Toronto based guitarist Jamie Bonk has been on the Smooth Jazz Therapy radar since 2004 and the release of is the excellent ‘My World’. The follow up, ‘5’, came along in 2007 and although he was back two years later with the four tune ‘digital only’ EP, ‘St Joseph Street’ its his latest CD, the twelve track ‘Necessity’, that returns him to full album format.
The music of Jamie Bonk has, over the years, has been characterized for the most part by its inherent warmth. ‘Necessity’ provides much of the delicious same and this is especially so with compositions such as the opulent ‘Embrace’ and the easy grooving ‘One Foot Forward’. In similar vein is the splendidly reflective ‘I Promise To’ while the inviting opening of ‘Stay Awhile’ quickly develops into an intricate rhythm that allows Bonk’s dexterous playing to really shine.
Evocative in the extreme, the country vibe of ‘Start Softly’ reveals a different side of Bonk’s musical persona and much the same could be said of the thoughtful ‘From My Soul’ that is handsomely fused together with a compelling beat.
Other examples of Jamie’s ‘feel good’ disposition come in the form of the wonderfully pleasing ‘Mind Your Step’, the melodic yet romantic ‘Here Together’ and the delightful ‘Back To Back’ whilst in it’s the turned down tranquility of ‘One Idea Leads To Another’ that provides a fitting end to what all things considered is a particularly relaxing collection.
In terms of personal favorites the cool groove of ‘Lift’ is right up there and in this respect is in the good company of the zesty ‘Backbone’ that (not to be confused with the Boney James cut of the same name) proves to be a zesty slice of top-notch guitar driven smooth jazz.
For more on Jamie Bonk go to www.jamiebonk.com