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(More customer reviews)My introduction to Paul Hardcastle came in 1985. Back during this time, "disco music" was almost obsolete. It had been replaced by "Dance" music. Around this time, studio mixing became very common to many Pop sounds. Many of these songs were known as "12 inch Remixes" (because they would often be released on 12 inch vinyl as singles). This allowed many songs, including those that were not traditional "Dance" style songs to be played in Dance Clubs. As a result, traditional Rock starts such as Bruce Springsteen had many of their tunes remixed into a "Dance" style and were now getting airplay in the clubs (Springsteen had "Cover Me" and "Dancing in the Dark remixed).In the early 80s, Paul Hardcastle was primarily an instrumentalist making songs that fit into the Dance Music genre. In 1985, Hardcastle had a very interesting song that became a big hit on the dance club scene and a huge hit in the UK.. The name of the song was "19" and it dealt with the Vietnam War as well as the effects after the war (posttraumatic stress disorder). In the United States, Hardcastle was viewed as a one-hit wonder with "19", but he still managed to continue to have success in the UK. (He would write,"The Wizard" that would become a theme for the UK's "Top of the Pops" show) Much of his decline in the United States might have been with the decline of Dance Music (i.e. 12 inch Remixes) in the late 1980s. Although I was a fan of the song, "19" - I can't say I followed Paul Hardcastle closely throughout the late 80s. Then, as the 90s came - I started hearing about Paul Hardcastle again. This time, he had gone into a new direction - Smooth Jazz.Hardcastle's work in Smooth Jazz is put together in a nice greatest hits collection entitled - Paul Hardcastle "Jazzmasters - The Greatest Hits".
Many may argue whether Smooth Jazz is really Jazz or not. Whether you believe the term "Jazz" belongs in Smooth Jazz or not, I do believe this genre has established itself on the music scene. I look at Smooth Jazz as primarily an instrumental music style that is an incorporation and fusion of several instrumental styles. Some of the fusion may be classic Jazz brass sounds, but others may be modern music styles of electric guitar or synthesizers. Because of the wide range that this genre can encompass, I feel many artists fall into this category. Paul Hardcastle's roots as a Synthesizer player and composer make his move to this genre of music almost a natural fit.
Hardcastle's Smooh Jazz work on "Jazzmasters - The Greatest Hits" is taken from his solo work and his work as part of a group. The term "Jazzmasters" refers to as part of the group - The Jazzmasters. As part of the Jazzmasters, they released four albums over the past decade: "Jazzmasters", "Jazzmasters II", "Jazzmasters III", and "Jazzmasters IV". "Jazzmasters - The Greatest Hits" encompasses the first three Jazzmasters albums. It also takes work from solo work that Hardcastle has done in the Smooth Jazz arena. Hardcastle's Dance Music work is not represented on this collection.Most of this work is hard to find on its original released CDs - but it is available on the collection "The Best of Paul Hardcastle". Paul Hardcastle has established himself as very successful Smooth Jazz artist in terms of commercial sales. Although now a big name in Smooth Jazz, I still find it surprising that when I mention his name to the mainstream music fan, I get the reaction "Who's Paul Hardcastle?"
There are two arguments you often get from those who are not fans of Smooth Jazz: 1) That's not Real Jazz; 2) It all sounds the same. In the case of Paul Hardcastle's work, I look at what Hardcastle tries to accomplish as a basis for refuting this argument. Throughout his whole career, Hardcastle has always tried to experiment and push the boundaries of his music. This goes all the way back to his Dance Music days of "19" and continues with his Smooth Jazz work. Using this as a model, Hardcastle isn't trying to do real Jazz, but incorporating Jazz elements into his music. Listen to the terrific Sax work in "Lost in Space" and "Forever Dreamin" and you will see that while these aren't Jazz songs, they do have elements of Jazz in it. As for the music sounding the same - I think this is sometimes a fair argument in the Smooth Jazz world. An initial listen to Hardcastle's Smooth Jazz work may also leave this impression, but as you listen to it (and you will need to listen to it several times), you will see how his work does have a lot of variety.
There are two songs on this collection that incorporate a vocalist -Helen Rogers. These songs are "Wonderland" and "Feel the Breeze". I happen to think "Feel the Breeze" is the best song of the collection. "Feel the Breeze" has a beautiful saxaphone intro which blends into a Latin Jazz style intro. Rogers' voice might not be one for a Latin Sound, but her R&B sound really comes across perfect. Snake Davis provides the saxaphone and does some flute which really blends nice.
The collection includes a new song "Shine". This song features some acoustic guitar rifts by Hardcastle's 9 year old son, Paul Hardcastle Jr. It also has some terrific sax work.
The collection features some outstanding liner notes. There is a page devoted to each song that tells a little about the song, there are some comments by Hardcastle, and even discusses some other related aspects of Hardcastle's career. I found this album a great way to find something that is a cut-above the average Smooth Jazz sound. It's also a great way to gain an introduction to one of the underrated artists of our time. I highly recommend this collection.
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