Head's Up Int'l
June 2000

Contemporary Jazz
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By Dave Hughes

Throughout the 1990s, Heads Up International has established itself as a consistently reliable source of good quality contemporary jazz. Some established talent has graced its catalog, such as saxophonists Richie Cole and Dave Liebman, Brazilian sensation Ivan Lins, and the triumverate of Andy Narell, Dave Samuels, and Paquito D'Rivera as the Caribbean Jazz Project as well as individually. The label has devoted most of its resources to developing the careers of promising new talent, most notably: pianists Joe McBride and Henry Johnson, bassist Gerald Veasley, saxophonists Kenny Blake and Pamela Williams, and harpists Roberto Perera and Carlos Guedes. (Guedes' version of Chick Corea's "Spain" on the harp on Churun Meru is breathtaking.) Lately, Heads Up has been moving in a more “smooth” direction, as you’ll note from some reviews of their most recent releases, below.

Heads Up has also been a leader in the multimedia presentation of music. Almost all of their releases for the last few years have been "enhanced CDs" which include video clips of the performers, additional biographical information and performance notes, and information about other Heads Up releases.

Roberto Perera is the longest-standing and most prolific artist on the Heads Up roster - and probably the most unique. His axe is the Paraguayan harp. It's sensual beauty turns each tune into an enchanting delight. On his sixth outing, In the Mood, (no connection to the Glenn Miller chestnut), Perera leans a little more towards the smooth formula, but he is still traveling basically the same territory as his previous releases. But his boundary-transcending harp and agreeable song selections rise above the sometimes pedestrian rhythm tracks to save the day. Omnipresent guitarists Peter White and Marc Antoine lend their identifiable guitar voices as well as composing talents, and keyboarding/programmer Tim Redfield handles the producing and arranging on the remaining seven tunes, composing three. Other notable contributors include Heads Up labelmate Richard Smith (guitar), Tony Guerrero (flugelhorn) and Greg Vail (saxes). Guerrero's flugelhorn, in particular, is a welcome new voice on Perera's musical landscape.

Heads Up founder and president Dave Love visited South Africa in January, 1999, with label pianist Joe McBride on the occasion of McBride's appearance at the Jazzathon festival in Cape Town (the first U.S. musician to appear at the festival). Impressed by the local talent and smitten by the local culture and the music eminating from it, Love began conceptualizing this album as a way to introduce some of South Africa's contemporary jazz talent to the rest of the world. The result is a multi-artist smorgasbord called simply Smooth Africa. The music, at first listen, isn't much different from some of the better smooth jazz being made in the U.S. The main difference (and benefit) is the comfortable, easy-flowing grooves of the African folk rhythms which provide the foundation. This is one of those albums that reveals greater depth and grows on you with each subsequent listen.

Some of the instrumental voices you hear will be quite familiar. There's the easily recognizable guitar stylings of Jonathan Butler, and the always-enjoyable flugelhorn of Hugh Masekela, two of South Africa's best known musical exports. Joe McBride plays keyboards on two cuts: his own "11 Ks to Freedom" and Abdullah Ibrahim's "Manenberg" (a nice duet between McBride and Butler). Steel pan master Andy Narell appears on two tracks, including one of his compositions. While the steel drums are obviously from Trinidad, their festive timbres blend nicely with the South African rhythms. Dave Love's composition is most evocative of the African heartland, with resonant bongos, shakers, a rain stick, a native chorus, and Masekela's airy, contemplative flugelhorn wafting on top. Many other tunes on the program are performed completely by the South African talent. Standouts include guitarist Russell Stirling, bassist Spiho Gumede, composer/programmer Martin Walters (his "Cape Blues Got 'em?" in 5/4 time is particularly interesting), flugelhornist Ian Smith, and pianist Jacob Jensen.

Andy Narell's trip to South Aftica in September, 1999, was musically inspirational to him as well. The opening cut of Narell's new Fire in the Engine Room abounds with African rhythmic influences. Indeed, the entire program represents Narell's continuously expanding world music vision; it's a welcome next chapter on the musical journey that has developed throughout his discography. Pianist Dario Eskenazi, first heard with Narell in the Caribbean Jazz Project, is especially impressive. Other familiar faces, bandmembers former and current, ensure ensemble coherance and alignment with Narell's musical vision. There's Oscar Stagnaro (another CJP alum), Keith Jones, and Michel Alibo on bass; Paul van Wageningen, Mark Walker, and Jean Phillippe Fanfant on drums; and the omnipresent Luis Conte on percussion, among others. "Blue Mazooka" is particularly fascinating, with it's constantly shifting rhythms and time signatures. "The Long Way Back" opens with a break from the pulsing rhythms of the rest of the program with some beautiful piano balladry by Eskenazi. All in all, another richly rewarding program from one of music's most talented, unique and visionary performers.

