Smooth Jazz's Polished, Accessible Vision
Carlton's guitar floats over bright horn arrangements and crisp studio production, chasing accessibility over depth.
Discovery opens with bright, clean production and a light touch — Carlton's guitar sits high in the mix, supported by precise horn arrangements and a rhythm section locked tight. There's air in these recordings, space between the instruments. It's smooth jazz in the truest sense: polished, radio-friendly, engineered for pleasure rather than risk. Tracks move at an easy pace, driven by Terry Trotter's keyboards and the steady pocket of Rick Marotta on drums, with John Peña anchoring the low end.
Carlton was already known as a session guitarist and solo artist by this point. Discovery positions him as a bandleader in control of his sound — capable, professional, working with strong players like Gary Grant and Jerry Hey on horns. The album's commercial high point came from Carlton's cover of the Doobie Brothers' "Minute by Minute," which won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. It's a smooth, impeccable reading: the kind of track that works in an elevator or a car commercial because it asks nothing difficult of the listener.
This is solid instrumental pop-jazz, confident and competent but not searching. It's the sound of 1986 session craft applied to a contemporary smooth-jazz framework. AllMusic's three-star rating captures it fairly — Discovery is professional and enjoyable without being essential. Fans of Carlton's later work or collectors of 1980s contemporary jazz will find it worth hearing; others might sample it and move on.
Who's playing
John Peñabass
Larry Carltonguitar
Gary Granttrumpet
Jerry Heytrumpet
Michael Fisherpercussion
Rick Marottamembranophone
Terry Trotterkeyboard
Larry Williamswoodwind
