melodic playing. More of this would create the cool Duke aspired to.

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With "On Walks the Night," the dramatic centerpiece tune on Jesse Cook’s fourth Narada album Free Fall, the rumba flamenco styled guitarist practically creates a whole new genre - hip-hop gypsy. The tune begins with mystical vocal sounds and jungly soundscaping, then weaves a swelling Middle Eastern flavored string section and Cook’s plucky acoustic melody (and later a swaying harmony line created by George Gow’s erhu, a Chinese violin) over crunchy, rolling urban grooves and thunderous percussion explosions. Towards the end, Cook takes the opportunity to do his trademark speedy "bumble bee" improv over what sounds like a film score to an Arabic film. None of the other ten tracks are quite so inventive; there is densely, more intricately textured percussion, but the balance of speedy flamenco gems and thoughtful ballads remind us of the best of Cook’s previous strong recordings. On "Switchback," the train track percussion and zippy basslines push Cook to breakneck speeds on his harmony lines, which roll quickly beneath a hooky melody. The groove on "Air" is more loping, but the melody is just as jumpy and enchanting. Normally it’s nice to mix a few ballads in with the party tunes, but thoughtful pieces like "Virtue" - while perfect for romance and radio - detract from the real fun here. The title track is the perfect compromise, beginning as a transcendental meditation before exploding into a percussive jam complete with Djivan Gasparyan’s Duduq, a wailing Arabic wind instrument, which blends beautifully with the erhu.

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It’s hard to believe that some of the best flamenco music around is coming from Canada, but with Cook and Oscar Lopez - originally from Chile, but adopting Calgary as his home - the only thing those South Park kids will be blaming Canada for this year is instantly lovable exotic music. Though both are flamenco based, Lopez has more straightforward Latin influences; his percussion is less intense, there’s no Arabic blend, and his style is graceful as often as it is aggressive. On Armando's Fire he also chooses one tune in which to blend his gentle sense of melody and romance with throbbing hip-hop; on "Other Faces (Otras Caras)," he intertwines two delicate high tone lines - one melody, one harmony - over a thumping, programmed drum pattern as synth strings swirl easily in the background. The disc was produced by Frayne T. Lewis - son of piano legend Ramsey - and so it’s no surprise that there’s a prominent piano harmony line and room for an upper register ivory solo (courtesy of Kevin Randolph) on tunes like the smooth jazz ballad "Walking Through the Pyramid" and the more exotic "Latino". Randolph also adds a synth generated accordian texture to "Gypsy Soul," giving the plucky Spanish tune a playful French twist. There are numerous emotional ups and downs here, but Lopez seems to have the best time on snazzy fiestas like the title track, which gallops along for a spell before Alejo Povedo’s wild percussion, vocal chanting and Orbert Davis’ blistering Arturo Sandoval-like trumpet push Lopez into overdrive trying to keep up.

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Yet a third pop-flamenco entry this month is the four piece ensemble Incendio, whose debut Misterioso (Paras Recording Company) is driven to varied-tempo levels of exotica and energetic excitement by the Strunz & Farah like dual guitar interaction of leader Jim Stubblefield (who plays the lead melodies) and Jean-Pierre Durand (who carries the rhythm lines). The two are certainly capable of those astounding, lightning quick passages that sound like dueling bumble bees; Stubblefield darts off the main melody of "Luna" every few bars for sparkling solos that dares Durand to roll along faster. But the real joys of the disc come when the two go after a more lilting sound closer to that of Ottmar Liebert, but with more aggressive percussion pizzazz. The title track is a fitting example; the guitars swirl like hypnotic harp strings over a tender soundscape and then Nicole Falzone’s pitter patter percussion. Stubblefield and Durand then sway along beneath a lush, emotional violin solo by guest Novi Novog. While the guitar and percussion weavings are the core of the Incendio sound, Novog’s few appearances and the staccato horn section accents of "Festival Del Luces" add some necessary color. Durand also reveals a nice touch on acoustic piano with his lush harmonies beneath Stubblefield’s sweet, loping melody on "Emerald Sea."

Visit Metro's website. Order this CD at CDnow for $13.99.

Five years ago, keyboardist Mitchell Forman, guitarist Chuck Loeb, bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Wolfgang Haffner dangled an exciting carrot in front of those whose instrumental tastes fall between smooth jazz and be-bop; the edgy yet often gentle and melodic Tree People - released by the German label Lipstick Records - harkened back to the fusion heydays of the 70s, when jamming improvisations ruled and radio didn’t worry so much about not offending anyone’s ears. With Victor Bailey replacing Jackson, Metro finally re-emerges with this eclectic effort which blends Loeb’s keen pop/rock sensibilities with Forman’s obvious love for both elegant piano jazz and retro-funk and blues. The inviting Metrocafe rises and falls on the dynamic interaction between these two. The graceful, film score like "House and Home" features Loeb’s eloquent acoustic subtlety caressed by both Forman’s acoustic piano harmony and synth orchestra; then Forman takes over the lead melody, which grows slightly more aggressive and improvisational as he is egged on by Haffner’s march-like drum lines. Loeb always seems to hold back on his popular smooth jazz recordings, and it’s good to hear him go for broke with his crisp yet expansive lines on funk-filled jams like "Month of Sundays." The core of that tune features Loeb’s echoing strings dancing around Forman’s percussive chord foundation. "Field of Diamonds" begins almost like one of Loeb’s pop jazz tunes, very new agey and ambient; after a few minutes, he switches to electric and goes the blistering Van Halen guitar god route. Forman’s strong Rhodes playing along with Bailey’s bubbling bass is the driving force behind the title track, which also features Loeb’s balance of insanity and grace. Loeb has long used his wife, vocalist Carmen Cuesta, on his solo albums, and her wordless vocals adds a touch of exotica and silkiness to the perky Brazilian flavored "It’s All Good." Stop by the Metrocafe soon, and ask the proprietors to open the doors more often.

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EVERETTE HARP		For the Love		Blue Note
GEORGE DUKE		Cool		Warner Bros
JESSE COOK		Free Fall		Narada
OSCAR LOPEZ		Armando's Fire		Narada
INCENDIO		Misterioso		Paras Recording Company
METRO		Metrocafe		HipBop Records

Created: 12/14/00