Published September 16, 2004 in issue 0337 of the Hook

Various Artists: The Groove Boutique: Volume One Selected and Mixed by Rafe Gomez
(Tommy Boy Records)

BY DAMANI HARRISON

In my humble opinion, quantized or electronic drums-- combined with engineers who can't keep their fingers off the reverb knob-- are the reason why jazz became smooth and damn near dead. I must admit I was a sucker for a few artists associated with smooth jazz: Four Play, Najee, and Hiroshima.... But, for the most part, smooth jazz just makes me want to go to sleep.

In the mid '90s, a large part of the jazz scene seemed to be almost under the radar. It wasn't until the emergence of acid jazz-- a combination of jazz instrumentation married to down-tempo hip-hop drum loops-- that the popularity of jazz began to grow again, this time in modern lounge circles.

The slow grooves and melodic instruments went well with the new yuppies of the techno-generation-- 20-something college grads living large on impressive salaries. Back then I called it "martini music."

There's a connection between acid jazz and smooth jazz in the sense that they're both characterized by slow grooves and minimal drums. As a result, many smooth jazz artists jumped on the acid jazz bandwagon. I chose to ignore most of them until someone dumped this Groove Boutique CD in my mailbox some months ago.

The cover of the Groove Boutique compilation says it all. It's a picture of a wine bottle and glasses on a table overlooking a beach somewhere. The bright colors give the scene a sort of "if James Bond were gay" feel. I don't know how many times I stared at the cover without opening it.

I think I was scared, but when I finally listened to the album, I soon realized the only thing I had to be scared of was becoming too relaxed. I had to take the CD out of my car. It was a hazard to my driving. I was falling asleep at the wheel.

You see, Rafe Gomez has compiled a few older and newer songs that fall right in between the whole smooth jazz and acid jazz genres. He has interspersed well-known names like Headhunters and Soulive among lesser known artists. He even has a track of his own on the album.

As a selector, he has arranged the tracks in a pleasing way. Nothing ever jumps out. Unfortunately, he doesn't mix the songs, which for me, a child of turntables and records, is a crime if you call yourself a DJ. For what it's worth, I would recommend this album for a mid- to up-scale restaurant with an extensive wine list or martini menu. Or maybe to throw on in the background while you cook a four-course meal for a guy/girl you're trying to impress. I just can't imagine anyone listening to this album for kicks unless they were trying to sedate a nervous condition.

The long and short of it: These sorts of grooves are just plain boring. No matter how hard I try, I can listen to only about four songs before yearning to lie down.

When my buddy had a back injury a few years ago, the doctor prescribed Vicodin and Percocet, but he never finished the prescriptions. Now, on the rare occasions when he has a really stressful day and can't seem to calm himself, he digs one out of the cabinet. Groove Boutique may be my Vicodin. I think I'm going to shelve it until I face a dire emergency.

Groove Boutiq ue

#

>> Back to The HooK front page