Part of what attracts me to ambient, and electronic music in general, is that many artists in the style are able to capture the ethereal and the inexpressable. I have found that other styles of music have never quite captured those feelings for me – at least to the same degree. That may be because most other styles of music I generally listen to have more “traditional” instrumentation (i.e. guitar, bass, and drums) in which the tactile “human” connection to the music is immediately identifiable. But with most electronic music, there seems to be an additional degree of separation that removes that direct human element. With Total Blue’s debut album, Los Angeles musicians Nicky Benedek, Alex Talan, and Anthony Calonico utilize fretless bass, guitar, and a slew of 80s synthesizer sounds to achieve the same dreamscapes that much of my favorite, strictly digital, ambient music does. 

Benedek’s and Talan’s solo work as Benedek and Coolwater, respectively, point to the overlap of jazz, ambient, and new age that Total Blue’s music encompasses. But there are influences beyond the members’ own projects that are almost immediately recognizable. The synth guitar and fretless bass of “The Path” and “Corsair” reflect the new-age-inflected work of jazz masters Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius. However, the compositional structure of those tracks is less defined and lacks the structure of those artists’ compositions. The thumping synth bass and staccato guitar chords of “Heart of the World” create a rhythmical foundation by which the airy synths, saxophone lines, and piano glides swirl around, but there is no identifiable chord progression as one might find in most jazz.   

Beyond the instrumentation and free-floating nature of the tracks, what the music on Total Blue does particularly well is capture indistinct emotions. The tracks do not emote in a heavy-handed way that makes it obvious what the listener should be feeling. Rather, it’s as if one is attempting to recognize a form through a haze: it’s difficult to make out, and it could be any number of objects. Emotions are complicated and rarely reduced to pure “sadness” or pure “anger”. Emotions can even be contradictory. The music on Total Blue simply reinforces that notion. 

“Chaparral” is a particular highlight of the album in which the opening delayed synth chords hint at wistful recollections. But, as the track progresses, more warmth is added with every additional layer. On the other hand, “Stone God Stomp” is slightly ominous but playful – almost as if you are making your way through a frightening escape room designed to feel like you are lost in the jungle.

While jazz enthusiasts and critics alike might deride Total Blue as the latest iteration of smooth jazz, there is much more to the band’s debut than the easy-listening jazz tradition would suggest.