Since the '80s,
Chesky Records has been making its mark in three areas:
jazz,
classical, and
Latin music. And over the years, pianist/producer
David Chesky (who runs the label with his brother
Norman Chesky) has demonstrated that he is quite capable of handling all three. Recorded in 1989,
Club de Sol is among
David Chesky's
jazz outings; essentially, it falls into the
fusion category. Those who consider themselves
jazz purists insist that
fusion isn't really
jazz -- they'll tell you that
Jaco Pastorius, for example, was strictly a
rock instrumentalist and lacked
jazz chops (which is absurd). But this instrumental CD is, in fact,
jazz, although it's
jazz with
rock,
pop,
R&B, and Brazilian elements.
Club de Sol isn't the type of
fusion that goes out of its way to be cerebral and abstract.
David Chesky favors the more lyrical, melodic side of
fusion, and he does so in a very Brazilian-minded way. The writing sometimes brings to mind
Pat Metheny, who is no stranger to Brazilian-influenced
fusion. And another valid comparison (from a compositional standpoint) is
Chick Corea, who also has some
Brazilian jazz credentials. (
Flora Purim and
Airto Moreira were both members of
Corea's first edition of
Return to Forever). As accessible and melodic as
Club de Sol is, the CD was too loose and free-spirited for a lot of NAC/
smooth jazz radio stations. Those formats shy away from
improvisation and spontaneity -- the things that go with having a
jazz mentality -- and that meant shying away from
Club de Sol. But that doesn't make this CD any less enjoyable. ~ Alex Henderson
![Gold [2008]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0600753041710_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Gold [2008]")
