The title of Brian's fifth,"Shakin'not Stirred", will strike a nostalgic chord to anyone familiar
with James Bond's classic martini line and perfectly represents
the spirit of this album's fond look back upon the cool jazz
and spicy Latin music of '60s and early '70s.
Brian draws inspiration from albums of the era
that influenced his now familiar style and comments, "Saxophonist
Stanley Turrentine's "Salt Song" and trumpeter
Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay", come to
mind as two great examples in particular that struck me as combining
jazz, Latin and pop with some very cool grooves. The past albums
focused on my love of Latin & Brazilian music, and while
"Shakin' not Stirred" is underpinned with those elements,
I really felt like incorporating a jazz club atmosphere into
this session." Hughes adds. "On the first three tracks
especially, I'm really departing moodwise from anything I've
done in the past. I was going for a more conversational feel
between the musicians and adding muted trumpet to a few of the
tracks, "Ready For Freddie" and the smoky ballad "Once
Again", gives it that '60s kind of feel. The concept began
taking shape when I wrote the title track, "Shakin' not
Stirred" and by chance watched an old James Bond movie.
The pun on the title, which reflects the energy of "Shakin'
not Stirred" was irresistible."
"Shakin' not Stirred", sees Hughes achieve
not only an appealing mix of styles, but also a perfect cohesiveness
between the albums' ten tracks;
The opening tune "Shakin' not
Stirred" has a retro Latin jazz feel that developed
in the 60's when American jazz players were introduced to Cuban
and Brazilian music. They were used to playing swing and when
they started playing Latin music with it's straight 8th note
feel, they ended up with a groove somewhere in between the two.
"It's a cool groove, I call it a retro 60's beatnik bossa",
says Hughes. "Shakin' not Stirred" is followed by the
rollicking "Ready For Freddie" which features
Hughes' guitar line doubled by muted trumpet and some bouncy
piano riffs from Les Portelli. "Once Again"
with it's slow & sexy groove will have listeners mixing up
a martini, turning up the volume and turning down the lights.
"For You" kicks things back into the 90's with
a hypnotic bass line married to a hip hop groove and a lyrical
Hughes' guitar melody. The album then serves up the percussive
Brazilian samba of "The Beat" ... the strutting
Caribbean attitude of "Man About Town",
with Art Avalos' percussion intensifying to match the fire of
Hughes' guitar... the graceful trumpet laced ballad "There
She Goes"... the tropical seduction of "On Moonless
Nights" and the breezy "Smile",
which features the unique contrast of Hughes' crisp snappy lines
and a cool, vibe and piano harmony by Les Portelli. As a special
treat on the CD's final track, Hughes is joined by Higher Octave
label mates Third Force who add their own unique sound
to a funkified Remix of "For You".
"I really enjoy combining jazz with elements of
pop, urban and world music from around the globe", Hughes
says of his trademark style. "I have had the great fortune
to travel extensively and perform in many countries over the
years and always keep my eyes and ears open for new sounds and
experiences. These influences have all become an integral part
of my compositions and my playing style", he says.
Mix 60's cool with a Latin twist and it all adds
up to make the dynamic "Shakin' not Stirred" one of
the most unique and innovative jazz guitar albums of the year.
Based on the places Brian Hughes has taken us thus far on his
musical journey, it's as fundamental as 007 ordering his famous
drink
