It’s Release Day for Ken Navarro
June 17, 2008 – Releasing an album is a lot like having a baby, you never know what you’re gonna get. You do your best and sometimes it’s up to nature to steer the course. Ken Navarro has finally released his new album ‘The Grace of Summer Light’ today. More below.

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It’s Release Day for Ken Navarro

Ken Navarro Creates Intimate Listener Environment with “The Grace of Summer Light”
May 8, 2008 – I remember when Ken Navarro invited us into his studio on-line to catch a glimpse of his creative process with the last few albums. Navarro’s warm spirit always comes through his music and for the guitarist getting to know the listener also entails letting them into his creative process. Though the new album will not be officially released until June 17 it’s already available on his official website http://www.kennavarro.com/kennavarroTGOSLstream.htm . Smooth Jazz Now President, John Beaudin says, “Ken is one of the top guitarists in Smooth Jazz that makes me feel alive. He has not gone down the road of generic groove that’s almost killed the genre.” He adds, “The Grace of Summer Light” is another winner but don’t take my word for it, go to the website and take a listen.” Take a journey into ken Navarro’s world at http://www.kennavarro.com/kennavarroTGOSLstream.htm - by Kari Graham

Ken Navarro – The Grace of Summer Light
June 12, 2008 – It’s been a busy week of listening to new music. From the new Coldplay album, 'Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends’ and ‘Flavours Of Entanglement’ by Alanis Morissette to Ken Navarro’s new journey ‘The Grace of Summer Light’ – easily 3 of my current favourite performers.

It’s a situation that brings me back to the seventies opening a new vinyl from Elton John. Sure, I loved him. He could do no wrong but I knew even as a teen that sooner or later he would reach a crossroad and inevitably take the wrong road or miss the road entirely. Interestingly, that nervous anticipation is not always a case of not trusting the artist but rather not trusting that stubbornness in us to accept that new journey from our hero’s.

Ken Navarro has since almost the beginning represented what I loved most about the early New Adult Contemporary (NAC) format – Life! His music has consistently stayed away from what has killed Smooth Jazz in some markets and that’s the generic mind numbing, drum machine infested, groove music. Navarro continually features separation or a breathe between the instruments.
Again on ‘The Grace of Summer Light’ he has remembered that more is not better.

From the opening track ‘Just Before Dawn (prelude)’ to the full version that closes the set, the feeling is the same. One is left with a gift of appreciation for the nuts and bolts, the ying and yang and there is a sense of connection in what he preaches – I guess we feel his peace. That’s not to say that ‘Grace’ is slow, some of it is, but this is a spirit driven, driving CD.
For most of us there is a sense of innocence that our life journey tries to bring us back to. I felt it in ‘Just Before Dawn.’ It’s almost impossible to miss.

‘Blue Skies, Bright Dreams’ a Metheny-esque open-space travelogue featuring hypnotic fretless bass from Tom Kennedy is one of the albums epic stick-em tunes. You’ll be humming the melody. I warn you.

Pianist Jay Rowe opens the title tune, another energy soaked ditty that could have sirens on your back. Its train-like determination and speed best served loud. Maybe you won’t even hear the police.

‘On My Way to Somewhere’ easily the most interesting track on the album features sampled vocals that almost sound real. At least I think it’s a keyboard. It’s as much an anthem as a follow your nose experiment. ‘Somewhere’ certainly shows off this tight band which also features Joel Rosenblatt on drums.

‘Perfect Circle Sun’ harkens back to that perfect peace New-Age music that the Wave in L.A. used to play when they where creating what was then the best radio format on the planet for adults.

‘Daddy-O,’ another Train/driving song features an effortless glide that all great determination tunes exhibit. Want to get up that mountain? You can with this little gem.

‘Nomad’ visits Metheny territory again with melody in tow and an almost mystical, spacey expanse of sound. I kept coming back to this one.

It’s as if Navarro took it all in, he threw out the worst in Contemporary Jazz and kept everything that was still ultra cool and relevant. He has listened to his teachers carefully but has kept only what made sense to him. He certainly connected the dots on ‘The Grace of Summer Light.’

