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Onaje Allan Gumbs: Remember Their Innocence
Gumbs is a talented pianist, to be sure, and I suspected that this CD was forced on him by the record label to attract some nonexistent "crossover" audience; however, since the Ejano label is run by the pianist himself, the damage appears to be self-inflicted. The best that can be said of the CD is that it has the feel of a second-rate Dave Grusin imitator.
Indeed, the title song, "Remember Their Innocence," featuring a melody doubled by single-line guitar and piano, I could have sworn was scene cutaway music from The Fabulous Baker Boys. There are a couple of nice tunes included, however, and the best of the lot is undoubtedly "Sol Brilho," a swinging samba featuring guitarist Romero Lumbambo of Trio da Paz and the ever reliable alto saxophonist Sadao Watanabe.
Other featured artists include Branice McKenzie, a serviceable singer who does a decent job on the torch song "Maybe Next Year" that has changes similar to those of "How Long Has This Been Going On?". Eddie Allen presents a nice straight-ahead trumpet solo on "Innerchange."
Track Listing
Prologue; Healing Zone; Remember Their Innocence; Sol Brilho (Sunshine of Dreams); Innerchange; Maybe Next Year; All I Hear (Quiet Passion); Virgo Rising; Crystal Images; You Just Don't Know; Playtime; Shadowlight; Your Love; Epilogue.
Personnel
Onaje Allan Gumbs
pianoOnaje Allan Gumbs (piano, keyboards), Roger Byam (tenor and soprano saxophone), Kenny Davis (bass), Billy Kilson (drums), Larry Argese (acoustic guitar), Sadao Watanabee (alto saxophone), Romero Lubambo (acoustic guitar), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), Caf
Album information
Title: Remember Their Innocence | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Ejano Records