Smooth As Silk

I try wherever possible to live with a CD for a while before reviewing it, and I came to appreciate Mark Carter’s jazz album, Smooth As Silk, the more I spun it in my player. The ten-track album features seven original compositions from the smooth jazz guitarist and covers of tunes by Smokey Robinson, Luther Vandross and Barney Perry. I do not pretend to be an audiophile, but one of the things that jumped out at me right away is that the music on this CD is very well engineered and balanced.

The opening track, Barney Perry’s “Walking In Rhythm,” conjures up images of watching a bird effortlessly glide on the wind, simply allowing the jet streams to lift it, and then watching it gracefully float down again. Carter’s guitar work is contagious, as he infuses his chords with personality and flair. Greg Adams’ trumpet work is always a treat to listen to, but this time it is the mellow, fatter notes of his flugelhorn that bring warmth to “Walking In Rhythm.”

Who could ever forget Smokey Robinson smoothly singing the lines, “I don’t care what they think about me / I don’t care what they say / I don’t care what they think if you’re leaving / I’m going to beg you to stay,” from his # 1 hit song, “Being With You?” Just as smoothly, Tim Redfield, who co-produced Smooth As Silk with Carter, introduces the song with some gentle, ethereal keyboarding and synthesizer playing. By far this is the most beautiful song on the album, and one of the prettiest instrumentals I have heard in a long time. If you are familiar with Smokey’s tune, you will no doubt catch yourself singing along.

Carter’s playing is so seamless, so unblemished, that by the time the fourth track “Funky Like Dat!” original rolls around, you almost take him for granted. In some ways, Carter reminds me a lot of one of my favorite smooth jazz guitarists, Nils, as both men have the ability to play intensely and at a high tempo without the sound ever becoming heavy or tired. They have the ability to keep the music light and airy. Throughout the album, Redfield’s playing and arrangements remind me a lot of the right hat on a man, or great earrings on a lady; they provide just the right accent to draw your attention to how handsome the man, or how beautiful the woman, is. They do not make that person beautiful or handsome, but because they complement them so well, you are drawn closer. Redfield’s playing does that for Carter, and we might say that Carter does that in turn for Redfield. Another song that you want to listen for is “Talk To Me Brother,” because Redfield lays down some lively keyboard chops, while Carter serenades the listener with some sprightlier playing.

Saxophonist, Jeff Kashiwa, who serves up a wonderful solo on “Funky Like Dat!”, returns later on the CD for the Vandross tune, “I Know.” While his saxophone was a little brasher for “Funky Like Dat!”, now he is gentle, imploring, as he and Carter engage in an intimate dialogue befitting of the Vandross lyrics. Carter’s guitar takes the role of the man trying to make sense of the blurred lines between friendship and love, while Kashiwa’s saxophone is at times aloof, at others flirtatious and sometimes just confused. This is a beautiful song about two people trying to make sense of it all, and Carter and Kashiwa provide us with a beautiful interpretation that beckons us to the dance floor…one more time, to try and make sense of it all.

There are a lot of drum loops used in the production of this CD but the hand played music is so wonderful, you soon forget about the loops.

Smooth As Silk is much more than a smooth jazz CD; it is a masterful creation, and reflection of what art should really be about. Each of the musicians, including previously unmentioned saxophonist Sean Holt (“There’s That Girl” and “Old Days”), brings their own special colors and sensitively apply brushstrokes to these wonderful songs.