Band : Jeff Richman
Album title : Aqua
Label : Mascot Records
Distributor : PIAS
Release date : November 2008
Release : (Digipak) CD

As guitarist Jeff Richman (referred to as “JR” in the text below) normally moves in more edgy Jazz Fusion areas, most readers of Concrete Web may never have heard of him before (hey, even I…), in spite of the fact that he’s already given us a total of 12 solo albums (there’s also a couple of cooperation records) since 1986…the last being 2004’s One Two (the title relating to the number 12…amount of records already delivered, see?).

In between that album and the composition sessions for this new album, there was 2004’s Chatterbox (a unique jam band collaboration including also Mitchel Forman on keyboards, Dean Taba on bass, and Joels taylor on drums), and JR also produced 6 tribute albums (to Jeff Beck, to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, to Carlos Santana, to Miles Davis, to Steely Dan, and to John Coltrane) for the Tone Center label. When time came to get a new solo album out, JR felt it was time to do something completely new and self-inspired. Having grown up at the seaside, he took inspiration from the peaceful, calming sensation the ocean always gave him to compose the 10 tracks on the album. Not surprisingly, he immediately knew which musicians would work with him on the album, as he knew that each of ‘em would interpret the music he intended it to be. With JR and (additional) percussionist Walfredo Reyes (formerly played with Carlos Santana and Steve Winwood; with whom JR’s been working since his very first album, 1986’s Himalaya) being the only constants throughout, a short look at the track-by-track line-up tells us the album was recorded in two sessions.

For the first session, JR invited drummer Will Kennedy (Yellowjackets) and bassist Abraham Laboriel (legendary L.A. Musician) alongside keyboardist Jeff Babko (Jimmy Taylor, Jimmy Kimmel Live!). The other session included renowned drummer Simon Phillips (also contributed with some appreciated production ideas; known from Toto and Jeff Beck, to name but a items on his extensive curriculum vitae), JR’s longtime collaborator and bassist Dean Taba (whom even goes acoustic on a couple of tracks; has played with Andy Summers & David Benoit), and keyboardist Mitchel Forman (goes acoustic piano on the album closing “Down By The River”; formerly of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Stan Geetz, Metro). It seems to me that the additional musicians on the album (steel drum player Chris Wabich (Sting, Sheila E.) contributed to 3 of the tracks; Jeff Beal (Emmy winning composer) added his trumpet sounds to two songs; as Brandon Fields (known from The Rippingtons & Dave Weckl) did on 2 other tracks with is sax). With the two drummers being so diversely different (Kennedy being the Funk and Blues type of drummer, while Phillips is obviously more at home in Jazz and Rock), this also reflects in the tracks. However, and in spite of the fact that sóme tracks may be somewhat more emotionally/ energetically laden than the others, the overall mood of the album is one of serenity, and the tracks find a common foothold in the fact that JR played his Shadowsky (Jim Hall model) or Fender (Relic Stratocaster) guitar through the same 1965 Fender Super Reverb amplifier! Sure, at moments the mood is rather Bluesey than Jazzy (or vice-versa), but overall each song contains a reasonable portion of each to link the tracks together as a whole!

Definitely an album to listen to on warm Summer evenings, when you’re stuck in-land due to the job, dreaming of a quiet walk by the sea-shore! Aaacchhh, how wonderful live can be!

90/100

Tony.