The British saxophonist whose real name (
Paul Weimar
) just isn't cool enough for superstardom has had a joyfully steady day job over the past decade as one of the key melodic, grooving ingredients in the post-
acid jazz
/
smooth jazz
jam band
Down to the Bone
. Still, it's borderline criminal that his 2001 solo debut, the
funk
masterpiece
See What Happens
-- which earned him a Best New Artist nomination at the now defunct National
Smooth Jazz
Awards -- didn't shoot him to solo stardom. Hopefully that will change with this similarly jamming debut for
ARTizen
, a label partly owned by fellow smooth
masters
Richard Elliot
and
Rick Braun
. True to its name,
HeadBoppin
's ten tracks -- some featuring off-the-wall titles indicative of
Shilts
' cheeky personality -- will get you dancing, and if you're driving, at least your head will move and groove (which is his intention). Co-produced by the saxman and
Braun
, the collection is a powerful showcase for his multitude of performing and composing talents, focusing not only on his lead alto and tenor brilliance but also his instantly infectious melodies. Throughout the nine originals and a playfully thumping romp through the magic of
Stevie Wonder
's
"Tuesday Heartbreak,"
he keeps the explosive upbeat tempos and brassy textures he's famous for with
DTTB
but incorporates more vibey old-school
soul
textures, moods, and atmospheres that create an inviting past-and-present
soul-jazz
experience. The vibrant and heavily soulful first single,
"Look What's Happened"
-- whose title is a riff on the title of his first album -- features
on trumpet and fluegelhorn over a groove established by veteran sidemen
Ricky Lawson
(drums) and
Lenny Castro
(percussion).
also enjoys working with
Freddie Washington
(bass),
Ricky Peterson
(Hammond B-3),
Ross Bolton
(guitar), and guest artists
Chris Standring
(whose crackling guitar solo electrifies on
"Tuesday Heartbreak"
) and singer
Siedah Garrett
(the soaring, sensuous, and dreamy
"Got Love"
). Keyboardist
Jeff Lorber
was one of the saxman's first
contemporary jazz
heroes, and his beautiful piano work adds a touch of elegant grace to the easy-rolling, sweetly soulful
"Good Evans."
Easily one of the hardest-hitting and irresistible
dates of 2006. ~ Jonathan Widran