Sting A Touch Of Jazz

Sting had a lot to prove on his first post-Police effort, and he proved himself up to the task of establishing a distinctive identity as a solo artist. Instead of replicating his reggae-tinged Police style, he ventured into new realms, hiring top drawer American jazz musicians like Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland and drum monster Omar Hakim to accompany him on the kind of harmonically sophisticated (though decidedly non-jazz) tunes he'd begun working on towards the end of the Police's lifetime (see SYNCHRONICITY).

Falling somewhere between the pop sensibilities of Ten Summoner's Tales and the searching ambition of The Soul Cages, Mercury Falling is one of Sting's tighter records, even if it fails to compel as much as his previous solo albums. Though he doesn't flaunt his jazz aspirations as he did in the mid-'80s, Mercury Falling feels more serious than The Dream of the Blue Turtles, primarily because of its reserved, high-class production and execution. Building from surprisingly simple, memorable melodies, Sting creates multi-layered, vaguely soul-influenced arrangements that carry all of the hallmarks of someone who has studied music, not lived it.

Falling somewhere between the pop sensibilities of Ten Summoner's Tales and the searching ambition of The Soul Cages, Mercury Falling is one of Sting's tighter records, even if it fails to compel as much as his previous solo albums. Though he doesn't flaunt his jazz aspirations as he did in the mid-'80s, Mercury Falling feels more serious than The Dream of the Blue Turtles, primarily because of its reserved, high-class production and execution. Building from surprisingly simple, memorable melodies, Sting creates multi-layered, vaguely soul-influenced arrangements that carry all of the hallmarks of someone who has studied music, not lived it.

Born in Argentina to an American father and Irish mother, guitarist Dominic Miller was raised in the U.S. from age 10 and then educated there and in England. Now he lives in France, though he has toured the globe for the past three decades. Aptly, Silent Light Miller’s ECM debut, featuring him solo and with percussion accompaniment has a very international feel, with the Latin influence strong in such pieces as “Baden” (dedicated to Brazilian guitarist-composer Baden Powell). “Le Pont” has an early 20th-century Parisian air, while “Valium” evokes Celtic tunes in the vein of Bert Jansch and “Fields of Gold” is a hushed instrumental take on one of Sting’s best-known ballads.

Since they started in the early 1970’s, ECM has been giving the world one excellent jazz piano disc after another–significant names include Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, and Paul Bley, more recently Anat Fort, Bo Stenson, and now Julia Hulsmann. Leading a trio on her ECM debut, THE END OF SUMMER, Hulsman displays a graceful, muted, and melancholy air. In the manner of Stenson and Bley, Hulsmann expresses maximum emotion and mood using the fewest (but well-placed) notes. Unlike the aforementioned gentlemen however, Hulsmann favors almost folk-like, affable, and concise melodies. Her bassist and drummer seem subdued at times, but they’re constantly lending the tunes a sense of forward motion.

Better known as Sting's guitarist, Dominic Miller has put out a few solo efforts over the years, with this, his fourth, following suit. This one shows a sensitive side, with tender compositions for solo guitar throughout (with the exception of a vocal number midway through), sometimes backed up by various musician friends on drums or bass for a song or two. The sound is primarily soft rock and the like, but Miller effectively handles a dose of jazz in "Partido Alto" as well. Miller's playing is perhaps too light and cautious to really manage a solo effort. He plays as though he's still in the rhythm section rather than letting his abilities come through fully. At the same time, he has a very tender touch, welcome in its own right.