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Jonathan Fritzen / Diamonds

I

Interstate 78

You guys are all excited about Geith's new CD "Island of A Thousand Dreams" (and rightfully so), but hold your horses. Have you guys heard Jonathan Fritzen's new disc "Diamonds?" Holy crap. That's all I can say. If there aren't goose bumps running up and down your spine as you're laying unconscious on the floor thinking you're in 1990 listening to the way smooth jazz radio used to sound, then my name isn't Interstate 78. :p
 
Two things I forgot to mention yesterday after listening to the single about 5 more times (yes, that's how much I love it). ::) The single is "Dance with Me," and should be an instant add on any independent smooth jazz station or internet station. Secondly, I should clarify. I feel bad about saying it'll take you back to 1990. I don't want to give the impression the CD is stuck 20 years ago. Jonathan Fritzen actually takes the genre to where it should be going, with a fresh, hip, contemporary sound. Think of it as an updated Jonathan Cain "Elegance on the Catwalk." What I said yesterday is right. It has those elements of 1990 smooth jazz, but updated for 2010. Have you ever seen me get so excited about an album? It's just amazing and gives me hope this format is alive and very well. There's samples of the album on his website if you haven't gotten your hands on the single yet. I was stressed out last night and just passed out in a lawn chair out back looking at the mountains from my back yard and listening to "Dance with Me." ;D
 
Unlike some, I have been a big fan of Fritzen's work since "Love Birds," and have mentioned him on this forum a number of times. I think he represents the wonderful new breed of young, emerging contemporary jazz artists, and he gets plenty of airplay on my station, and I will be spinning his new one as well.
 
I apologize! I didn't realize you already played him and I missed your prior posts about him. I can't imagine anyone not loving him, especially his latest work. Thanks for playing! ;D Sorry to get so excited about him on here, but this latest album really had an effect on me. That album is what smooth jazz is supposed to be about! ;D
 
Nock said:
I have a hard time getting past his cover photographs.

Nock
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True enough. LOL ;D But that aside, the music is amazing. At least I think so, but there must be folks who don't think so. Even Watercolors doesn't play him that I know of.
 
There is a style of "smooth jazz shuffle" that SJ acoustic piano guys do where they kind of noodle around and play a lot of grace notes and it just sounds EZ/old to me...Karukas does it, Brian Simpson does it, Oli Silk does it..someone must like it since people keep doing it but his last one didn't do much for me and I can't get excited about this one at all becuase it just has no momentum, energy or hook. The first 3 songs on Geith's CD were kinda like that but then when you got past those it really opened up and got interesting!
 
Wow, I feel kinda goofy now getting so excited about this disc, until I've seen some of the opinions on it. ::) But I respect them and I see where you guys are coming from. I guess I really better check out Geith's new CD because I was a huge fan of the tune "Sweet Sensation" on his "Timeless World" disc and if this new disc is anything like that, chances are I'll be just as impressed and maybe more so than I am with this Fritzen CD. ;D
 
Everyone has different ears, different inclinations and different priorities as far as the overall sound/target audience for their station, show, or private listening. The wonderful thing about now as opposed to the BA era is that there is no longer "one voice and one way" so JF will work wonderfully for some, for others not so much because it is the traditional smooth jazz sound which works for some and not for others. So glad all options are open now!
 
You're right on Interstate. We picked this single from Jonathan's new CD and feedback is fantastic!

"Dance With Me" is #1 Most Added on Smoothjazz.com's chart this week.

Smooth Jazz needs to follow Country radio's lead on creating stars for the future. Fritzen's got the goods!
 
Alljazz said:
Smooth Jazz needs to follow Country radio's lead on creating stars for the future. Fritzen's got the goods!
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and ditching pumping singles to radio. The Fritzen single does not blow my skirt up, but I am sure there is something on the disc that will. Need the full on Manu Katche as well. Put a few meals on his table back in my days of following Gabriel around the country.

Nock
 
Smooth Jazz needs to follow Country radio's lead on creating stars for the future
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The stars of the future need to sound like the future..not derivative/imitative of something from the past. Geith, Will Donato, Lao Tizer, Steve Oliver (still on the brink..), U-Nam, Jaared, Anthony James Baker, Cindy Bradley, Blake Aaron, Tony Vattimo, Bernie Williams/

Funny thing is that the artists who are really breaking out of the box and moving forward into expanding the sound of the genre are establisheds acts - Golub, Mindi, Ken Navarro, Standring, Chieli Minucci (his new one is amazing..lots of fusion flavor)
 
I adore Chieli's new one..it's got chill and (be still my heart) fusion. And a killer real NAC vocal - Hushabye - which will work for us (pop/rock lean) and because of the way he sings it it will work for more R&B leaning shows too.
 
Yet another example of the good people of the Radio-Info Smooth Jazz community blazing a trail for those who cannot blaze one for themselves. :D
 
producer57 said:
To me Jonathan is a poor mans Brian Culbertson. Not very original,very programmed and nothing new.
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So who is original these days as far as keyboardists go? I see talented guys that I used to follow like Bob Baldwin doing Michael Jackson covers. I'd rather see a guy crank out original mid-tempo cuts than someone retreading a pop vocalist's work from 30 years ago. And I would take a poor man's Culbertson over today's Culbertson for sure. Talk about a guy who got romanced by the machine.
 
Patrick Bradley, Jay Rowe and Tony Vattimo are the keyboardists I have heard recently that don't sound like they hatched out of the Culbertson nest. Bradley is tight with Lorber but doesn't imitate him. Rowe just put out a live CD that shows what he can do when he cuts loose, and a few right here were high on Tony V when it first came out.
 
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