Not since Doug Cameron's brilliant '90s output has a violinist made such a passionate bid to break through the usually narrow-minded smooth jazz format (sax, sax and more sax...unless we're playing R&B oldies!) and get the unique tones of this instrument on mainstream radio. Thanks to Stiebel's lovely arrangement of the Beatles' "And I Love Her," which has earned the support of WJZW 105.9 (Washington D.C.) on-air personality Al Santos, at least folks in Stiebel's hometown got wind of his uniquely grooving, often exotic and sweetly melodic approach. No doubt the standard cover was chosen as a safe bet first single, but Stiebel is far more creative elsewhere, turning his axe into a real rock instrument from the get-go, jamming with Gerry Kunkel's electric guitar on the fiery opening track "Lucky Dog." He waxes a bit more low key and whimsical on "A Great Day" and the romantic "Water Drops," then blissfully goes exotic on the simmering Latin rock of "Just Right." If Stiebel has any drawbacks from a commercial standpoint, it's his eagerness to diversify -- "Driven" is a powerful blues ballad, "Kemp's Jig" blasts in with rockin' Irish joy, and he creates his own jubilant brand of "Mileslypso" as a closer. On the other hand, "Simple Gifts" reminds us that the violin is traditionally a classical instrument. If Stiebel can't quite break through on a national level, he always has his incredible slate of gigs for corporate, political, and special events in the Beltway to fall back on; he's played for everyone from Presidents Bush and Clinton to Colin Powell and GOP presidential hopefuls Rudy Giuliani and John McCain. This is truly bold and creative music, and in the mid-2000s world of smooth jazz, that was unfortunately a mixed blessing. But as a representation of great indie instrumental music making, it's a potential classic.
© Jonathan Widran /TiVo