MANY INSTRUMENTAL ARTISTS who are frustrated with the way their record companies treat them go off, gather investors, and release their projects independently; often the so-called "labels" they create result in little more than a few vanity albums. Still, those releases are important, for they allow us to hear potentially significant music that might have been mishandled by corporate myopia. Only rarely do companies which begin in this fashion grow to become a recognized force both artistically and commercially, but Ken Navarro's success story with Positive Music proves that with the right ear, a desire for challenge, and a commitment to pushing envelopes, such move can pay off to everyone's benefit.
"In 1990, I had just finished recording The River Flows and, while I got offers from various independent companies, I realized I wanted to maintain creative control of my music, in marketing and distribution," recalls Navarro, who recently released his sixth and most compelling collection to date, Brighter Days. "So I started the label, with the hopes of offering a home for artists who are more interested in working on a vision, rather than just putting out the typical smooth jazz record."
While the most successful releases on Positive have been more pop oriented releases like those by keyboardist Gregg Karukas, flutist Peter Gordon, and Navarro's own early releases, the guitarist's disenchantment with the way radio tends to "define the four walls for the artist" has led him to sign artists whose style is based in airwave-friendly material but whose flair for ensemble jamming edges them towards eclecticism. Brandon Fields, Pat Kelley, and newcomers Mike Tomaro and Dan Reynolds have put the label on the map as an indie interested in promoting much more than watered-down melodic fluff.
"I've found from studying the market that you have to expand creatively to sell more records," explains Navarro. "The audience wants some meat in their music, not just the same old thing they've heard a million times before. The writing always has to be there, but each artist has to bring to the party something that sets him apart, something compelling.
With Brandon, there was no way to funnel him into a strict pop formula, so I let him run with his instincts. The album's diverse, and yet he manages to make it all hang together on the strength of his sax sound. Navarro brings this frame of mind to Brighter Days which follows I Can't Complain and Pride & Joy in expanding his scope as one who practices what he preaches. While never getting too far away from the delicious melodicism that runs through his nylon and electric veins, he also tosses out a few exciting curve balls. Most original of these are the very jazzy "One Step at a Time" which breaks every so often from a hot hip-hop hook into a swinging live bebop jam featuring the dueling horns of Bobby Militello (sax) and Jeff Jarvis (trumpet).
Jarvis also adds texture to the Steely Dan-like reggae of "Footprints in the Sand." And those who think Navarro plays it too smooth with his acoustic will titter at the fiery electric blues of the punchy title track. Along for the ride, making every note Navarro hits sound spontaneous, are Fields and Reynolds, who mix session experience and true jazz heart with every harmonic beat.
"This time out," Navarro says, "I let my stylistic urges run more wild, phrasing things differently, taking different approaches, and using unique settings. When I play live, fans see a whole different aggressive side that most of my albums don't feature, and I wanted to infuse some of that high-energy fusion. I've made a conscious effort on these last records to improve the sonics and writing as well, and the result is more evolved, both technically and emotionally." As his artistry becomes more defined, Navarro imposes the same standards on himself as he does on his stable of performers. "I've discovered that there are other ways of marketing music besides radio, and I'm hoping we can take our track record with radio hits and use this as a base to grow. On Brighter Days, I sort of let radio concerns fall by the wayside a bit, hoping to make music that demands more active, rather than passive listening. I only buy music that moves me in this way, and with this in mind I tried to make what amounts to a strong statement as to where I'm headed."
By Jonathan Widran for Jazziz Magazine, August 1995 |
