Jazz is smart music. You have to study the fundamentals before you bend the rules. For many, it is as complex and satisfying to the ear as great architecture is to the eye, or fine food to the palate. Listen to Ken Navarro - Ellicott City's resident smooth jazz guitar virtuoso - play the opening notes of his hit, "You Are Everything," and you'll get a sense of what the genre at its best is all about. Listen to him talk, and you'll get a sense of the smart thinking behind his more than 35 years of success in the music business.
"Right now, though," said Navarro, "I've been spending a lot of my day feeling inadequate." That is because Navarro, 52, has been working his way through voluminous software manuals, teaching himself computer code so that he can update and maintain his Web site (www.kennavarro.com).
"People look at Web sites the way they would billboards, driving by at 60 mph. They use them fast - they're not 'scrutinized,' " he said. Navarro got to the point where he wanted his Web site to be in sync with the immediacy of the medium - to be able to change concert dates as fast as promoters would notify him, or reflect on a current event in his Web log. Check out his thoughts on the Rolling Stones' Super Bowl halftime performance.
"Little by little, it has become clear," said Navarro, speaking of his software explorations. "And when you work your way through a myriad of problems and reason them out, there's a sense of triumph."
Navarro said that the process of learning first how to update and then make design changes to his Web site has reawakened his love of learning and emphasized to him how important it is at every stage in one's life to be actively engaged in tackling something new.
At this point, Navarro has redesigned most of his Web site himself, adding pages, an interactive guest book and Web log. Now he is moving on to produce his first podcast - a mini audio broadcast or "show," which will be posted on his and other easily accessible sites, such as iTunes. Anyone with an interest can download the podcasts free and listen to them on an iPod or through a computer.
Navarro is not sure which direction he is going to take his podcasts, but he is sure of one thing: "It's about giving information - not selling something. To me, it's a real turn-off when you hear a podcast that advertises. I can get that on commercial TV."
Navarro's latest compact disc, Love Coloured Soul, was in the top 10 for 18 weeks; its hit single "You Are Everything" is still on the charts at No. 17 after 14 months. His inventive remake of Laura Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic" is getting serious airplay. Nonetheless, Navarro will soon begin working on his 17th record - writing, recording and mixing - aiming for a projected release date of late this year or early next year. Next is the job of promoting, shooting and editing digital footage for his Web site, as well as creating weekly podcasts.
Though Navarro has been with a major record label - which reduces the business-aspect of a musician's workload - he says, "This is where self-determination has its rewards." He can create his music and put it out there in a way that reflects his personal style and drive.
Now that's smooth, just like his music.
baltimoresun.com
Technorati Tags: Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Music
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