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Monday, March 09, 2009

Jef Kearns Debut Album | "One The Level"

These songs shed a whole new light on urban music and the flute's place in it. It's the flute album for people who think they don't like flute. You've never heard it like this before."

Kearns makes the juxtaposition work on the second track, "Groove Ballet" as well. This song mixes a funk driven rhythm section with Kearns ' flute playing. The song also displays jazz interplay with guitar and keyboard solos interspersed with Kearns using his flute to return to a theme that he established at the opening.

Kearns uses his flute to great effect on the next song, "All Things Gleam," a radio worthy tune in which Kearns seems to engage in a duet with the vocalist Jacen Duncan. Kearns does take his listener to the forest on the next two tracks, "Lavender" and "How Soon," both instrumentals. However, he returns to the funk on the next two tracks, "On The Level," and "Givin U All I Got," with the later being an up-tempo jam that could work as Kearns ' statement that a flutists can rock a little bit as well. "Incomplete" is a spoken word piece in which Kearns again engages in a duet with the vocalist.

Jef Kearns' crossover appeal has been proven in the media as well. He is the only instrumentalist listed on Honeysoul.com (a site ranked 20 out of 198 million "soul" searches on Google), alongside recognized and award-winning vocalists and musicians, including Jill Scott, Joe, Common, and Mint Condition. He has also made numerous appearances on the Jazz Review and The Live Music Report Web sites.

Consisting of all original tracks, Jef's debut album On the Level unleashes a quiet storm of flute-focused R&B grooves that cross genres from modern soul to hip-hop to classic Motown. Of the album Jef says, "It is my mission to show people that flute that can be just as soulful and down-and-dirty as sax.

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