As 2011 was winding to its close all the buzz was about the legendary Stanley Clarke and the signings he had made to his fledgling record label Roxboro Entertainment. The first of these to catch the attention of Smooth Jazz Therapy was guitarist Lloyd Gregory. Now comes the turn of Kennard Ramsey and his CD ‘Somos’. Ramsey is a Los Angeles based writer and musician who has worked extensively in the film and record industry. His compositions have been characterized by the integration of contemporary music genres with those more traditional and for his innovative use of synthesizer and orchestra. ‘Somos’ affords Ramsey the opportunity to demonstrate the eclectic nature of his musical tastes and suffice to say he grabs it with both hands.
Of course, in musical terms, eclectic can often really mean complex but in Ramsey’s case he manages to produce sounds that are very different while still maintaining the accessibility listeners are sure to value. A case in point is the rhythmic ‘Neo Shaman’ which betrays a decidedly mid eastern influence whereas ‘Loved Right’ is also crammed with rhythm but, in addition, laced with spicy Punjabi beats, features excellent ‘synthed’ horns from Ramsey and a fine solo on electric piano from Rusian Sirota.
The varied nature of ‘Somos’ is evident throughout and typified by the magical ‘Interlude’ which Ramsey dedicates to his two daughters. Equally, although ‘Secrets’ shimmers like light on water ‘White Owl’ benefits from a hypnotically thumping beat and vocals from Chiwonisa that fit the tune to perfection.
Ramsey’s reflective homage to eminent Paraguayan guitarist Agustín Barrios Mangoré is titled ‘Listen To A Picture’ whilst elsewhere he uses the sparse yet beautiful ‘This Time’ to evoke warm summer nights and intoxicating fragrances. It does this in abundance and, in changing the mood, ‘Water For Dhalang’ proves to be another rhythmic track with the guitar of Ramsey at its centre. Later, Ramsey turns to ‘El Caballero’ as a way of honoring the great Spanish composers and, along the way, showing his appreciation of orchestral music. Despite being one of the albums more demanding cuts, it has a charm all its own and much the same can be said of the title song which broadly translates to ‘We Are’ and to Ramsey is symbolic of bringing the entire project together.
‘Somos’ is a genre bending collection for grown-ups. For more go to www.kennardramsey.com
