Once upon a time, long before lockdowns and pandemics, smooth jazz superstars became increasingly fond of bringing their music to the UK. The niche audiences that awaited them flocked to venues such as the Stables and the Pizza Express yet the only thing missing was the backing musicians whose travel from the USA proved cost prohibitive.
Step up some of the United Kingdom’s finest performers to lend a hand and lend a hand is exactly what the likes of bass player Frank Felix, drummer Marc Parnell, sax-man Carl Stanley and keyboard player Oli Silk did.
And then of course there was guitarist Mark Jaimes.
From as far back as the late 90’s Jaimes had been making a name for himself. As part of Mick Hucknall’s famed band Simply Red he enjoyed a dynamic run, both on the road and in the studio serving as Simply Red’s full time guitarist from 1998-2003. The stint included more than one hundred and sixty dates over two world tours, a greatest hits tour, the 1999 album ‘Love and the Russian Winter ‘ and ‘Home’ that followed four years later.
Even after he stopped performing live with Simply Red, Jaimes played on each of the band’s subsequent albums right through to ‘Blue Eyed Soul’ in 2019. Parallel with this, smooth jazz trumpeter Rick Braun suggested he should think about recording a solo album.
Braun and Jaimes first met and first played together in 2010 during the sold-out five night R&R show (with Richard Elliot) at London’s Pizza Express jazz club.
That same year Jaimes got a call from Oli Silk to fill in at the Pizza Express because for whatever reason the regular house guitarist wasn’t available. He went on to make that position his own and, after years working in the studio, welcomed this opportunity to again perform live. Over his ten years there he immersed himself in the urban jazz experience, supporting genre greats such as Braun, Brian Culbertson (for four consecutive years), Dave Koz, Peter White, Chuck Loeb, Euge Groove and Mindi Abair.
These new connections also led to studio work with Oli Silk, Michael J. Thomas and Kirk Whalum while in addition he joined Dave Koz to participate in the European version of Dave’s ‘Koz and Friends at Sea’ cruise.
Now, finally, Mark Jaimes is making his solo debut on the Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm label with ‘Hear At Last’. It features a nice ‘closing of the circle’ with Jaimes inviting Braun to appear on the horn-drenched ‘Heads Up’ while the album’s lead single is the mid tempo ‘Evenin’ that includes a piano solo from old friend Oli Silk and bass from Dwayne Smitty Smith. Silk is also around for the dance orientated ‘Peak Too Soon’ and another track that is reflective of Jaimes’ classic R&B/pop sensibilities is Rod Temperton’s ‘Midnight Rendezvous’ a buoyant number that pairs Jaimes’ slick work on guitar with a soaring vocal hook by the great Patti Austin.
Given the length of time that ‘Hear At Last’ has been in the making it is ironic that the pandemic offered the window of opportunity Jaimes was looking for to finally get it done. Having months off from live performing and with much of his regular studio work cancelled, he was able to write and produce the final batch of tunes for the project.
Looking back on what has gone before and what has brought him to this career defining moment he realizes that deep down he is and always has been a Shalamar and Michael Jackson loving soul boy, always digging the idea of those grooves and reveling in the melodies and funky rhythms that go with them.
Check back here soon for more on Mark Jaimes and ‘Hear At Last’.