Oh look at what finally came into my inbox!

Today's blog entry is brought to you by Alex Henderson, the one who wrote this lovely review on my album.

Well go on and click the "read more" thingy...

The trumpet once played a prominent role in R&B; trumpets (and saxophones) wereall over the soul and funk recordings of the 1960s and 1970s. But when R&B becameincreasingly high-tech and increasingly programmed in the 1980s, trumpets ceased tobe identified with post-1970s R&B. These days, trumpets, saxophones and trombonesare considered very old-school in R&B. So what is one to think when a young African-American instrumentalist named Kordel makes the trumpet his main instrument anddoes funky things with it? One might assume that his album, Shades of Life, is jazz; thetrumpet, after all, has a long history as a jazz instrument (going all the way back to theearly Dixieland trumpeters in New Orleans). But Shades of Life isn’t really jazz; thisinstrumental album (which doesn’t contain any vocals other than wordless backgroundvocals on occasion) is best described as a jazzy mixture of funk, hip-hop and electronica,and the fact that Kordel’s work is jazzy doesn’t mean that it is actually jazz. Yes, jazz isan influence on this album, but it isn’t the main ingredient. 

There is a big difference between what Kordel does on Shades of Life and what jazztrumpeters like Randy Brecker and Chris Botti do. Those guys have been known toget funky and be influenced by R&B, but their work is generally improvisation-basedrather than production-based; Shades of Life is production-based, and producer Kordelsurrounds his trumpet with electronic programming (he also plays piano and somedrums). Kordel’s work can be quite energetic; “Take That!,” “Forward Motion,” “Love’sSacrifice,” “Strength of Humility,” “Untied” and “Nothin’s Better” are among the moreaggressive, hard-driving tunes on this 15-song album, and Kordel captures that energyin different ways. He captures it with his edgy trumpet playing, and he captures it withhis hard electronic programming. That is not to say that those tunes are not melodic, butthey are melodic in an edgy, forceful, exuberant way. And the fact that Kordel has a big,fat sound on his trumpet adds to the aggression and exuberance; if Kordel was a straight-ahead jazz musician rather than a funk/hip-hop/electronica type of musician, one mightcompare his trumpet playing to that of Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan or Clifford Brown(all of whom were known for their big, full-bodied sounds) rather than more subtle,understated or reserved trumpet players such as Miles Davis and Chet Baker. 

However, the fact that Kordel goes for a big, brassy sound on his main instrument doesn’tmean everything on this album is loud and aggressive. Actually, parts of Shades of Lifeare on the introspective side. Kordel is moody and pensive on “Sympathy,” “No Dust”and “I Didn’t Know,” while “Struggle” is easily the most melancholy track on the album.So no, Kordel does not go for exuberance 100 percent of the time, and this album isnot one-dimensional. Kordel offers some variety while maintaining his jazzy funk/hip-hop/electronica direction throughout this release, which finds him taking a very hands-on approach. In addition to producing Shades of Life and doing all of the playing andprogramming, Kordel composed all of the material; he is a one-man operation. 

Shades of Life is not an exceptional album, but Kordel’s grooves are generally catchy and
likable; while he doesn’t excel on his debut, Shades of Life isn’t anything to be ashamedof either. And he deserves credit for bringing us an album that isn’t generic or faceless;there aren’t a whole lot of young, funk-minded instrumentalists who play the trumpet astheir main instrument while being cognizant of hip-hop and electronica. One certainlycannot accuse Kordel of jumping on some type of stylistic bandwagon and trying to dowhat countless others are doing. Shades of Life demonstrates that Kordel (who is 22)still has some growing and developing to do, but he is worth keeping an eye on.
Review by Alex HendersonRating: 3 stars (out of 5)

And I'm not hatin' on that last paragraph either.  I'm "worth keeping an eye on."  So you better watch.

Watch... o_o

Okay I'm not saying much today because I just copy-pasta'd a few paragraphs in place of my usual blabber.  Now I just gotta do my part and keep improving.  And don't forget:

O_O

 Keep your ears and eyes open (so you can watch), as well as you mind.

~kpmuzik