Though Hear at Last is the debut solo album of guitarist, composer, and producer Mark Jaimes, he is hardly a newcomer. He initially received notice for his playing on Maysa Leak's glorious self-titled 1992 debut. He's also worked with Basia, Hayley Westenra, and Kylie Minogue, and spent five years with Simply Red between 1998 and 2003 and still selectively appears on their recordings. Jaimes' phrasing and playing style draw on the multi-string chromatic lyricism of Grant Green and the young George Benson, the funky, rhythmic prowess of Ronny Jordan, and the smooth modernism of Bobby Broom and Chuck Loeb. Jaimes claims he was put up to recording a solo album at the behest of old friend, collaborator, and trumpeter Rick Braun, who guests here.
The 11-song set is impeccably balanced between club groovers and smooth jams with wonderful playing. Jaimes played all guitars and basses and did the programming. His studio cast includes longtime production partner Danny Saxon on keyboards, drummers Westley Joseph and Oscar Seaton, and bassist Dwayne "Smitty" Smith among others. Opener "Evenin'" features a guest spot from pianist Oli Silk (Jaimes' bandleader at Pizza Express) wedding lithe, bluesy jazz-funk to syncopated breaks, and vampy interplay between the two soloists. "Peak Too Soon" comes out of the gate dressed as a fusion of jazz and disco, with Jaimes handling the lyric leads atop his own layers of wah-wah guitar as bass and synth strings rise above the popping snare and hi-hat groove. "6 After 8" offers a late-night feel, with a bumping bass and snare pattern. Jaimes twins electric and acoustic guitars in wedding R&B to jazz, and even references flamenco in his sumptuous melody. Braun guests on "Heads Up," a tune drenched in funky flavor that owes a deep debt to Grover Washington, Jr.'s "Mister Magic." The punchy harmonic interplay between keys, guitars, and horns offers the rhythm section an enormous palette to play from. Patti Austin lends her iconic voice to an airy, classy read of the late Rod Temperton's "Midnight Rendezvous." (A mentor to Jaimes, this lone cover track is offered in tribute to him.) Prolific guitarist Peter White joins Jaimes on the swaggering nocturnal strutter "We'll See." The pair play in unison, then trade fours and eights before reharmonizing across a lush backdrop of strings, keys, dubwise bass, and drums. The title track weds slick funk, disco, and smooth jazz in Jaimes' layered acoustic and electric guitar approach. They engage in dynamite exchanges with Saxon's synths and percussion. Hear at Last is a thoroughly contemporary jazz record of the kind we are seldom treated to anymore. There is no grand concept at work, only beautifully composed, arranged, and produced tunes that revel in assonant harmonies, slippery, fingerpopping rhythms, and classy production that places accents on clean lines and dynamics.