Joe Blessett - Changing Everything (2013)

Vanguard jazz had its heyday in the 1960's with the likes of trumpet player Miles Davis, pianist Bud Powell, saxophonists Jimmy Lyons and Albert Ayler, and drummer Elvin Jones to name a few. Saxophonist/keyboardist Joe Blessett is giving vanguard jazz a new sprint in its step with his sixth solo album Changing Everything. Produced by Blessett, Changing Everything is landscaped in poly-rhythmic cuts, psychedelic sounding horns, R&B grooves chromed in smooth jazz chord patterns, and soul-inspired hooks. The album crosses genres from the cool sensations of smooth jazz to the atmospheric soundscapes of New Age music.

Blessett's sax bends, twists, wiggles, and vibrates with the elasticity of a contortionist in "Defining Change", and yet, he demonstrates the sleek, satiny glides of Kenny G. in numbers like "Streets to the Stage" and "I Love You" exhibiting a diversity that shows he can play a wide range of musical expressions. The drums and horns create a mixture of poly-rhythmic cuts in the title track crashing and slicing into each other at odd angles then delves into an R&B phrasing in the saxophone swirls treading lightly along "Seduction of a Dream" and "Necessary Drama" reverberating an earthy tone.

The smooth tresses of "Sometimes Life Just Hurts" display an angelic air while the glistening synth effects trellising "Giving It" have an art-pop branding which segues into Blessett's tribute to Miles Davis in "Talking to Miles", a number that expresses a clingy, smooth swagger in the saxophone's musings. Instruments are motivated to improvise through "Hidden Edges" as the drum cymbals splash and soar producing an aquatic pumping thronged by the echoing streaks of the saxophone propelling the sonic passages. The buoyant toots of the saxophone in "Oceanic" produce a jubilant vibe as the album moves into a flotilla of floating strings suspending "Anna Mae's Place". The R&B grooves of "Thank You" are spruced in wavy saxophone twirls which shift to a sequence of delicately textured soundscapes in "White Roses" billowing softly with a freestyle reminiscent of vanguard jazz's heyday.

Joe Blessett's compositions display a wide range of sonic expressions blending elements of R&B, smooth jazz, art-pop, and improvisation. Everything Changes is a multi-textured recording that rekindles the vanguard jazz spirit of yesteryear while permeating a contemporary voicing in the works.

Tracklist:

01. Changing Everything
02. Seduction of a Dream
03. Sometimes Life Just Hurts
04. Necessary Drama
05. Giving It
06. Talking to Miles
07. Brothers
08. Hidden Edges
09. Streets to the Stage
10. Oceanside
11. Anna Mae's Place
12. Amoral Behavior
13. Thank You
14. It's Been Fun
15. White Roses
16. Miles
17. Defining Change
18. I Love You
19. Jazz R. I. P.