Jacob H Carruthers III Makes Me Believe in Smooth Jazz Again With The Jazz In My Soul

There was a time, where I had to listen to a lot of smooth jazz. I was working at a casket retailer, and they only let me play the Jazz station in Los Angeles. I grew to hate the genre. It’s one of my weakest links in terms of record collections, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like jazz. I love jazz, when it’s done with passion, and without pretense. When it sounds like someone is truly caring about the music, and is not just throwing around pop songs into elevator music. Jacob H Carruthers III has done something incredible on the release of “The Jazz in My Soul”. He has truly given me new hope for the smooth jazz genre, by creating waves of emotion throughout every track. Nothing is wasted here, and it truly is one of the better smooth jazz records that I've heard in a long time. I'm a believer.

Hailing from Chicago, “The Jazz in My Soul” is the latest release from Jacob H Carruthers III, and it starts with one of the best piano tunes I’ve heard in a long time. “The Broken Hearted” will haunt you, and mesmerize you. It will cause you to pause what you’re doing and pay attention, it presents a soulful jazz tone that you don’t always get with the sound. It’s a beautiful way to introduce the rest of the songs. The structure changes pace on “La Samba Loco”, which is fine, as you get a sense for the style that Carruthers brings to table. It’s most definitely smooth jazz, but it has a great deal of soul in the pieces, and feels larger than the scope of the notes. Things slow down again with “Another Year”, and pick up an almost funk tone on “Rush Hour”. The bass heavy line is on par with my favorite track on the record. (I played bass for 10 years)

Overall, the tracks get more diverse and bass heavy. Carruthers finds a way to include every instrument on this recording and doesn’t waste any space. You don’t get dead air, and you don’t get repetition, as there is a fluidity to the tracks that you will definitely appreciate. Put this record on and you’ll go through a variety of emotional points, from sadness to elation and everything in between. There is a real attention given to the listener, as well as the music itself. It’s not self-serving and it’s not trying to emulate pop, it’s truly a jazz record, and that’s what I appreciate about the way it flows.

Usually with jazz, I pick out a few tracks that are my favorites, but I can’t on this one. There’s so much to be found here. Whether it’s the Spanish influence on “La Samba Loco”, or the bass and keyboards on “Sloppy Joe”, there’s something to appreciate throughout the 12 tracks. I can only hope that Carruthers gets a fair shake in the jazz world, because this is the type of music that can truly reach a wide audience. It’s played with precision, and soul, which is the foundation of good music.

You can hear "The Jazz in My Soul" here, or you can pick up the record via amazon.com, itunes, and listen via spotify as well.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10K Drops A Killer Track With Fresh White Tees

Image
10K comes out swinging with the latest catchy hip hop song you’re going to absolutely love. I’ve heard a lot of rap and hip hop tracks this year already, but a lot of it is just boring. The rhymes are just repetition, or the words just get slurred across some mediocre beats. But this, this is pretty cool, 10K drops a story rhyme that is all out catchy, and fun. 10K goes across several different thoughts in just 2 minutes and 58 seconds of music, never letting up and continually processing consciousness with rhyming ability. You’ll get hit hard up front, and by the first chorus, you’re going to be singing along. This is the type of song that really showcases a good ear for beats, rhyme schematics, and professional flow. 10K is no slacker here, he throws down as many adjectives and ideas as he can without losing the audience. Often time’s when rappers have a lot to say, they speed it up and try too hard to spit out as many sentences as possible, but not here. Here it’s a bit laid...
Read more

2KX Create A Lavish Musical Framework Beyond Comparison

Image
I know it’s my job to compare musical acts and try to paint a picture as to what they are doing so that you can go and buy the record and check them out, but every now and again artists are beyond just one genre and above any simple terminology. It’s paying disservice for me to call the latest release from 2KX anything other than a masterpiece. Fronted by Lisa LaRue, this is a release of progressive rock and is like nothing I’ve heard in a long time. Yes, there are other prog rock bands out there, but this release is a cataclysmic exemplification of art, and not just music. With the release of “Sussuration”, you get elements of every type of musical genre, but it’s like a work of art, seamless in the integral elements that make this worth picking up. I was floored by the pieces, and really found myself in awe at the precision at which every element comes together. It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle, and once you hear the record, you understand the pieces fit to make sure that this makes...
Read more

The Bloody Jug Band Launches A Contender For Best Record of 2015 With Rope Burn

Image
Best Album Art of 2015! As far as creative bands are concerned, The Bloody Jug Band just hit my radar with full force. This type of alternative rock music is one of the reasons why I love music in the first place. With their release of “Rope Burn”, they truly put down a record that is going to be on my top 10 records of 2015. It starts off a bit slow with “Volfkiller”, then it spirals out of control with some amazing elements. Mixing strong guitar driven melodies, interesting narratives in the lyrics, and strong vocals, this is a record that opens up like a horror movie and comes through with grindhouse precision, only a bit more polished. There’s a “country” vibe that you get from some of the tracks, but it seems to be more in the way the lyrics are delivered. Strong and story filled, you are going to want to close your eyes and pay attention to the words. There’s a lot going on here, a story that is very easy to follow with each hand. A strong blues and country mix with strong ...
Read more