Let's Get Started
On his list of accomplishments, Japanese drummer Gota Yashiki lists programming, playing, or arranging credits with acts fromSimply RedandSinead O'ConnortoDepeche ModeandMassive Attack. OnLet's Get Started, a nicely diverse assortment of contemporary jazz targeted squarely at a smooth-jazz radio audience, Gota exercises his ability to compose and perform multi-instrumental audio environments that range from banal to stylishly interesting. Oddly, his album's title track is one of his most undistinguished works, whereas selections such as "Riding the Dawn," distinguished by smart sax lines and a polite but addictive groove, and the romantic, sax-fueled "We'd Better Move On" demonstrate his facility at sculpting above-average (and occasionally very worthwhile) fodder for smooth-jazz playlists.--Terry Wood