Jason Carroll and the Smooth Jazz Symphony

by Dan Richards (http://www.allgoodarticles.com)

www.smoothjazzsymphony.com

Smooth jazz is a genre that is known for its savvy grooves and captivating melodies. Most people that listen to smooth jazz generally enjoy doing so in their downtime, while cruising in their cars, and in those moments where they feel like kicking up their feet and relaxing. Although this is the "template" of what smooth jazz should achieve, lately it hasn't been. In spite of this, Jason Carroll, a.k.a. "The 'Prince' of Smooth Jazz," is giving many smooth jazz fans something to be optimistic about.

Jason Carroll's debut CD, which releases on August 28, will change many people's minds about the genre of smooth jazz and at the same time keep smooth jazz fans encouraged. The pianist, bass player, producer, and drummer seems to have a way of writing songs that are unlike many of the smooth jazz songs we've heard, yet they are smooth and highly pleasurable nonetheless. According to CNET'S Music.Download.com smooth jazz chart, he's been the #1 Audience Pick for three weeks straight. One of his singles, "Cruisin' The Groove" is one of the most popular smooth jazz songs on the site. Bringing his smooth style to the genre, Jason appears to be making a good impression already. Playing every instrument himself has given birth to a new approach to how smooth jazz should sound, hence his ability to "bring smooth back." There have been other attempts by numerous artists to change a certain style of music. Quite frankly, the objective isn't to change a genre but to refresh it. Listening to Cool will refresh the majority of listeners and change their thoughts of the course that smooth jazz has been venturing for the better.
It seems that there is hope for smooth jazz. Jason Carroll's effort will demonstrate the worthiness of the genre, and when all's said and done, listeners of smooth jazz will be exceptionally satisfied upon hearing Cool.

Now Available at Amazon.com!

Track Listing:
1. Take 1; 2. Cool; 3. El Amor De La Music; 4. Night Out To Town; 5. Our Song; 6. Late Nights and City Lights; 7. Easy Breeze; 8. Cruisin' The Groove; 9. Don't Say Goodbye; 10. Dreams; 11. Jammin' In The Rain; 12. Sweet Summer; 13. Jazz It Up


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Joe Smith's Artist Review of Jason Carroll

THE "PRINCE" OF SMOOTH JAZZ...JASON CARROLL. ALBUM: COOL
by Joe Smith
2007-07-23 06:46:53
www.allaboutjazz.com

Let's be real...the genre of smooth jazz is recognized mainly as a very "commercial" style of music. Many "true" jazz fans tend not to take much pleasure in smooth jazz, yet smooth jazz is still enjoyed by countless loyal fans. There are some artists in the smooth jazz genre that tend to make music that is "too commercial." They do far too many cover songs, they lack originality, and they do things that most people would say they've heard before. Therefore, I must conclude that the genre of smooth jazz needs someone to "put smooth jazz back on track." Ladies and gentlemen, I think that someone has finally come to fulfill that necessity. That someone is Jason Carroll and the Smooth Jazz Symphony. The world will know once the debut album Cool is released.

Okay, I know most of you are wondering why the title of this article is The "Prince" of Smooth Jazz. First off, Prince is an amazing musician in his own right, and in no way am I comparing Jason Carroll to Prince. Now, most of us know that Prince produced, arranged, composed and performed all or most of the songs on many of his albums. He's notorious for it. Jason Carroll does the same thing, only in a completely different genre. He plays the drums, bass, piano...any sound or instrument on his music is done by him. All of it. Why does he call himself "Jason Carroll and the Smooth Jazz Symphony?" Everyone will have their own opinion. Some will say he's misleading, others will say he's a genius, and others will say that they don't really care why. In my honest opinion, I feel that if he can play every instrument on his album and make it sound like a band, he can call himself anything he wants.

Born in the city of Wichita, Kansas, Jason Carroll began his journey in music at a very young age. He grew up studying to play the drums, bass and piano. Jason idolized various smooth jazz artists such as Geogre Benson, Norman Brown, David Sanborn, and a slew of other great smooth jazz artists. His musical background comprises many contrasting styles of music that include Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, Gospel, Latin, and of course Smooth Jazz. In other words, he has played in groups that do these styles of music and has the ability to do any one of these styles by himself. And yet, he's chosen smooth jazz as his sole approach to reaching the world through his music.

Now that we know a little bit about Jason Carroll and the Smooth Jazz Symphony, let's talk about his music. I know a lot of people have heard a few of his songs on CNET's Music.Download.com. We need not talk about it's popularity or reviews, but I would like to focus more on the sound that is presented in these very unique songs. Just imagine, you sit down at the computer, log onto the internet, and go to music.download.com. You browse the smooth jazz genre (because that's your favorite style of music), and all of a sudden you see this new group called Jason Carroll and the Smooth Jazz Symphony sitting one of the top positions because of the popularity of the artist. You click on the link and see that it has some good reviews and a pretty decent amount of downloads. Next, you click on a song and begin to listen. Next thing you know, you're bobbing your head and tapping your feet. You're thinking, "This group sounds really good!" Now you want to find out about the group, so you check out the bio. Surprisingly, you read that it is only one person playing all of these instruments! What I'm trying to say is that the sound of his music is so smooth and deceptive that you wouldn't know he did this by himself unless you read his bio or read an article about him.

Jason Carroll's most popular song entitled Crusin' The Groove is very different from the smooth jazz that we've heard over the years. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say "fresh." R&B-like drums, funky bass, trumpet, muted trumpet, saxophone, guitar, keyboard pads, and piano are some of the instruments that make up this masterpiece. The melody takes you to a place of relaxation yet it makes you want to get up and dance. Take 1, another amazing song, is the first song on the cd, and I believe that it is the first song for a reason. The muted trumpet is in the spotlight once again and is complimented by drums, funky bass, piano, and a variety of other instruments. It has a very captivatingly memorable melody and feel.

Describing this cd in one word? Simple. "Classic."

Smooth Jazz will be revolutionized. Jason Carroll is the revolution.

"Cool" is available in stores now!