Greg Smith: Above the Clouds

Guitarist/composer/educator Greg Smith attempts an ambitious synthesis within adult contemporary jazz intended to jettison his jazz vision from the maudlin confines of what passes for "smooth jazz today. Smith is not satisfied with the cliché throbbing synthesizers and intellectually deprived virtuosity plaguing the majority of jazz ostensibly intended for greater crossover appeal. Smith's approach is successful in its intentions on Above The Clouds.

This recording is a collection of original compositions that function as an integrated suite or "tone poem of music that touches the corner of multiple genres in an effort to assimilate these differing styles into a cohesive uber-performance. Smith has a unique ability to compose hook-filled pieces that you may well be humming later in the day after one spin of the disc. Infectious pretty well describes the entire phenomenon. Add to this the technical aspects of reveberation with a slight delay, and the resulting sound is very much Smith's own.

The title track offers a lilting example of guitar made ethereal. Smith achieves a sitar-like tone that gives the song, constructed over Western harmonies, a decidedly Eastern flavor, like a hint of curry in one's pasta. The solution of styles is provocative. Another example, "Mountain Hike, immediately takes on a Monterey-to-San Francisco feel in Smith's rhythum accompaniment to this solidly melodic song. Smith's obbligato and improvised solos are thoughtful and cleverly constructed not to waste notes—likewise, the entire recording. Above The Clouds is Greg Smith's shot across the bow of boring "smooth jazz, showing that the genre can be much, much more.