‘Heart Song’ is the latest offering from sax and flute man Al Williams III. Released on the Pacific Coast Jazz label, the album is produced by the multi talented John Stoddart and features eleven soulful tracks all underpinned by the some of the finest session payers around. This is Williams third solo project and follows his 1997 debut ‘Never Too Late’ and ‘See For Yourself’ which followed six years later. It signposts a continuation of what is now a decade long collaboration with Stoddart and is indicative of the depth of tone and a freshness of sound that Williams has cultivated during his many years of playing with greats like Stanley Clarke and Mongo Santamaria.
A native of Philadelphia, Williams was an original member of Stanley Clarke’s School Days Band and in his early college years also rehearsed with the early incarnation of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever. At that time the lineup was Corea, Stanley Clarke, Earl Klugh, Lenny White and Joe Farrell with Williams on saxes, flutes, oboe and bassoon. Later, Williams went on to tour, and record five albums, with Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria. He appeared on Santamaria’s Grammy Award winning CD ‘Amanacer’ and Williams extended discography includes credits for his appearances with Nils Lofgren, Julia Nixon and Norman Connors.
‘Heart Song’ is a wonderful vehicle for Williams talents and with the help of several guests, including vocalist Ron Gutierrez and Spyro Gyra's Scott Ambush and Tom Schuman, he delivers a tunefully accessible collection that is often groove-driven, sometimes seductive and invariably melodic. Particularly pleasing is Williams sparse interpretation of Gershwin’s ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ and his beautiful cover of the Simply Red worldwide hit ‘Holding Back the Years’. Both demonstrate Williams's melody filled finesse while the irresistible groove of ‘Midnight in Morocco’, complete with a great performance on trumpet from Aaron Broadus, makes it a highlight of the entire album. Despite that, Smooth Jazz Therapy top tracks are the seductively smoky title cut and the luscious ‘Just Us’ where Williams on flute is a delight.
Williams stays with flute for the invigorating ‘Sun Dance’, finds a stunning vibe for the chilled out ‘I Never Thought’ and then delivers all the rhythm and melody you will ever need with his version of the much covered James Ingram hit ‘One Hundred Ways’. As for the guests, bassist Ambush and keyboard player Schuman lend their expertise to Williams funk tinged ‘Skyline Drive’ and Gutierrez takes ‘I'm Going to Love You’ deep into quiet storm territory. Drummer Eric Valentine and guitarist Michael Ripoll, together with bassists Alex Al, David Dyson and Chris Kent, all provide strong contributions but the biggest asset throughout is John Stoddart who excels as producer, composer and vocalist.
‘Heart Song’ is a gem of a collection and comes highly recommended. For more go to www.alwilliamsmusic.com or discover Pacific Coast Jazz at www.pacificcoastjazz.com