Jango

Jango - Closer to Home - 2000 - Samson Music

A good smooth jazz album from Jango. It's tight, funky, and is way above the average "listen, but don't hear" elevator type smooth jazz that is all too pervasive today. This album shows some originality. The musicianship on the album is good, and the sound is very seventies based. There are obvious Donald Fagen/Steely Dan influences here, and if you like the Dan sound, you may appreciate this album more. Check out their 1999 album, "Dreamtown," and for more music in the same mould, listen to Tom Scott & The L.A. Express' brilliant "Tom Cat" album.

TRACKS

Soul Casserole
Joyful Caravan (For Curtis)
Sweet and Low Down
Under the Influence of Love
Diamond Drive
What Your Heart Tells You to Do
The Score Pt. 2
Closer to Home
Pink Flamingos
Nightside Express
The Beard
Kool Down Ez
Soul Casserole (2nd Helping)

All tracks composed by Steve LeGassick, & Michael Price, except
"Diamond Drive," "What Your Heart Tells You to Do," & "Kool Down Ez" by Steve LeGassick, Michael Price, &
Steve Nieves

MUSICIANS

Steve Nievas - Lead & Background Vocals, Saxophone
Nick Kirgo, Annas Allaf - Guitars
Leon Johnson - Bass
Steve Le Gassick - Keyboards
Dave Bever - Drums, Percussion
Charlie Peterson - Flugelhorn

REVIEW

Many young players think it's hip to include retro-soul elements like Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer and wah-wah guitars into their smooth jazz mix; the five studio musician members of Jango, however, came of age as players in the 70s and revel in living completely in the past, unabashedly centering whole tunes (both vocal and instrumental) around the styles of Ace, Tom Scott and Steely Dan. Last year's debut Dreamtown was a bit too focused on copying the Becker-Fagen style, and while Steve Nieves' voice and the crafty lyrics of oddball tunes like "The Beard" and "Pink Flamingos" on Closer To Home are still in that vein, this overreliance on the overly familiar is balanced by new L.A. Express type instrumentals and gentle ballads like "What Your Heart Tells You" that offer a hint of greater depth. While a decent vocalist, Nieves shines brighter fronting on sax. Caressed by a rising brass section on "Soul Casserole," his jumpy alto leaps and dives around a crunching of wah-wah and rhythm guitars (by Nick Kirgo) and a swirling Fender Rhodes harmony by Steve LeGassick. The swinging funk tune "Diamond Drive" finds multiple textures of Nieves' horn and LeGassick's Rhodes creating a powerful duality, while Kirgo snaps along underneath. The band's exciting synergy is best summarized by "The Score - Part 2," a jam which blends horn accents, a simmering sax line and brooding organ textured with a Rhodes harmony. "Kool Down EZ" offers a peek into what Jango would sound like without the constant 70's mindset. Then again, without that, a lot of the charm is lost. © Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

BIO

Consisting of Los Angeles-based studio players, Jango is a group that has focused on Steely Dan-influenced soft rock/adult contemporary vocals as well as instrumental NAC/crossover music. The Jango project came about in 1998, when singer/saxophonist Steve Nieves (who had recorded as a leader for the now-defunct JMI label) and keyboardist Steve Le Gassick joined forces with guitarist Nick Kirgo, bassist Leon Johnson and drummer Dave Beyer. All of the musicians had been quite active in the L.A. studio scene. Jango signed with Samson Music in 1998, and its CD Dreamtown came out in early 1999 Closer to Home followed a year later. © Alex Henderson, All Music Guide