Six-string bassist Gerald Veasley amply demonstrates his fleet-fingered yet lyrical technique on his fourth solo release for Heads Up, Love Letters. Veasley expertly navigates the upper range of his instrument, covering the melodies, often in tandem with the sax, as well as offering well-placed solos and shorter bursts of notes as fills. Veasley also shines as a composer, having penned all or part of eight of the ten tunes. A nice update of Donny Hathaway's "Valdez in the Country" and visiting guitarist Chieli Minucci's aptly-named "Hypnotize" complete the program. Minucci's guitar and Veasley's bass coordinate particularly well on the latter. Other notable guests include Grover Washington, Jr. and Eric Marienthal, as well as supporting appearances by several longtime members of Washington's band. The program is sufficiently varied, yet stays solidly in the contemporary jazz/R&B groove.

Vocalist Philip Bailey, best known for his remarkable falsetto flights with Earth, Wind, and Fire, has joined the Heads Up roster and issued his label debut, Dreams. Bailey's EWF fans should not be disappointed. The first six cuts are solidly in the lite R&B/smooth jazz genre. Erik Huber, one of the album's producers, contributed three originals, plus EWF's "Sail Away" (which Bailey co-composed) gets reworked from it's original 3/4 time into a new 4/4 treatment. Bailey covers Van Morrison's "Moondance" and Bread's "Make It With You" with rather predictable results. The program takes a jazzier turn on two of the last four tunes, and listeners are treated to a new side of Bailey's talents. "Masquerade is Over" swings nicely, buoyed by Gerald Albright's thoughtful sax fills. Pat Metheny guest stars on the beautiful Metheny/Mays ballad "Something to Remind You," with lyrics added by Sir Bailey, Philip's son. The most "programmed" cut is "Are We Doing Better Now," with keyboards, programming, and synth solo by George Duke. Other big names that pop up here and there include Heads Up labelmates Gerald Veasley (bass), Joe McBride (piano), Grover Washington, Jr., Peter White, Kirk Whalum, Everette Harp, and Luis Conte.

Guitarist Richard Smith has released his sixth album, and his second for Heads Up, Flow. That he has found the time to record six albums is remarkable, considering his 125-gigs-per-year touring with Richard Elliot, occasional touring with other smooth jazz luminaries, and the fact that he is the chairman of the guitar studies department at USC. However, with the release of Flow, he has taken a six-month sabbatical from USC and given up his sideman gigs in order to concentrate on his music. The CD itself is perfectly positioned for radio airplay (all of his previous albums have scored in the top five of the smooth jazz charts), with the requisite drum loops, catchy melodies, and tasteful yet not overly adventurous solos. While the spotlight is primarily on Smith's guitar, Sean Holt's sax provides the counterpoint on many tunes, and Tim Redfield provides keyboards, programming, two compositions, and co-production. Most of the other tunes are Smith compositions, plus there are two covers from divergent sources: Miles Davis' "Milestones" and Kenny G's "Pastels." The melody of "Milestones" is recognizable, of course, but it's set against the same smooth programmed background that's typical of the rest of the program.

Soprano saxophonist Marion Meadows' Another Side of Midnight is also smooth all the way. The concept and inspiration here is the nightlife in New York City, starting with the title cut as the opener, progressing through titles such as "Last Call," "Sunset Moon," "4:00 a.m.," "Longing Hearts," up to the closer, "Sunrise." Despite the suggested imagery, the music rarely departs from the expected gentle melodies, soprano leads and noodling solos, and drum loops (on most tunes). Other adornments include occasional breathy background vocals, muted trumpet courtesy of Tom Browne, and lite vibes from Dave Samuels. Michael Bearden and Bob Baldwin split the composer/keyboardist/programmer/producer duties on almost all tunes. This release should do well on the charts, as have Meadows' previous five outings.

Guitarist Joyce Cooling is attracting quite a bit of airplay and media attention with her sophomore release, Keeping Cool. This disc is essentially a duet release, with Jay Wagner providing all keyboards and programming and sharing composer, arranger, and producer credits on all tunes. Only "Little Five Points" includes touring bandmembers Gary Calvin (bass) and Billy Johnson (drums), plus Peter Michael Escovedo III (percussion). The tunes have everything it takes to be successful in the smooth jazz format: lightly energetic tunes with memorable melodies, mellow guitar (with occasional doubling of wordless vocal) sailing over a backdrop of canned drum beats, string synths and other keyboard textures. "Ain't Life Grand" stands out as a softer, more expressive, lightly classical-flavored piece that's free of drum beats. Overall, this is one of the better executed and more appealing offerings in this genre.

Visit the links below to read other reviews of Heads Up releaseses.

• Live at MCG by Ivan Lins
• 100 Years of Latin Love Songs by Paquito D’Rivera
• Live at the Berks Jazz Fest, by the Heads Up Super Band (Joe McBride, Kenny Blake, Gerald Veasley, Keith Carlock)