Growing up in a musical family, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Robert Sanae has chosen to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers, and fans of Contemporary Jazz and R&B are glad that he did. Mixing elements of jazz, funk, hip-hop and R&B in his music, Sanae’s writing style showcases all of the elements that make Contemporary Jazz great, while ignoring everything that makes one think of elevators when the genre is mentioned. By fusing together exciting horn arrangements, solid grooves, funky Blue Note inspired keyboard work and a strong sense of melody, Sanae reaches out to a broad audience, while injecting the highest level of musicianship into every note, phrase and song.
When one hears the word jazz, they automatically think about long-winded improvisations and music that sounds like aural versions of math equations, but this is not the case with Sanae’s music. Songs such as “Busy Bee” and “Breaking Thru” both feature interesting lead work by the soloists, but the focal point is always melody and groove, not how many fancy notes one can play. By choosing to improvise in a simple, yet effective fashion, the band is able to be creative in a manner that doesn’t lose the audience along the way, which is something that far too many jazz bands are guilty of, more often than not. As well, the music is not so simple that jazz fans will pass it by, it falls right in the middle area where fans of the genre and casual listeners can find something to enjoy in each song.
Hear it here: http://www.RobertSanae.com
Review by Matt Warnock
