JESSY J
Tequila Moon
Peak Records
Saxophonist Jessy J (Jessica Spinella) has
been playing with producer/guitarist Paul Brown’s
live band since 2006, and she appeared on his highly successful
2007 CD White Sand. Her popularity with smooth
jazz fans has only risen since then, and will likely explode
with the release of her Peak Records CD Tequila Moon.
The album, produced by Paul Brown (who also
plays guitar on several tracks), combines Latin grooves
with ballads and pop instrumental pieces in a pleasing program
of gentle music that, while radio-friendly and relaxing,
still has substance. One reason for that is that, unlike
most jazz pop female saxophonists, Jessy’s main axe
is the tenor sax. That alone keeps the comparisons to Candy
Dulfer and Mindi Abair at bay. In addition, her sound on
the instrument is solid, and she generally plays well. True,
she does break out the soprano a few times, with mixed results,
but overall Tequila Moon is an entertaining listen
for music fans of all stripes.
The title track, which sounds poised to be
the disc’s first single, is a slick Latin number that
features Paul Brown on acoustic guitar and keyboardist Gregg
Karukas. Right off, Jessy distinguishes herself with a mellow
tenor sound and solid playing reminiscent of Grover Washington,
Jr. The Latin feel continues with “Spanish Nights”,
one of the few tracks with overt drum programming. Again,
the winning interplay between Jessy’s warm tenor sax
and Paul Brown’s sensuous guitar keeps things interesting.
“Sin Ti/Without You” and the Sergio Mendes favorite
“Mas Que Nada” bring in a smooth samba feel.
On “Mas Que Nada” Jessy sings, as she also does
on the standard “Besame Mucho.” While her vocals
are not bad, her voice is somewhat thin, but works ok on
the particular songs she’s chosen. The vocal numbers
provide a nice change of pace and will probably be popular
concert numbers.
The soprano sax comes out on a cover of Phoebe
Snow’s “Poetry Man,” and an original (co-written,
like several tunes, with Brown) entitled “Running
Away.” Neither is bad, but a little more pep to her
sound might have helped both tracks. Overall, Jessy’s
soprano sound is a little too ‘pretty’; a bit
too close to Kenny G-land for my liking.
But she closes strong with a nice version
of Leon Russell’s “Song for You,” reminding
the listener that there is, overall, more musicianship on
display on Tequila Moon than on recent releases
from many other pop instrumentalists. With its summery,
Latin-inspired beats and its nighttime ambience, Tequila
Moon should be a definite winner with smooth jazz and
pop fans.
