Yesterday evening I was havin’ a great Lebanese meal. It was hot in ‘De Pijp’; a small, very lovely, neighbourhood in Amsterdam. Sudenly I heard a song I remembered from some long time ago. I couldn’t remember the artist. But the owner of the restaurant looked it up for me: Bobby Caldwell.

Bobby Caldwell’s song ‘Jamaica’ blows my mind every time I hear it. They call it smooth jazz, but I don’t give a shit about that title. It’s just fantastic, mind blowing music. Is Steely Dan smooth jazz? Probably. Is smooth jazz, safe music, un-sexy music?

Non-macho music it is! We don’t need macho in music, never ever. I always hated rock stars posing on stage. Still do. HATE IT! I’d rather see a more feminine Green (Scritti Politti) appear on stage. And shouldn’t music be just about music?

Yesterday evening I found out about Bobby Caldwell. This is the guy who helped me to make progress as composer and arranger. And he is one of the best singers around. The timing and nuances he has put in ‘Jamaica’ are really unbelievable. Also check out the string arrangement and the flugelhorn-like synth counterparts. I am totally in love with Fender Rhodes, as all the ‘smoothers’. I am blueprinting this stuff on my own music all the time. My sub-conscience…