Bob Mamet showed considerable promise on his debut album,
Signs of Life, which could easily be described as "pop-jazz with a brain." This 1994 release is hardly the work of a jazz purist or a bop snob; the pianist/keyboardist combines jazz with elements of pop, rock, and R&B, and he has been heavily influenced by the electric work of
Chick Corea,
the Yellowjackets, and
Joe Sample. But at the same time, anyone who claims that
Signs of Life is merely instrumental pop doesn't give
Mamet enough credit -- the pop elements are strong, but so are the jazz elements.
Mamet brings an improviser's mentality to the table, and he enjoys a real dialogue with well-known guests like guitarist
Larry Carlton, saxman
Sam Riney, and
Yellowjackets members
Jimmy Haslip (bass) and William Kennedy (drums). Another guest is saxman
Richard Elliot, and here's the ironic part: Elliot's playing is a lot more substantial and meaty on
Signs of Life than it is on his own albums. Elliot has recorded more than his share of brainless elevator Muzak, but he sounds pretty good on
Mamet's debut. Meanwhile,
Mamet detours into straight-ahead jazz on
Miles Davis' "Nardis," which finds him forming a traditional piano trio with Haslip and Kennedy. But most of the time, he favors a pop-jazz approach on
Signs of Life, which is definitely his strongest and most consistent album. ~ Alex Henderson