KEN NAVARRO: The Meeting Place

Ken Navarro

The Meeting Place

© 2007 Positive Music Records, Inc. (718257779227)

Contemporary Jazz by storied guitarist and composer Ken Navarro

notes

The new release from this storied contemporary jazz guitarist and composer contains 11 new recordings including a stunning version of Pat Metheny’s classic “Lakes”. Ken’s 2005 CD release "Love Coloured Soul" scored two hits at smooth jazz radio including "You Are Everything" keeping the CD on the airwaves and on the national charts for a solid 80 + weeks!

You can purchase it right now at iTunes!

reviews

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  • Incredibly Uplifting!
    author: Smoothjazz.com Review

    Ken Navarro’s 17th CD should be the benchmark for what Smooth Jazz can become moving forward from here. I see it this way: Smooth Jazz is at a crossroads. It can continue to move in the direction of audio wallpaper or simply an instrumental Top 40 format, or it can once again embrace those qualities that made it so exciting in the first place… qualities that make music compelling and memorable. THE MEETING PLACE is a template for the latter approach… the road I’d like to see taken. The compositions are accessible but complex enough to be interesting, the musicianship is outrageously good, all the tunes have that unmistakable Ken Navarro signature, and the overall “feel” of this disc is incredibly uplifting. There are 11 tracks here, ten of them written or co-written by Ken, and one “cover,” an exquisite read on the rare Pat Metheny song, “Lakes.” This is just an outstanding album on so many levels. Ken embraces elements of fusion, and takes chances with aggressive electric Santana-inspired solos on tunes like “Did You Hear That?” and “The Challenge.” All the music here emphasizes real musician interaction, with amazing performances from Jay Rowe on keys, Rob Holmes on sax, bass man Garry Grainger, Andre “Blues” Webb on drums, and Kevin Prince on percussion. The whole project sparkles with that Ken Navarro innovation that shows him to clearly be a savvy creator who expertly utilizes today’s technologies. THE MEETING PLACE is an absolute must for your collection, no question about it! ~SCOTT O'BRIEN

  • The Meeting Place is a place where six incredible musicians come to play and don
    author: smoothviews.com

    One of the first CDs out of the gate in the new year will hopefully become one of the most influential. On The Meeting Place, Ken Navarro has picked up the elements of rock and pop that have been phased out of the smooth jazz soundscape over the last decade and woven them around genre-friendly melodies and textures, reconnecting the best of both worlds in the process. On a website diary he wrote to document the recording sessions he describes it as his “most ambitious and mature work.” It is. Taking it a step further it’s one of the boldest and most impressive sets to come from an artist who is playing on the smooth jazz field since the early nineties when the music took a turn toward more restrained territory. There are others who pull it off onstage but when they step into the studio they leave it at the door. The Meeting Place is a place where six incredible musicians come to play and don’t hold anything back. Discussing the project, Navarro refers to Carlos Santana, Buzz Feiten, Pat Metheny, and the sound of the classic seventies CTI albums. He even uses the scary F-word - Fusion. Stylistically it’s an expansion, not a departure, there have been sneak previews all over his previous projects, and the lyrical melodies that kept him on the smooth jazz charts all these years are still present in abundance on this one. In these less subdued settings they really stand out. “I Wish I Knew” is hypnotically beautiful, the kind of song that goes to the top of the charts when given the chance to get heard, “My Beautiful Girls” is a breezy uptempo piece built on a Larry Carlton-ish riff, “Lucky” starts out easy, kicks in gently then just keeps building while he plays fast-fingered licks all over the fretboard. “The Language of Peace” brings world music rhythms to an instantly hummable tune. There is a group of songs here that will thrill long time fans of contemporary jazz and show the more recent ones what they’ve been missing. It took me a week to get past playing “The Challenge” over and over and over again. It builds, it burns, it has an absolutely stunning rock solo over this driving rhythm section that just doesn’t stop. An elegant intro leads into an acoustic lead, a scorching sax solo and one of keyboard player Jay Rowe’s many brilliant solos then Navarro tears into it with electric and acoustic solos that will leave you breathless! Go to the website and click on the preview of “Did You Hear That.” When was the last time you heard a guitar line like that in front of a song? There’s some searing guitar work in here. Tonally, it recalls Santana. The melody is instantly familiar even though it isn’t a cover or even a reference to another song. It’s the perfect framework for making the adventurous arrangement and intensified energy accessible. Shimmering keyboard textures give “No Other Way” a dreamy, ethereal feel, it’s got the moody vibe of a chill track but with warmth and a memorable melody. Jay Rowe’s synth part sounds like an update of those groundbreaking albums Neil Larsen recorded for A&M/Horizon almost 30 years ago. The only cover on the album is gutsy selection. Navarro brings his own sensibility to a Pat Metheny rarity, “Lakes,” which is also from the late seventies. It’s an extremely complex piece to take on and he and the band pull it off beautifully, with guitar, keyboard and sax sharing leads. The Meeting Place is not an assemblage of superstar names and multiple producers working on a patchwork of songs. It’s six seasoned and totally individualistic musicians who came in and played their hearts out and for the most part did it in the studio face-to-face. Jay Rowe (keyboards), Gary Grainger (bass), Andre “Blues” Webb (drums), Kevin Prince (percussion), and Rob Holmes (sax) play together so seamlessly it just flows with tangible energy, If too much processed music has left you desensitized it’s like that first breath of fresh air after too much time in a stuffy room. There was a point in time when the music that was to become smooth jazz split into two separate streams, one thrived while the other almost dried up. Creating a Meeting Place where these streams intersect again was a brave and spirited thing to do. Taking it off the backburner and serving it up is a gift to the people who will hear it. A gift that will make it a little bit harder to settle for less.

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