Akira Jimbo - Slow Boat (1991)

There are several ways to look at Slow Boat, Akira Jimbo's second release for the now defunct Optimism label. First, for a drummer, he has an amazingly strong ear for catchy and positive melodies, not to mention a knack for surrounding himself with top L.A. talent like Gary Herbig, Doug Cameron, Paul Jackson, Jr, Gerald Albright and producer Kazu Matsui. Also on the plus side, he, Matsui and arranger Gary Stockdale work brilliantly with horn textures. However, with a few notable exceptions (the furious and bouncy "Rain and Shine" in particular), his tunes are so geared into the airplay conscious, no chances taken, mellow mode, that he leaves his skins without much exciting to do and his musicians longing for a few challenges. The collection is bound to please, but its other downfall is the case it makes for the abolishment of dreary, listless vocals on pop instrumental recordings. Unfortunately, Jimbo plunges into this dreary zone on four of the ten cuts, wasting some nice enough music in the process.