Smooth Jazz |
Yes, you read that correctly… 2025 for the release of this album by the excellent guitarist Bill Moio, who has played with Tower of Power, the great organist Joey DeFrancesco, and renowned guitarists Joe Diorio and Jack Wilkins. This album has a smooth jazz vibe and more. And if his name doesn’t ring a bell, you probably know his co-producer George Whitty, whom you’ve likely heard with artists like Dave Matthews Band, Grover Washington Jr., Bill Evans, Richard Bona, Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, etc. Moio’s first self-produced album in 1999, *Let’s Go*, slipped through our fingers, but this new album *Try This* can easily rival the productions of our friends at Shanachie.
In his compositions, it seems Bill Moio doesn’t care much about genre but more about form, delighting in blurring the lines, as only the greatest musicians can. For example, on the track « I’ve Heard It All Before », you’re taken into a smooth jazz setting with a very jazzy guitar in parts. Sensitive to this type of album, crafted only by master artisans, I’ve listened to it a good ten times. Subtly, I’ve noticed arrangements that remind me of things I’ve heard while filming concerts for foreign TV stations, particularly some of the modern and dynamic elements reminiscent of Miles Davis, though many artists shared the stage with him in those years. Hence, this influence spreads to artists like Bill Moio, who genuinely reflect on and understand their work.
This album also features many artists we already know: keyboardist George Whitty, bassist Jimmy Haslip, another bassist Mel Brown, the excellent drummer Tommy Brechtlein, whose flawless playing touches the wings of angels, and the equally brilliant saxophonist Eric Marienthal, always a joy to hear, even on his friends’ albums where he performs wonders. Let’s not forget the wonderful Wayne Bergeron on trumpet and Andy Martin on trombone in this brass section. And that’s also part of Bill Moio’s talent—gathering a team that enhances his project to the point where you can no longer tell where the arrangements end and the compositions begin.
This music can be enjoyed in depth, as there’s much to admire in both the quality of the compositions and the skill of the artists on the album. I would even say that for young musicians, this album is a great example of craftsmanship, with top-notch mixing, perfectly mastered track choices, and an order that instantly gives you a vision of what a Bill Moio show would be like when you take pleasure in listening. When an album makes you want to dance, something good is happening—and that’s the case here. As you know, we receive tons of albums each month. We listen to them all. Some don’t make it past two tracks before being removed from the CD player, while others, like this one, stay on repeat. It’s never by chance. It takes immense work to achieve such mastery. You might even catch nods to artists like George Benson on the track *Straight Talk*, just through a few guitar riffs here and there. Everything here is done delicately. And as if that weren’t enough, all the tracks are original compositions by Bill Moio, making this album one we deem “Essential.”
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, October 10th 2024
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