At a time when a clear majority of us music fanatics access our favorite artists and tunes with clicks on our phone, there’s something magical about the return in popularity of LPs. They obviously cost more than back in the day, but for those of us who grew up on vinyl – and who currently own a turntable – it’s exciting to open the big packaging, pull out that licorice pizza and anticipate listening with the drop of a needle.
Increasingly popular in the smooth jazz genre since the late 2010s, guitarist/composer Frank Piombo knows the feeling well, lucky enough to grow up with Beatlemania and citing the Fab Four as a chief influence in cultivating his excitement for and development on his chosen instrument. As he releases his project The Best of Frank Piombo on vinyl, it’s good to take stock of other important elements of his unique background. He spent his early years in North Africa and his mother’s birthplace of Rome before his family moved Stateside when he was eight. He was initially inspired by his dad, who played romantic tunes on the accordion.
Frank was playing gigs by his late teens but put his musical ambitions on hold to pursue a successful “straight career” as a math teacher and then teacher/trainer in Newark for the Office of Mathematics. He gravitated back to music several decades later, singing and playing alongside bands like Sidewalk Symphony, The Fantasy Band, Stepping Out and the New Prince Band and sharing stages with the likes of The Duprees, The Mello Kings, Vito and the Salutations and Vito and the Elegants. While he began releasing singles in 2010, he began making a larger impact with his infectious and stylistically eclectic instrumental tunes with the release of his auspiciously titled 2017 debut Keep It Movin’.
The funky, high energy title track to that collection is the perfect way to launch Side A of Best Of. A relentlessly joyful, festive horn drench jam featuring Michael Mahadeen’s colorful flute and soaring sax, the song sets the tone for all the subsequent brilliance Frank would unleash while offering a showcase of his crisp, intricate style, unique sonic modulations and masterful way with melodies. Side A also includes the second track on that album, the fast paced, freewheeling “Al dente (Tino’s Theme),” whose fusion of a fast-paced groove, fascinating swirl of low and high tone guitar tones and silky flute (Michael Mahadeen) and sax (Rod Williams) contributions make it one of Frank's most engaging tunes ever.
Another gem from this album, the breezy, easy flowing (and also horn spiced) Latin jazz adventure “Middle of the Night” boasts an exuberant sense of romance – enhanced by Sam Hankins’ wild trumpet solo - that inspired Frank to re-record it on his 2022 follow-up album A Smooth Collection with an intimate vocal by Doreen Arminio. The fourth track on Best Of from the guitarist’s debut is the perfectly titled “Rush Hour Funk,” a free-wheeling, old school flavored romp with a Tower of Power brass vibe, a potent sax solo and harmony lines by Tony Exum, Jr. and more of Frank’s plucky string genius – all enhanced by cacophonous traffic noise for the full sonic effect. Listening to these four tracks from Keep It Movin’ makes it clear just how an indie artist who waited till later in his life to strut his musical stuff has made such impressive inroads into the genre mainstream.
Best Of naturally includes the song that really “broke” Frank in the genre, the cleverly titled “Luv Dat Smooth Latte (Nico’s Theme),” from his 2020 Family Concept EP, which hit SmoothJazz.com’s Smooth Jazz Global chart for six weeks in a row. Though less rhythmically intense than the earlier track, it’s got that classic, soulful infectiousness, breezy string energy, a killer melody and some dazzling contributions from saxophonist Joe Arminio (going crazy towards the end) and Donnie Harrell’s Fender Rhodes coolness.
The five other tracks on Best Of naturally come from Frank’s 2023 album A Smooth Collection, which takes listeners on a multi-faceted journey over its nine incredible tracks. He chose two of them, “Shining Star” and “Luca’s Groove” to be the radio singles for good reason. Reflective of its title, “Shining Star” (no relation to the classic Earth, Wind & Fire or Manhattans hits) invites us to experience a sparkling, brass-fired light funk melody and especially the fascinating dual guitar energy between Frank and his dynamic mentor Sandy Renda – enhanced by the emotional power of Joe Arminio’s sax solo. Fully deserving of Frank’s largest promotional campaign to date, “Luca’s Groove” – a whimsical tribute to the spirit of his family dog - wraps some picture perfect, fluid guitarisma and contemporary soul-funk energy with retro George Dukesque synth colors courtesy of William Gorman’s spry Fender Rhodes. The track is one of Frank's most popular ever, hitting the Top 100 on Billboard's Smooth Jazz Airplay chart.
The three other Best Of tracks from A Smooth Collection are the totally chill ballad “As Smooth As It Gets” (featuring Rod Williams’ charming sax touches), the tropical, reggae and brass splashed celebration “Island Dance” (the ultimate getaway song) and another exotic escape, “Dancing In Barcelona.” Inspired by his daughters’ trip to Spain, this charmer features the cheery interaction between Frank’s buoyant strings and steel pan synth sounds. The gorgeous piano solo near the end is by Billboard charting artist Joaquin Diaz, music director for superstar singer Romeo Santos.
Although any of Frank Piombo’s previous singles and albums are great places for listeners to introduce themselves to the uniquely diverse excitement he brings to smooth jazz, those who pick up the Best of LP have the added excitement of pulling the LP out of a sleeve and listening to a few pops when the needle drops and the thrilling array of choice cuts begins.
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