This is the album that Navarro`s been building up to. This is the snapshot of all lessons learned.

As for Elton? I forgave him long ago for taking a few wrong turns. I say, it wasn’t his fault and Ken Navarro? Well, he’s flying at the highpoint of his career. He is going deeper and he may not even be trying harder. He’s the best thing in instrumental music today, by far. But it’s not his fault. – by John Beaudin Order the album here

Ken Navarro Remembers his Favourite Christmas Gift
November 29, 2006 - It usually doesn't take much prodding to get Ken Navarro to talk about Christmas, "our family tradition at Christmas is that we have everyone over to our house on Christmas Eve and I make Cioppino" says the guitarist, "It's an Italian tomato based fish stew which is excellent, especially with fresh sour dough bread." Christmas is big stuff at the Navarro home and food is a huge part of the celebration the guitarist adds, "I also make either a banana cream pie or a key lime pie, all from scratch of course. The kids then each get to open one present at midnight." Navarro who's just released his new album 'The Meeting Place' says he became a guitarist at Christmas, "it was the best Christmas gift I ever received - my first guitar, a Gibson steel string acoustic on my 13th Christmas. My parents kept it completely a secret so I was seriously surprised and overwhelmed. It was great!"
Smooth Jazz Now asked Navarro how he felt about 'The Meeting Place' now that it was finally done, "The new CD took me to a place where all the fire and energy I wanted to put into a studio recording came out coupled with my strong sense of the value of warm, memorable melodies.? This is my most mature and ambitious work and it feels so good to be this proud of the final result." Every album says something about the artist so we asked the guitarist what 'The Meeting Place' had to say about him, "The new CD says if you thought I had said everything I had to say in my first 16 CDs, you're in for a very nice surprise and an exciting journey". - by John Beaudin

Smooth Jazz and Cool Cars
June 8, 2005 - Everyone knows cool cars and smooth jazz go hand in hand. At least they will every Thursday from June 30th - August 4th, at the Walter Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan during the 2005 Cool Cars and Smooth Jazz Concert Series. Attendees will be allowed to take a spin in a 2005 Chrysler, Jeep, or Dodge vehicle before each evening show and the new Dodge Charger will also be spotlighted in a special exhibition showcasing eight decades of Dodge vehicles. The free series will feature Smooth Jazz stars Spryo Gyra, Chuck Mangione, Marion Meadows, Paul Taylor, Alexander Zonjic, Ken Navarro, and Michael Brock among others. - by Cheryl Philips

Ken Navarro Lets You In On The Process
September 22, 2004 - Ken Navarro may be on to something here. The guitarist wants you, the fan to be included in the record making process. His CD in the making "Love Coloured Soul" can be experienced as it is being recorded and mixed and the album art is being created. Available now at www.kennavarro.com is a free video download summarizing the album's process with updates including changing array of samples ranging from audio interviews with Navarro and the other musicians. "Love Coloured Soul" will be released on January 11, 2005 on Navarro's own Positive Music label but on December 1 fans will have the opportunity to purchase one of three special packages of the album. Each package will be tailored to appeal to different types of smooth jazz fans and will include full-length audio, photo albums, video movies and PDF graphics in addition to the finished CD itself. The store will be coming online in early October as part of http://www.kennavarro.com.

Ken Navarro Says Kim Waters Helped His Blood Pressure
May 25, 2004 - Ken Navarro says he's run into a few divas in his time, "I've recorded guys who no one has heard of who are very good players but they can't get comfortable with anything in the studio," says the guitarist. "The headphones, the carpet on the floor, the amount of reverb in the headphones everything bothers them and I feel like saying to them Eric Marienthal comes in here and he just plays." Navarro says saxophonist Kim Waters though took low maintenance to a whole new level, "Kim couldn't be more relaxed and comfortable with himself and with me and the room he was in. I tend to be more of a type 'A' personality and it's made me realize that you end up in the same place at the end. So it's better to do it like Kim and keep your blood pressure low. Kim Waters appeared on Navarro's 2002 album 'Slow Dance.' Both are on Shanachie Records. Read our interview with both Ken Navarro and Kim Waters.