Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jeff Kashiwa: Back In the Day

358

Jeff Kashiwa: Back In the Day

By

View read count
Jeff Kashiwa: Back In the Day
Few artists are true trailblazers; most others merely follow in their wake. On Back in the Day, Jeff Kashiwa follows the same contemporary and smooth jazz path taken by many technically competent, but minimally adventurous saxophonists.

That may sound like a negative criticism, but it's really not. There have always been jazz musicians whose metier lead them to being solid professionals instead of bold innovators. Back in the Day is the seventh solo album from the former—and sometimes guest—member of The Rippingtons, led by Russ Freeman, and Kashiwa hasn't wandered far from the formula of laying alto, tenor or soprano saxophone solos over standard R&B arrangements.

Fans of the sax stylings of Kenny G, Kim Waters and Richard Elliot will find lots to enjoy on this release. Far from fine cuisine, like a McDonald's large fries Kashiwa satisfies without being particularly adventurous. Deliberately prepared to appeal to mainstream tastes, the predictability is anything but moving, while Kashiwa's meticulous planning is grudgingly admirable.

Consequently, Kashiwa satisfies without being particularly adventurous.

Kashiwa isn't trying to create new standards. He's not the best tenor saxophonist out there, but neither is he the worst. As a result, Back In the Day isn't a bad album by any means, but it isn't essential listening.

Track Listing

When It Feels Good; You're the One; Creepin'; Free Flyer; Somethin' Real; Meet You There; The Attraction; Baby, Come Over; Back In the Day; Honesty.

Personnel

Jeff Kashiwa
saxophone

Jeff Kashiwa: tenor, alto and soprano saxophones; Kim Waters: keyboards and programming (1, 6) Melvin Davis: bass; Allen Hinds: guitar; Dave Kochanski: keyboards and programming (2, 10); Chris Parks: bass, guitar, keyboards and programming (3-5 ,8, 9); Rodney Lee: keyboards and programming (7); John James: lead and backing vocals (5); Vivian Sessions: backing vocals (5); Bruce Flowers: wurlitzer and organ.

Album information

Title: Back In the Day | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Shanachie Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Jeff Kashiwa Concerts


Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.