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"In My Path" is a well-rounded release from Luther Vandross's percussionist, Steve Kroon. The songs vary from rootsy/folkloric to outright commercial, and ought to please musicians and casual listeners alike.
"Lucretia," the second track, has an Asian-sounding theme with African leanings due to the "high life" guitar of doc Powell. In this tune, Kroon constructs a busy percussion pattern around Ivan Hampden Jr.'s drumming -- now, here's solid and tasteful playing. Kroon's hand drumming weaves wonders around Hampden's open and closed hihats, and Kroon does these "elongated triplets -- quarter- or eighth-note triplets -- on an LP Caxixi, planting them in just the right spots to stretch out the time feel.
At times, when the band ventures into Airto/Flora Purim territory, owing to the percussion/vocal thrust, you can imagine the music on the Los Angeles easy-jazz radio station The Wave. It's got all those correct, lush textures.
And speaking of waves, when Jon Lucien sings "The Wind," it takes sixteen or seventeen measures to realize it's not Lou Rawls in his jazz prime. Kroon's ending, a trill on metal ballophone bars, is starkly brilliant.
The song "Sun Goddess" features bassist Ruben Rodriguez anchoring a salsa/songo.
There's a change of drummer here: when Vince Chirico plays sticks, Kroon adjusts hands. Kroon gets a little more staccato, providing a perfect accompaniment to Ray Vega's flugelhorn. Then Kroon switches to a cascara under Oscar Hernandez's piano solo. It's a stock cascara in rhythm only -- Kroon has devised a way of "thickening" the sound of stick on rim/shell. His conga solo is a staggered pattern that bounces right off the pulse your foot is already tapping.
And then "Your Smile" -- which starts as a cha-cha -- gets the full treatment by vocalist Paulette McWilliams, who never over-sings or resorts to sentimentalized R & B. In fact, this describes Kroon as well: he's got chops, but never spills them all over the place.
Take note of the new angle on the standard "Mais Que Nada," done up here in a baio/Cuban mode, quite unlike the usual samba. The new rhythm, curious at first, enlivens the familiar theme.
It's nice to hear the drummer Portinho guesting on the track "Samba Pra Min." There's no ambiguity when he and Kroon get going on this partido alto (samba variation) at a strolling mid-tempo. Again, Kroon adjusts to another kit drummer, deciding that, here, shakers are the glue that binds -- using a range of LP sounds.
Legendary upright bassist Ron Carter makes a cameo appearance in the final song "Moments," which allows Kroon still another adjustment. Carter plays something for which he is not generally known -- a samba. Kroon is on shakers and agogo bells, making each decision to exactly match the timbre of Carter's larger-than-life upright. A fitting close to a significant album.
This album is available online from the following sites: amazon.com; CDNow.com; borders.com;
b&n.com.
Sound Sample: Moments
Composers: Steven
Kroon / Ron Carter
Kroon-A-Toon and World Blue Records
To learn more about
Steve, please visit www.stevekroon.com.
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