JANGO
''DREAMTOWN''
FEBRUARY 23 1999
51:45
1 Dreamtown Intro.
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 0:18
2 City of the 2nd Chance
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:35
3 With Your Love (Victor's Song)
Victor Feldman 3:22
4 How Long
Paul Carrack 5:30
5 7th Journey
Leon Johnson / Nick Kirgo / Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 5:48
6 Dreamtown
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:50
7 Driftin'
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:03
8 Too Much Time
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 5:29
9 Kings Road
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:08
10 Message to Ramona
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:41
11 Sunset to the Sea
Leon Johnson / Nick Kirgo / Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:13
12 Golden Fool
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price :48
Steve Nieves - vocals, saxophone, percussion
Nick Kirgo - guitar, background vocals
Steve Le Gassick - keyboards, background vocals
Leon Johnson - bass, background vocals
Dave Beyer - drums
Anas Allaf - guitar
Eric Henderson - guitar
Michael Price - background vocals
REVIEW
by Alex Henderson
A mixed bag, Dreamtown finds Jango fluctuating between adult contemporary vocals and pop-jazz instrumentals -- some of which are OK, some of which are devoid of taste and integrity. The vocal material, which recalls '70s soft rock, isn't bad -- "City of the Second Chance" and the title song have a likable Steely Dan-ish quality, while "How Long" revives Ace's 1975 smash with pleasing results. Meanwhile, the instrumentals range from the decent to the dreadful. Jango stoops to playing outright elevator muzak on soulless, unlistenable schlock like "Driftin'" and "With Your Love (Victor's Song)," a tune that the late vibist Victor Feldman wrote after going commercial. But the group has a more worthwhile instrumental in "King's Road." Though the tune is marred by excessive production, it's certainly more substantial than "Driftin'." When you add everything up, Dreamtown is evenly divided between plusses than minuses. This CD indicated that if the group avoided excessive producing and steered clear of shameless elevator muzak, the plusses might win out on future efforts.
BIOGRAPHY
by Alex Henderson
Consisting of Los Angeles-based studio players, Jango is a group that has focused on Steely Dan-influenced soft rock/adult contemporary vocals as well as instrumental NAC/crossover music. The Jango project came about in 1998, when singer/saxophonist Steve Nieves (who had recorded as a leader for the now-defunct JMI label) and keyboardist Steve Le Gassick joined forces with guitarist Nick Kirgo, bassist Leon Johnson and drummer Dave Beyer. All of the musicians had been quite active in the L.A. studio scene. Jango signed with Samson Music in 1998, and its CD Dreamtown came out in early 1999 Closer to Home followed a year later.
''DREAMTOWN''
FEBRUARY 23 1999
51:45
1 Dreamtown Intro.
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 0:18
2 City of the 2nd Chance
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:35
3 With Your Love (Victor's Song)
Victor Feldman 3:22
4 How Long
Paul Carrack 5:30
5 7th Journey
Leon Johnson / Nick Kirgo / Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 5:48
6 Dreamtown
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:50
7 Driftin'
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:03
8 Too Much Time
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 5:29
9 Kings Road
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:08
10 Message to Ramona
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:41
11 Sunset to the Sea
Leon Johnson / Nick Kirgo / Steve LeGassick / Michael Price 4:13
12 Golden Fool
Steve LeGassick / Michael Price :48
Steve Nieves - vocals, saxophone, percussion
Nick Kirgo - guitar, background vocals
Steve Le Gassick - keyboards, background vocals
Leon Johnson - bass, background vocals
Dave Beyer - drums
Anas Allaf - guitar
Eric Henderson - guitar
Michael Price - background vocals
REVIEW
by Alex Henderson
A mixed bag, Dreamtown finds Jango fluctuating between adult contemporary vocals and pop-jazz instrumentals -- some of which are OK, some of which are devoid of taste and integrity. The vocal material, which recalls '70s soft rock, isn't bad -- "City of the Second Chance" and the title song have a likable Steely Dan-ish quality, while "How Long" revives Ace's 1975 smash with pleasing results. Meanwhile, the instrumentals range from the decent to the dreadful. Jango stoops to playing outright elevator muzak on soulless, unlistenable schlock like "Driftin'" and "With Your Love (Victor's Song)," a tune that the late vibist Victor Feldman wrote after going commercial. But the group has a more worthwhile instrumental in "King's Road." Though the tune is marred by excessive production, it's certainly more substantial than "Driftin'." When you add everything up, Dreamtown is evenly divided between plusses than minuses. This CD indicated that if the group avoided excessive producing and steered clear of shameless elevator muzak, the plusses might win out on future efforts.
BIOGRAPHY
by Alex Henderson
Consisting of Los Angeles-based studio players, Jango is a group that has focused on Steely Dan-influenced soft rock/adult contemporary vocals as well as instrumental NAC/crossover music. The Jango project came about in 1998, when singer/saxophonist Steve Nieves (who had recorded as a leader for the now-defunct JMI label) and keyboardist Steve Le Gassick joined forces with guitarist Nick Kirgo, bassist Leon Johnson and drummer Dave Beyer. All of the musicians had been quite active in the L.A. studio scene. Jango signed with Samson Music in 1998, and its CD Dreamtown came out in early 1999 Closer to Home followed a year later.
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