Here’s a guitarist that has some nice sounds and mixes them into an accessible groove. Blake Aaron leans towards the “smooth” side of jazz, but he can make it sound nice and musicular. He teams up with Rob Mullins/key, Hussain Jiffry/b and Winston Butts-Ricky Lawson/dr for a mix of soulful R&B and straight-ahead grooves. He does a nice mid-tempo bop a la Montgomery on the sleek samba “Wes Side Story” and gets on the funky side on “Groove-O-Matic” and “You’re My Miracle.” He shows his rocker hand on “Story of the Blues” and goes acoustic with some lovely flamenco sketches on “Sol Amor,” mixing both together on a Santana gem “Europa.” Classic smooth sounds are on “Encantadora” (with Najee guesting on flute)and the hip “You’re The One For Me.” Take your pick-he’s a good picker!
Innervision Records