David Caceres

Vocalist/alto saxophonist David Caceres seeks to bridge the worlds of pop and jazz with his eponymous CD, though the results are mixed. Caceres does a lot of singing, though his voice is more suited to pop than jazz. Fans of Thelonious Monk will likely question his watered-down, trying-too-hard-to-be-hip treatment of "'Round Midnight," a song that loses all of its drama in Gil Goldstein's dreadful arrangement. Goldstein's contemporary scoring of Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" fares better, though Caceres' alto playing is bland. The strongest tracks among the pop selections are two Stevie Wonder compositions, with Caceres' vocal backed by a subtle rhythm section in "Seems So Long," and the breezy bossa nova duet with Margret Grebowicz on "Bird of Beauty." The remaining pop and R&B interpretations never manage to gain steam, while neither of Caceres' originals leave much of an impression. David Caceres will likely find an audience among crossover fans, but there's just not much of interest for jazz fans in this uneven CD. ~ Ken Dryden