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Who did you "used to" like?

A

AC Tones

I thought this might be a fun topic, guys. You have often heard me say, "I used to like Artist X before he/she became Artist X." What I mean by that is, there are a number of artists out there I used to revere when they first broke onto the contemporary jazz, but subsequently got seduced by "The Machine" and their deep pockets. First, let me state that this is not necessarily an indictment of these artists, because I know each of them is immensely talented, and if someone came along to pay me big bucks for my services (and it promised to put A LOT of food on the table), I'd probably sign on the dotted line as well. But in the process of recalling Brian Hughes' underrated discography, I could not help thinking about a few artists who emerged with terrific, vibrant, and largely instrumental projects in the same early-to-mid 90s time frame, and like Hughes, flew under the radar until their popularity exploded and, IMO, became bigger than their music. Here are my Top 3, in no particular order:

1. Chris Botti
2. Brian Culbertson
3. Boney James

Dave Koz would have made this list as well, but he redeemed himself big time with his latest. And as much as it pains me to say it, even Russ Freeman lost me for a stretch (close to 10 years, in fact), but has since cranked out a string of projects with that "throwback" Ripps' sound in "Wild Card," "Twenty", "Modern Art", and "Cote D'Azur." So let's hear your choices. Who are veteran artists that you know have the talent to keep this format relevant and fresh, but somewhere along the line lost their way due to external forces? Let's hope some of the new artists emerging on the scene find a way to survive without having to sell their soul and stunt their creativity.
 
Nock said:
Peter White
Richard Elliot
Paul Taylor


Nock
Click to expand...

Nice choices, Nock. Paul Taylor is definitely a guy who can play, and really has not cranked anything special out lately, IMO. He would certainly be an honorable mention for me. But Peter White and Richard Elliot have collectively put together such an impressive body of work over the last 20 years (and remain two of my favorite artists of all time), that I am reticent to name them on this thread. That said, their most recent efforts were certainly not their best, not by a long shot.
 
Good thread AC, I will have to list the following, ...

Mindi Abair - Last two cds aren't as great as her first two. I'm looking forward to see what her next cd will be.
Norman Brown
 
Paul Taylor's new one is stronger than his recent releases..I did like "Burnin" and "It's like that"(?) from his last one..but this is a guy who needs to sound in the studio like he sounds live.

Totally agree about Culbertson - his first two I still love then he did a total style change. Boney - sigh..so killer live and I still listen to Trust and Backbone a lot. Botti was doing some really fresh stuff and bringing an AAA vibe to his projects until someone told him about chill...

Norman Brown - his first Motown one, AFter The Storm, Better Days Ahead ..then he hooked up with Paul Brown and the BA crowd and did a total 180. Still killer live but snoozy in the studio.
Richard Elliot - he said in an interview that P Brown taught him not to play just loud and fast.
Peter White had some strong, energized and interesting songs on Good Day but none of them were "singles" so it appeared that the album was boring when it wasn't

Craig Chaquico - Something happened around "Four Corners" _he totally changed, probably the smooth mandate..Will Sumner put out the album I wish Chaquico would do...
 
I guess Paul Brown won't be getting any Christmas cards from you this year, Cat. :D

Agree that Peter White's latest had some terrific tracks, like "Always, Forever" and "Mission To Mars," neither of which made Allen Kepler's Top 20 countdown. ;) But I think he has done better. In fact, "Confidential," which was grossly underplayed upon its release, IMO is arguably his best work since "Promenade." Are we seeing a trend here? Grossly underplayed music that base listeners love. Where is "old" Boney? Where is "old" Culbertson? Despite it being their finest work, few (Internet only) are playing it. And yet we sit here and chat about "has beens" like KTWV and KYOT. It's easy to see why they are yesterday's news.
 
Although there are a few who break away from the pack-90% of the SJ artists have been making the same CD for the past decade-Nothing radically different or compelling.
Maybe that is how the audience likes it
 
The audience doesn't seem to be liking it much...they are paying to see the live gigs but they won't pony up for the CDs and you see a lot of big name releases being sold on Amazon and Half.com..yeah they may buy burn and sell but people tend to keep the ones they really enjoy.
 
Actually I liked Kenny G's old Champagne song (from 1986) before he started getting a little bit annoying.

-crainbebo
 
For me, I lost interest in Special EFX in the late 1990's. Their recordings on GRP and early JVC releases sounded great. They had a percussion-heavy world music sound that appealed to me. Obviously, George Jinda's death affected the sound of the group. But their releases afterward all have that same pseudo-funky sound that every single smooth jazz artist adopted from 1995 onward.
 
crainbebo said:
Actually I liked Kenny G's old Champagne song (from 1986) before he started getting a little bit annoying.

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

"Duotones" was very good. It is debatable as to whether or not it is an essential CD, but it was far and away Kenny G's best work.

As for Special EFX, I have to completely agree with spiritof67. The loss of George Jinda was huge, and there was a noticeable change in their sound after his passing. Take nothing away from Chieli Minucci. He is a super talented guy. But for me, it was akin to listening to The Ripps without Steve Reid. Reid's percussion work really brought an edge to the group that they really haven't had since. Far too often, good percussion and bass work is taken for granted and overshadowed by the "stars." But in my mind, percussion and bass are the foundation for great tunes that have that "vibe" I often speak of.
 
I guess I'm the exception to the rule. I like mostly everything, even though I am more partial to the more uptempo, funky music.
 
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