Bob James & David Sanborn: Double Vision (1986)

David Sanborn's saxophone complements Bob James' keyboards perfectly on the appropriately titled DOUBLE VISION. Sanborn, James, and bassist Marcus Miller all contribute compositions, and the listener encounters a wonderful variety of musical styles throughout the album's seven tracks. DOUBLE VISION opens on its highest note with Miller's "Maputo," a lush and moody song that highlights Sanborn's skills and sets the pace for the rest of the recording.

Miller also penned the romantic "More than Friends". James and Sanborn join compositional forces on "Moon Tune" and "Never Enough." Sanborn contributes the popular "It's You," a tune that features James prominently. "Maputo" may be the DOUBLE VISION's instrumental highlight, but Al Jarreau's vocal on "Since I Fell for You" is the album's romantic peak. This 1986 collaboration ranks top among contemporary jazz albums.

Tracklist
01. Maputo
02. More Than Friends
03. Moon Tune
04. Since I Fell For You
05. It's You
06. Never Enough
07. You Don't Know Me
Personnel
Bob James - keyboards
David Sanborn - alto saxophone
Al Jarreau - vocal on track 4
Paul Milton Jackson, Jr. - guitar
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
Marcus Miller - bass
Steve Gadd - drums
Eric Gale - guitar
Double Vision
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George Benson: While the City Sleeps (1986)

The transformation of George Benson, guitar icon, into George Benson, pop singer, is completed here, on While the City Sleeps, for there are no instrumentals at all on this hard-sell, synth-laden series of ballads and dance tunes. This is marginally better than 20/20, for at least Michael Walden's high-tech production (with added tracks by Kashif and Tommy LiPuma) has more punch, and the material, though still mostly lame, is easier to take. There is very little guitar to be heard, and what little there is can usually be found hidden behind Benson's scatting or the pulsating electronics. The best bet for ferreting out some strong guitar is on "Love Is Here Tonight," but it's deep within the mix. For those who care, an animated Kenny G turns up on "Did You Hear Thunder." -- AMG

While the City Sleeps

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Bola Sete: At the Monterey Jazz Festival (1966)

Nine months before a certain other guitarist made a huge splash at a Monterey music festival, Brazilian acoustic guitarist Bola Sete left his own mark on an American jazz audience still feeding its voracious appetite for all things Brazilian. To be sure, Bola Sete didn't sneak up on the American public quite like Jimi Hendrix did--after all, Sete had made waves as part of Vince Guaraldi's ensemble in the years leading up to this historic 1966 performance. The classically trained Sete wowed fans with a unique style that seemed to fall somewhere between Andres Segovia's elegance and Django Reinhardt's exuberance, a space not as wide as you might think. By the summer of '66, Sete had graduated to his own trio with bassist Sebastiao Neto and percussion master Paulinho Da Costa.The centerpiece of this performance is the three-song "Black Orpheus Medley," but Sete adds a pair of noteworthy originals. "Soul Samba" has subtle blues inflections that remind you that Barney Kessel was the first jazz guitarist to catch his ear. "Flamenco" is a simply stunning solo performance that blends challenging chording with incredibly speedy single-note runs, and offers the most overt example of his comfort with the folk traditions of his homeland. At some points, he amazingly plays his own bass accompaniment to his upper-register notes. This long-overdue 2000 CD reissue fleshes out the original LP release by adding 4 minutes to the medley as well as 2 unreleased cuts (with poorer sound quality) from the show, including a bossa nova arrangement of Ellington's "Satin Doll." ~ by Marc Greilsamer

Personnel:
Bola Sete (Guitar)
Sebastiao Neto (Bass and Percussion)
Paulinho Da Costa (Drums)
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