Kenny Carr: Turn The Page

I have to confess to being fooled by this recording, the second from guitarist Kenny Carr. It begins in a rather ordinary smooth jazz manner on the first few tracks. Carr, accompanied by bassist Tom Baldwin and drummer Frank Russo, generates a pleasant ambiance with Earl Klugh-type acoustic playing.

Then, with "Cadiz Sunset," the mood shifts to a fingerstyle Caribbean setting which is closer to mainstream jazz. Following that, guest tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, who appears on four tracks, instigates a fuller jazz combo appoach, which Carr's guitar matches on "Bleeker Street." On the title tune, organist John Dryden turns up the heat, and this selection heats up even more with a more rock-ish guitar influence from Carr.

Then the album falls back into that pattern of smooth jazz tracks, followed by far funkier organ-accompanied titles, as well as on the lengthiest selection, "Soho Strut," where McCaslin's stimulating tenor sax drives this session forward. This all makes it difficult to pick out the "real" Kenny Carr's style, since he seems much more versatile than I originally thought. Originally from Santa Cruz, California and a member of Ray Charles' orchestra, Carr seems comfortable working in smooth jazz, straight-ahead or fusion musical environments.