2008年6月、Posivive Music よりリリース．
Ken Navarroは通常２年単位ほどでＣＤリリースをしていますが、今回は半年ほど早く、
題名の通り、「夏に入る前」を意識したと思われます．
今回の作品は、彼の音楽スタイルを網羅した(pivotal)作品のようで、従来のSmooth Jazz
フォーマットから
4."On My Way To Somewhere"のような、
長いソロのContemporary Jazz のものまで収録されていて、曲の長さも、
通常のラジオフォーマットとしての５分を越える曲がたくさんあります．
2."Blue Skies, Bright Dreams" が、このアルバムを代表する（全体の雰囲気がわかる）曲のようです．
自分のレーベルからのリリースでないと、このような自由なレイアウトのＣＤリリースは難しいかもしれません．
また、彼にいくつか質問インタビューをしました．
（今回も、
Smooth Views に記事が掲載されていますので、この内容以外の質問をしています．)
＜以下、Ken Navarro からです＞
Q1:
Usually, your previous released CDs are sometimes Smooth and sometimes
complex or more rhythm.
How is "The Grace of Summer Light" categorized ?
A:
"The Grace of Summer Light" is a collection of connected
compositions, many of which employ shifting time signatures, rich
chords and deep harmonies and many, many melodies.
There is an orchestral quality to some of the pieces and yet there is
a constant sense of interplay between myself and the great musicians who
accompanied me. It would take me many words to describe each song on
my new album. These are compositions that go through numerous changes
throughout and tell a story. Each "story" is built around melodic
themes which flow smoothly within the songs. A group of songs with
this level of complexity can be accessible and commercial if they are
both beautiful and diverse, and that is what I accomplished with this CD.
Q2:
"The Grace of Summer Light" all tunes are available to listen on your website.
Was it efficient for promoting new CD ?
A:
Compositions like these could not be properly represented by 30-60 second samples.
So I decided to allow people who visited my website to hear the CD in its entirety before they purchase it.
I believe that this is the very first time a jazz artist has publicized a new CD this way.
Q3:
When I'm listening throughout "The Grace of Summer Light" CD, I feel that
I'm spending at waterfront from morning to evening.
When you were producing this CD, were you going to implement such a feeling ?
A:
For me, the feeling was that of being a child again and experiencing
a summer day from beginning to end. The magical experience and
freedom of that time in my life as well as the spiritual pursuit that
the CD eventually develops into, those were the feelings which I was
trying to express and produce in the listener with "The Grace of Summer Light".
Q4:
Most of tunes on this CD are relaxing music but some of these are complex format.
Did you need 8 to 9 minutes length tunes ("On My Way To Somewhere" etc.)
for more solo part ?
Your previously released CD tunes length is 5 to 6 minutes.
A:
I do not like the word relaxing applied to any part of my new music.
It implies that it is background music which it most definitely is
not. The compositions are not 8 or 9 minutes long because I play
long solos. Rather, they are the length they are because that is
what was necessary for me to express myself as a composer.
Q5:
Where did you take this picture ? Is there any graphical effect on it?
A:
My art director, Jack Hovey, came up with the graphic image. I do
not know where or when the photograph was taken. Jack did a
wonderful job of making it appear that the bridge goes on forever,
which is what I asked him to do. I wanted this cover to create a
feeling of infinity (the bridge) and I wanted the reflections of
light to be the "Grace".
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