(Jazz-Funk, Crossover Jazz, Modern Creattive) David Caceres - David Caceres - 2011, MP3, 320 kbps

Vocalist/alto saxophonist David Caceres seeks to bridge the worlds of pop and jazz with his eponymous CD, though the results are mixed. Caceres does a lot of singing, though his voice is more suited to pop than jazz. Fans of Thelonious Monk will likely question his watered-down, trying-too-hard-to-be-hip treatment of "'Round Midnight," a song that loses all of its drama in Gil Goldstein's dreadful arrangement. Goldstein's contemporary scoring of Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" fares better, though Caceres' alto playing is bland. The strongest tracks among the pop selections are two Stevie Wonder compositions, with Caceres' vocal backed by a subtle rhythm section in "Seems So Long," and the breezy bossa nova duet with Margret Grebowicz on "Bird of Beauty." The remaining pop and R&B interpretations never manage to gain steam, while neither of Caceres' originals leave much of an impression. David Caceres will likely find an audience among crossover fans, but there's just not much of interest for jazz fans in this uneven CD.

David Caceres - vocals, alto saxophone
Gil Goldstein - Fender Rhodes, arranger (#1-6,8)
Aaron Parks - piano, Fender Rhodes (#7,9-11)
Shedrick Mitchell - organ
Larry Campbell - guitar
Larry Grenadier - bass
Bill Stewart - drums
Bashiri Johnson - percussion
Margret Grebowicz - vocals (#10)
Orchestra Personnel:
Lois Martin - viola
Dave Eggar - cello
Keith Underwood, Kathleen Nester - flute
Charles Pillow - bass clarinet
Roger Rosenberg - baritone saxophone
Tony Kadleck - trumpet
Michael Davis - trombone
Recorded at Flux Studios, New York.