PopJazz

by Scott YanowWarren Hill has long been pegged as a David Sanborn imitator in jazz circles. Actually Hill has gradually developed his own voice within smooth pop music although he has never shown the desire to move much beyond his melodic themes. On Popjazz he actually jams a little over the "Giant Steps" chord changes on the closing "Bridgin' the Gap" although even here he sticks close to the new melody. Other tunes find Hill sometimes almost stretching a little but mostly staying in his own comfort zone. His backup band is pretty anonymous and most of these selections, although pleasing as background music, are interchangeable. In Hill's version of "popjazz," the jazz element is very light.