Album Reviews

A Brighter Day | Ronny Jordan

By Nirav ⋅ May 13, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Found only due to my stalking of Mos Def and everything he does, I find Ronny Jordan to be one of the best jazz musicians touring and creating music today. I don’t think I was even listening to any jazz musicians when I first heard A Brighter Day (2000) back in 2002. But my introduction into the genre through a credible and well respected artist like Mos Def opened my eyes.

The jazz genre itself really never stirred any interest in me when I was younger. I was looking for something I could latch onto and something that vibed with me. Though of course I had heard of the diplomats like Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis, their music just never hit me in a way that I could just put them on my ipod or I could jam out to on my 7.1 sound system. I particularly was looking for something more soul-driven and something that was smooth. Then came Ronny Jordan, my introductin into the world of jazz.

Soulful, smooth, and absolutely entertaining - Ronny Jordan strums his guitar as the lead and center of his music. Just like Dan, I’m attracted to guitar driven music. Not sure why (since I don’t play like Dan), but I think its just easier to follow along than the drums or the bass. And when you have someone great and really skillful like Ronny Jordan, it makes it so much easier to be attracted to it.  You have to check out tracks like After Hours (The Antidote) off his album The Antidote (1992) and New Delhi off A Brighter Day. He even has a track with the legendary jazz/funk favorite Roy Ayers entitled Mystic Voyage. Roy Ayers is also very famous for all his contributions to hip hop and soul music. Over 75% or more of his songs have been sampled and turned into current hip hop.

Suprisingly after many years touring abroad, Ronny Jordan is performing live on June 16th in New York City at my favorite jazz lounge, Blue Note Jazz Club. Blue Note has brought countless stars to its club for performances. Some of my favorites include Amel Larrieux, Common, Bilal, and Mos Def. If you would like to join me, I’ll be attending the late evening show. Tickets are very affordable to see such a great artist like Ronny Jordan!

Check out this self-titled track, A Brighter Day, with a small remix by Mos Def. This track got me hooked into buying and listening to all of Ronny Jordan’s albums.

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Tags: jazz