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Crescendo Ignace "Iggy" Jang |
Smooth jazz expands
horizonsOnly two more Honolulu Symphony Pops concert weekends remain. It's been an eventful season, in which we just missed winning a Grammy Award for Rosemary Clooney's "The Last Concert." Spotting maestro Matt Catingub on the red carpet with Barbara Streisand and other artists made me proud of our symphony.
This weekend, we'll welcome Mr. Smooth Jazz, three-time Grammy nominee David Benoit. This pianist-composer helped pioneer the style back in the '80s, before Dave Koz and George Benson. Benoit brought us "Every Step of the Way" and "Waiting for Spring" -- tunes that offered new horizons to jazz musicians and turned many of us into jazz fans. The evolution of the smooth jazz genre opened the door for fresh sounds and rhythms that took listeners by storm.
Contemporary Jazz
The Honolulu Symphony Pops, with David Benoit, Michael Paulo and Sonya MendezIn concert: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Place: Blaisdell Concert Hall
Tickets: $20 to $65
Call: 792-2000
These concerts will be groovy, soulful jam sessions with Benoit, maestro Matt and the Symphony Pops.
What's cool for us is the variety of music encompassed in our "Contemporary Jazz" concert title. You can call smooth jazz "contemporary," but you don't have to call contemporary jazz "smooth." Acid and fusion jazz also fit under the contemporary label. Then again, some call smooth jazz an outgrowth of fusion, while others make a distinction between the contemporary and smooth labels altogether. They say one comes from progressive rock, the other from rhythm and blues.
Confused? Me, too. What really matters is that Benoit is a jazz maverick who uses layers of light-funk rhythms, easy funk bass, electric guitars and more. His music is mood-oriented and polished, and his golden touch on the ivories is inspirational.
Benoit's got a funky side as well. He's not afraid to poke fun at himself with songs such as "War of the SUVs" or to experiment with new sonorities. His top charts use lush strings to achieve ambient moods, yet on a few of his tunes, there are none, giving the music an edgier texture.
Smooth jazz got its label when Benoit songs first hit the airwaves. In the late '70s, popular radio stations called their format the Quiet Storm, a tag line that originated in Chicago. Initially, it featured urban music blended with traditional jazz.
Years later in L.A., Quiet Storm evolved into contemporary, with jazz instrumentals and pop vocals from artists such as Dionne Warwick. In 1988, Benoit's hip, mellow tunes became so successful that L.A.'s "Wave" radio station changed its format from Quiet Storm to smooth jazz. Benoit's mass appeal hit a target no radio station could afford to miss, and his music created a ripple effect across the country.
Our maestro and Benoit go back a while. They first met in L.A. while performing in rehearsal bands with Benoit on the piano and Matt on the sax. While each went his own successful way, they've remained friends. For this reunion, Benoit has selected numbers from his latest album, "Right Here Right Now," as well as other favorite hits. We'll also play melodies from his ode to the late Vince Guaraldi, the CD "Here's to You, Charlie Brown! 50 Great Years!" If you were listening to the radio or watching TV just a few years ago, you couldn't escape these catchy "Peanuts" tunes.
We'll also welcome two special guests: singer Sonya Mendez and saxophonist Michael Paulo. Mendez, a judge on TV's "Hawaii Stars," is known as a musical chameleon, having sung everything from traditional jazz to Hawaiian pops, Latin and top 40 hits. This weekend, she'll perform a new Ella Fitzgerald medley, arranged specially for her by maestro Catingub.
Do you remember Michael Paulo's last visit here? We all went nuts when he started jamming to his "Millennium Swing" album. He's a master at creating romantic moods and retro funk grooves, and audiences will have a chance to enjoy songs from his "One Passion to My Heart" and "Soul" CDs. Don't be surprised if "Millennium Swing" starts shaking the house again!
Ignace "Iggy" Jang is the Honolulu Symphony's concertmaster. His column will appear on the Monday prior to each concert of the season to illuminate works to be performed. E-mail comments and questions to Jang at suggestions@honolulusymphony.com