Track Listing 1. Downtown 2. Waiting For You 3. Easy Moving 4. Lullaby 5. Sunday 6. Too Much To Be Truth 7. Funky Story 8. Morning Song 9. Back To The Sunny Place 10. Wild Fellow 11. Octopus

April 28, 2005 - New guy on the scene Konstantin Klashtorni is working hard to dispel the myth that both the strength and the weakness of smooth jazz is that it is almost exclusively North American orientated. Yet it's a fact that beyond the shores of the USA and Canada, where radio play is insufficient to fuel interest and generate record sales, artists miss out on the opportunities enjoyed by their North American counterparts to pay their dues and learn their trade as session players and sidemen. As a consequence, the sounds are not heard often enough for up coming musicians to pick up on the genre.

Although UK natives Acoustic Alchemy, Peter White and Paul Hardcastle have had phenomenal success in breaking this near monopoly, further on into mainland Europe and beyond, smooth jazz artists who have made it big can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

One such musical wasteland is Holland where, over the last fifteen years, the one and only internationally recognized contribution to contemporary jazz has come from the consistently excellent Candy Dulfer. Yet it is from this country that the domiciled Ukrainian Konstantin Klashtorni, in mid stream of a musical adventure that has already taken him half the way around the world, brings us his debut solo release 'Downtown'.

Konstantin Klashtorni is a versatile, experienced saxophonist and composer who has toured and performed throughout Europe and South America. He studied jazz saxophone at Kiev State Music College in the Ukraine and received his Masters Degree in Music from the Rotterdam Royal Conservatory in Holland. After graduating from college Konstantin worked with Peter Pashkov's 'Vuyko Band', where he ran the full gamut between hard bop and cool jazz and with whom, in 1991, took part in the 'Jazz-Rock Jamboree' festival in Budapest, Hungary.

In 1995 Konstantin traveled to Venezuela and enriched his musical repertoire by exploring and incorporating Latin American rhythms and styles into his music. Here, between 1995 to 2000, he worked with a whole range of bands and toured with such Latin luminaries as Soledad Bravo, Biella Da Costa, Ilan Chester, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Franco De Vita and Oscar D'Leon.

It was while with the Biella Da Costa band that Konstantin played at the 1996 Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and, in addition, was part of numerous musical projects for top ranking artists that included Dionne Warwick and Eric Marienthal.

Fast forwarding to the year 2000 and Konstantin, by now back in Holland, was rapidly developing contacts with musicians that included Gerardo Rosales, Izaline Calister, Randal Corsen, Michael Simon, Fra-Fra Big Band, and Cubop City Big Band. . Just as significant he was cultivating his association with Nightstage Records and it is this partnership that is responsible for the CD 'Downtown'.

In smooth jazz terms 'Downtown' is a collection way above the standard of anything normally produced outside of the USA. As such it's a wonderful surprise to the listener. It kicks right off with the title track, a nice piece of up tempo smooth jazz that cries out to be taken for a fast summer drive with the top down. The title 'Sunday', or variants of it, is a popular choice for smooth and soul tunes with great past examples by Lionel Ritchie and Doc Powell to name only two. All seem to have that common feel created specifically for hanging out, eating leisurely breakfasts or perhaps making love. Putting his own particular spin on this 'Sunday groove' Konstantin captures perfectly the warm and cosy vibe that makes this a notable track.

'Funky Story' is more feel good than funky but has a strident and uplifting tone that would sit perfectly as a television series theme tune while 'Octopus' is retro 1970's R & B that is different enough to play anywhere, particularly in a live setting. One of several mid tempo numbers is the excellent 'Wild Fellow' that is enticingly spiced with Hammond organ but its when Konstantin turns it down for the slow jams on the album that he is perhaps found at his best.

'Waiting For You' is essential sweet soulful and romantic smooth jazz while 'Morning Song' is flushed with the sunlight that can only be found at that time of a summer's day. The Denis Poole standout of the entire collection is 'Lullaby'. It creeps up on you, invites you to be transported then draws you in with a melody that is laced by luscious and haunting strings. It is ahead of the rest by some way and that's saying something for this comprehensive collection of smooth jazz that deserves to make its mark both in North America and beyond. - by Denis Poole. April 2005.