Richard Elliot - Best of Richard Elliot (CD)

All Music Guide

This document of Richard Eliot's Blue Note years showcases a virtual master saxophonist who decided that smooth jazz was the pace for him to make his markand his money, and he probably did all right at it. Eliot was a mainstay on "contemporary" or "smooth" jazz radio stations for much of the 1990s though he began his ruin with the label in 1976. These 17 tracks document his years with the label and include all of his radio material as well as some other sides consistent in flavor and sound. What differs most form track to track here is the sound of the production more than Elliot's playing, which remains melodic, slightly funk and soulful in a very abstract mannerhis tone, unlike say, David Sanborn's or George Howard's is actually kind of cool and distance instead of deeply emotive. It should also be noted that after leaving the label first for GRP and then Artizen, his records in the 21st century, while still very accessible and in the smooth jazz vein are creatively more compelling a...nd more interesting productionwise than his earlier recordings. - Thom Jurek, All Music Guide Read more Less