Trying to capture the essence of the way he incorporates elements from various genres into his own inimitable sound, Bob Baldwin likes to call his style "PBJ Music," for pop, blues and jazz. But even those three tags still leave out the "F" for funk and "S" for soul which helped make the composer/keyboardist’s early Nineties releases Rejoice (1990) and Reflections of Love (1992) two of the most talked about contemporary jazz releases of the time. Label hassles and a constant stream of behind the scenes work as producer, composer and arranger kept Baldwin out of the spotlight for several years, but one listen to Cool Breeze, his Shanachie Entertainment debut (and first nationally distributed collection in five years), makes it clear that the New York native hasn’t lost his smooth jazz touch.

Baldwin’s newfound association with the label makes perfect sense in light of the fact that Danny Weiss, currently Shanachie’s head of A&R, co-produced Rejoice as well as I’ve Got a Long Way To Go, Baldwin’s first indie release on Malaco Jazz in 1988.

"I’ve done numerous concerts over the past few years with saxophonist Marion Meadows (who appears on Cool Breeze), and when I’d visit radio stations with him, the program directors who heard I was coming back said they’d love to hear more acoustic piano and less of the synthesized orchestra sound from me," says Baldwin, who last year independently released City Sketches, a musical ode to the Olympic Games of Atlanta, his home for the past three years. "So, while I still feature numerous synth solos, I set out to incorporate more organic elements this time. In the time I’ve been away, there’s more of a movement away from machinery and back to acoustic sounds, and this allows me to play more from the heart and more jazzy than ever."

Some of the trappings around Baldwin’s picture perfect melodies may have changed, but his goal on Cool Breeze is the same as it’s always been—to reflect his ongoing life experiences in his playing. "Playing with church choirs for years taught me the healing and spiritual power of music, how it can help people deal with their difficulties as well as share their triumphs. I included a new arrangement of the Stylistics tune ‘People Make the World Go Round’ because when Marion and I played it live, our audience was really affected by its message."

While Baldwin is a highly prolific composer with over 300 completed tunes in his catalog, he enjoyed mining some pop history for two other gems that have meant a lot to him over the years—Seals and Crofts’ "Summer Breeze" and the Burt Bachrach classic "Walk On By". "Certain tunes give both me and my audience a certain warm fuzzy feeling," he says, "and the key is to take those songs to another level, so people can reflect on their memories while enjoying a new challenge. There’s a certain connection which can bond me with the listener, a reference point we can both relate to."

The album title Cool Breeze perfectly pegs the lighthearted, uptempo vibe of the opening tracks, the bright and energetic "Give In To Love" (featuring acoustic piano and synth interplay along with a powerful alto solo by Fred Vigdor) and an elegant funk, hip-hop driven take on the Seals and Crofts tune (featuring Meadows wailing on soprano). The exotic, blues-tinged "Bahia Maria" reflects Baldwin’s lifelong love of Latin and Brazilian music, while a sparse, slowly evolving arrangement of "People Make the World Go Round" turns the soulful ballad into a potent spiritual odyssey. Guitarist Larry Coryell’ smooth electric and funky acoustic strings trade off with Baldwin’s retro Fender Rhodes sound on the easy bounce of "Ties That Bind," which is followed by a struttin’ jazzy cool take on "Walk on By". Continuing the summery themes, "Hot Fun in the Sun" starts out warm and intimate before Baldwin, Meadows and drummer Forrest Robinson kick it up into an all out funky jam session. After a tasty, bluesy tribute to Baldwin’s mother’s down home cooking, "Vi’s Pies," Baldwin simmers down for an elegant, orchestrated late night feeling on "Cool Wind Blowing." Rounding out the set are the whimsical "I Give Unto You" (check out those crafty synth "footprints"!), the hypnotic, almost avante garde atmospheres of "Be Encouraged" and a reprise (interlude) of "Ties That Bind".

"I can’t really take credit for being born with the ability of perfect pitch at the age of four," reflects Baldwin, who took classical piano lessons growing up in Mt. Vernon, New York from age 5 through 12. "But it has been my responsibility to nurture and maintain it. When I was four, my father discovered I had this gift, and he’d invite friends over to watch as he played a note in one room while I called it out from the other."

Baldwin’s father, himself a jazz pianist, instilled in his son a love for all kinds of music, but Bob Baldwin gravitated in his formative years towards the jazz sounds of Oscar Peterson, soul inspirations of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Earth Wind & Fire, and artists who combined both forces like Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones. "I was brought up all confused," he laughs, "but they all had a great impact on my development as an artist."

After receiving a degree in business administration from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, he pursued a career in radio (one of his eventual goals is still his own show) before focusing on his musical talents. His first gig was playing alongside famed jazz arranger Norman Connors in St. Croix (where he met Meadows), and over the years he has lent his writing, producing and arranging skills to many of the biggest names in jazz and R&B—George Benson, Deniece Williams, Melba Moore, Michal Urbaniak, Nelson Rangell, Kashif, Will Downing, Marion Meadows, Pieces of a Dream, The Manhattans and Grover Washington, Jr. (co-writing and producing "Till You Return To Me" on Next Exit, Billboard’s #1 Contemporary Jazz album of the year in 1992). He has also performed live with Downing and Roberta Flack.

In 1986, Baldwin opened for Tom Browne at the legendary Bottom Line in New York City, which led to a collaboration with Browne on his No Longer I album in 1988. This is turn resulted in a one shot deal with Malaco Records, which yielded Baldwin’s first solo project, I’ve Got a Long Way To Go, recorded with his then-band The Dream. Encouraged by friends, Baldwin submitted the album to the Sony Innovators Award Program (formed to encourage African American talent), which presented him with its Sound Award in 1989. The Sony prize garnered the attention of Atlantic Records, which released Baldwin’s best known solo projects, Rejoice and Reflections of Love. Reflections of Love eventually hit #7 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart.

Always skirting the middle ground between jazz and R&B, Baldwin hits his perfect stride on the innovative yet accessible Cool Breeze. "I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs in this business, but none of that cynicism will ever come across in the music," he says. "There’s a lot of love on this project, which reflects my feeling that if you keep your perspective, you can always find the good in any tough situation.

"The title Cool Breeze refers both to me keeping the pressure and worries off as well as the cool that Miles Davis introduced in the 60’s. I bring something different to the party, hanging laid back but with some real fire in the arrangements."

With the release of Cool Breeze, Bob Baldwin re-establishes himself as one of the most dynamic composer/performers in contemporary jazz. Back in the swing of things, he gives us the perfect musical tonic for those sweltering summer days.