Bar Hop by Rich Walker Sextet

23 Jan

Written by Mark Keresman
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Bar Hop is perhaps a too-accurate title - while certainly not "bad" jazz by any means, it’s the kind of conservative, slightly Latin- and contempo/fusion-tinged bop/…

Bar Hop is perhaps a too-accurate title - while certainly not "bad" jazz by any means, it’s the kind of conservative, slightly Latin- and contempo/fusion-tinged bop/mainstream guitar jazz one could hear in almost any city any night of the week. (What they used to call "cocktail lounge jazz.") Rich Walker avoids the facileness of most m’stream guitarists, playing with admirable restraint and a most tasty dash of blues feeling, but his tunes are fairly nondescript and most of this comes off as smooth and "tasteful" as primo 80s jazz-lite, or "Fuzak" as I called it back-when. This disc contains excellent musicianship and I betcha LIVE these cats can strike a spark, but Bar Talk is pretty much "groovy" background sound for retro-hip boutiques.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Rich Walker Sextet
CD Title: Bar Hop
Genre: Smooth Jazz
Year Released: 2005
Record Label: Altru Music
Musicians: Rich Walker: guitar, vocals; Donald Brown: piano; Walt Hubbard: drums; Rex Wertz: sax, flute; Charlie Silva: bass; Carlos Fernandez: congas, perc.; Michelle Amato: vocals (one track); others.
Label Website: http://www.altrumusic.com
Rating: One Star