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Brian Simpson: Persuasion
by Jeff Winbush
There's jazz that is edgy, startling, daring, confrontational and demands attention be paid. It grabs you by the ears and pulls you close and won't let go. Then there's a kinda/sorta jazz where all the edges have been sanded off, there's no chances taken, no unexpected or startling moments, and nothing is ever at risk. If that's your thing, then Brian Simpson's Persuasion is here for you. Simpson plays nice piano and there's some nice synths and nice ...
Continue ReadingBrian Simpson: Out of A Dream
by Jeff Winbush
Some records not only desire your attention, they demand it. Think of Miles or Trane or Mingus and think of just puttering around the house as the music plays. It can't be done. The grandmasters of jazz made music that required it be heard and not merely listened to. Out of A Dream is not one of those records. In fact, it really would prefer if you went on with doing laundry, peeling potatoes, or organizing your socks ...
Continue ReadingBrian Simpson: Just What You Need
by Jeff Winbush
The raison d'être behind Brian Simpson's Just What You Need is not as audacious as to reshape jazz as we know it, but to provide some easy listening while we're waiting. The ambitions here are a bit more modest as Simpson, who is best known as Dave Koz's bandleader, brings together an accomplished crew of studio veterans in a setting where they can groove with each other. There are few surprises and fewer risks taken and while everything is certainly ...
Continue ReadingBrian Simpson: South Beach
by Jeff Winbush
Sometimes you have to accept something for what it is. Keyboardist Brian Simpson's debut for Shanachie , South Beach, sounds like a thesis submitted to the College of Smooth Jazz. It hits all the tropes of the genre: plenty of tinkling keyboard melodies, funky bass n' drums riffs, sweet saxophone seasonings, and vanilla background vocals. That may seem like a criticism, but it's not; it is a recognition of what may have been on Simpson's checklist, and how successfully he ...
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