Living in Gray Years

My acquaintance with Al Jarreau is when I heard “SPAIN’ sung with Chick Corea back then I was in college years, the song was so popular even in the era of Rock. Later on I was so stunned with – After All – , that has very romantic lyric messages to longing and love believer, and tastes more to pop than jazz.

I was not into Al in years, then in 1988, I found his album on a cassette ‘Heart’s Horizon’ when I was on my own at Jakarta, and started playing on my stereo. You could not be bored with his varied improvisation and rythmic soul voice, either you were taking your breakfast with a cheap baked bread with margarine & sugar or warming yourself with instant noodle home-boy-made, it’s really bright you up.

As my interest in Jazz deepen, I started collected his albums, and one of the album is live show combined recording studio in VHS format “Tenderness” really reflecting his genuinely quality voice. Quiet contrary with all recorded album, I found it smooth, great mastering, and some orchestra added. This album is full of scatting, brass [David Sanborn playful sax] and my favorite Elton John’s “your song’.

‘Morning’ became a single hit the radio from album Jarreau, I felt as I heard it played last week on Hard Rock 87.6FM his richiest improvising vocal while on my way to the office. It’s good to have a library disc and put in random, so I am not listening to one album, jump from one to another that take me to strange nuisance far from jazz [high crime], but then Take Five and all songs in We Got by, gives me a wide ranges of dimension of jazz. Too bad, I drive only 30 minutes or less from home, then November still have 30 days to come.

I missed both of his performances in Jakarta though, you know “money talked’ here. I still get a chance to watch in DVD [big grin for self pity]. On several occasion his copy cat Johan Untung, one of Flash Band local singer, frequently sings “Spain” when he was performing at Friday Jazz Night with Ireng Maulana & Friend in Pasar Festival, Jakarta.

Well, compared to his discography [http://www.aljarreau.com/discography/], at least I had 8 albums out of his 18s, including “Giving It Up” duet album with George Benson. Here the list of his albums that I will rewind during the month of November 2007 for my leisure meter, are as follows: We got by; This Time; Heaven and Earth; “Givin’ It Up”; Jarreau; Tenderness; High Crime.

I forgot to tell you, how ‘Since I fell for you”, a song he contributes to sing in Bob James & David Sanbord ‘Double Vision, orchestras my saddest time of life when I fell and broke in love for very short time.

However, I am not considered myself as a fan of Al Jarreau, than enjoying his album all and all. And I use “ordinary people from current album “Giving it Up’ for my ring-back-tone for my mobile