A BRIGHTER DAY was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
In the early-'90s acid jazz scene, stylish Brits like Brand New Heavies and Ronny Jordan experimented in fusing jazz with elements of funk and hip hop. On his Blue Note debut, Ronny Jordan displays an expanding vocabulary of smooth jazz talk and world beat accents without sacrificing his funky, streetwise slang.
This self-taught guitarist breezes into the "Mambo Inn" for Latin spice, over to "New Delhi" for an acoustic Middle Eastern rendezvous, and on to a beefy B3 organ BBQ that grounds his mellifluous guitar flow on "London Lowdown," with the ease of a jet-setting, six-string seducer. Guests at the party include Roy Ayers adding his intoxicating vibes to a champagne-chilled cover of his own "Mystic Voyage," renowned drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts giving "5/8 Flow" its straight-ahead Brubeck-like kick, and rapper Mos Def dropping rhymes over DJ-Spinna's remix of the title track. The acid jazz craze may have fizzled, but Jordan keeps pouring smoothies from his golden-toned guitar blender that have enough adventurous flavors to satisfy.
Engineers include: Steve Lewinson, Steve Hardy, Steve Parr.
Personnel: Ronny Jordan (guitar, midi guitar, drum programming); Jill Jones, Stephanie McKay (vocals); Zachary Breaux (guitar); Steve Wilson (flute); Todd Horton (trumpet); Bruce Flowers (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Onaje Allan Gumbs, Marcus Persiani (piano); Joel Campbell (keyboards); Roy Ayers, Stefon Harris (vibraphone); Ian Martin , Steve Lewinson (acoustic bass); Andy González (upright bass); Clarence Penn, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Poogie Bell (drums); Neil Clarke (percussion).
Audio Remixer: DJ Spinna.
Recording information: 08/1999.
Personnel: Ronny Jordan (acoustic & electric guitars, synthesizer, bass, programming); Stephanie McKay, Jill Jones, Philip Hamilton, Sivashakti Sivanesan (vocals); Todd Horton (trumpet); Steve Wilson (flute); Roy Ayers, Stefon Harris (vibraphone); Bruce Flowers (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer); Marcus Persiani, Onje Allen Gumbs (piano); Brian Mitchell (Hammond B-3 organ); Joel Campbell (keyboards, synthesizer); Ticklah (keyboards, sound effects); Zachary Breaux (guitar); Steve Lewinson, Ian Martin, Andy Gonzalez (acoustic bass); Poogie Bell, Clarence Penn, Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums); Shivas Shanker (tablas); Neil Clarke, Cafe (percussion); DJ Spinna (programming, scratches); Mos Def.
Producers: Ronny Jordan, Brian Bacchus, Joel Campbell.
JazzTimes (5/00, p.136) - "...Melodious, warm-toned single note lines and Wes Montgomery-styled octaves on top of static hip-hop vamps....Pleasant enough...if smooth jazz is your thing, then by all means seek out this disc..."
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