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Cathy Segal-Garcia's Social Anthems, Volume One

10/20/2021

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Cathy Segal-Garcia is nothing if not prolific. An international performer, to be sure, she is also a Jazz educator and 14-time recording artist. This is a departure but a natural development from 2018’s The Jazz Chamber, a brilliant album with a chamber orchestra and joined by fellow vocalists Mon David and Kate McGarry.

Now Cathy offers Social Anthems, Volume 1 and brings along those great West Coast Jazz cats who make it look so easy. She is joined by guitarist Anthony Wilson, the inimitable Josh Nelson on piano, Lorca Hart on drums, Edwin Livingston on bass and Paul Jost on vocals and harmonica on track three, and…wait for it…Mon David on vocals on track six.

What Cathy does on this album is take the songs from the Rock and Pop scene that speak to the times—their times and ours. These six songs served as rallying points for the culture, counterculture, and for individuals. Cathy explains, “I've been experiencing feelings of malaise and angst for quite some time now. And most of my friends have said the same thing. People are afraid for the future. I chose the songs on this album because I felt they are timely and speak to those feelings.”

Six songs may not sound like much but Cathy and the artists with her deliver the full impact and import of these songs and their meaning for us, here and now.

It all begins with the Buffalo Springfield classic, For What It’s Worth. It was arranged by Josh Nelson and included the cool groove that Cathy loves to sing and sings so well. The understated rhythm section is spot on and Nelson’s piano never disappoints. Nelson also arranged the Billy Joel song And So It Goes which, frankly, I like better than the original. Paul Jost contributes cool harmonica and vocals. Cathy sings it warmly, sadly, and beautifully.

Nelson final arrangement was Marvin Gaye’s iconic God Save the Children. Cathy is joined by Mon David in a simply gorgeous arrangement and exquisite piano by Josh Nelson. The duet vocals are wonderful between these two excellent vocalists and Anthony Wilson’s guitar punctuates with some fine touches.

Guitarist Anthony Wilson arranged the other half of the track list beginning with Cathy’s original tune, What Are We Gonna Do. The arrangement and gentle, loving guitar from Wilson is so fine. Sweet bass lines from Edwin Livingston.
Wilson also arranged the Peter Gabriel/Thomas Newman tune Down to Earth. The song is from the Pixar animated film Wall-E. It is an environmentally aware song and the message goes well with the Marvin Gaye ecology sentiments. It swings nicely with great touches from guitar and piano.

Wilson’s last arrangement was for the medley of Chet Powers Get Together, performed by the Youngbloods, and Steve Winwood’s classic, Can’t Find My Way Back Home. Good Lord, this is good stuff. Cathy’s delivery of the Get Together section is much more widely paced and spaced. The instrumental bridge is amazing. Then Cathy transitions to the Winwood piece, one of my all-time favorite tunes. Cathy renders it flawlessly and emotionally.

Cathy Segal-Garcia is an extraordinary artist, at home with Jazz standards and Rock and Pop classics alike. And she interprets and performs them with soul, heart, and intelligence. The wonderful conclusion to Social Anthems, Volume 1 is knowing that a Volume Two is coming.
 
                                      ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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David Finck's BASSic Instinct

10/14/2021

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David Finck has worked with the biggest names in the music industry from Pop to Jazz. Once known as a session and touring musician, Finck now leads his own groups beginning with the 2008 quartet album, Future Day. His 2011 album, Umbrellas & Sunshine: The Music of Michel Legrand, was the first one to make me sit up and take notice. 

Finck has now released BASSic Instinct, his sixth album, and he brings along a terrific collaboration of musicians, featuring four vocalists with them.  Three of the 13 tracks on the album are Finck originals. The remainder or aexcellent reinterpretations of classics and standards, including a fine reinvention of So What with vocals.


The album opens with the title track, BASSic Instinct, with Quinn Johnson on keyboards, Teo Lima on drums, Ryan Quigley on trumpet, Andy Snitzer on tenor sax, Mike Davis on trombone, all joining David Finck on bass. A cool-as-can-be opening with great horns passages and great rhythms. BASSic Instinct is an excellent composition and performed exquisitely. Finck’s bass lines are so fine.


The classic Irving Berlin The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me) is set in a trio with Finck, Tedd Firth on piano, and Eric Halvorson on drums. A sweet swinging number, this does great honor to the Berlin original. The same goes for the Jerome Kern/Johnny Mercer tune, Dearly Beloved, with a sextet of Finck, Quinn Johnson on piano, Kevin Winard on drums and percussion, Andy Snitzer on tenor sax, Mike Davis on trombone, and Barry Denielian on trumpet. It is spun up with Latin rhythms and piano intonations. The horn sections is featured in a magnificently swinging interlude.


Irving Caesar’s Tea for Two keeps most of that same line-up except for Cliff Almond on drums and Ryan Quigley back on trumpet. Andy Snitzer’s tenor sax and Quinn Johnson’s piano are featured and they earn the spotlight. Then comes the fun of the theme from the TV show, Mannix, by Lalo Schifrin. The core quartet stays in with the addition of Bob Mann on guitar. That was a TV show I always enjoyed and I loved the music. Finck and company helps remind us why. And it is that same quartet who offers Soon It’s Gonna Rain from The Fantasticks, the longest running musical from Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones. Both highlight beautiful Jazz guitar from Mann and Finck’s bass is gorgeous, especially the bowed bass on the latter song.


Finck and Meg Ruby on piano duet on Seascape by Johnny Mandel. Bill Evans may have given us the definitive version of Seascape but David Finck renders a warm and beautiful reimagining of the wondrous piece. Ruby’s piano is brilliant and the warm of Finck’s bass is enrapturing.


The lively tempo of Tico Tico No Fubá is great fun with its almost ragtime punctuations. Meg Ruby is on the piano for this one, as well, with Nelson Faria on guitar, Kevin Winard on drums, and Finck with the bouncing bass. That is followed by the 1930 Doc Dougherty and Al J. Neiberg tune I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You). The trio of Finck, Mann, and Almond make this standard sweet and swinging. You’ve got to love the play between Finck’s bass and Mann’s guitar. The remaining instrumental piece is Joy by Gerry Niewood with the quartet of Finck, Johnson, and Clint De Ganon on drums, and Laura Conwessor on flute. An absolutely beautiful number with sweet interaction of bass and flute.


The vocal numbers of Bateu, Levou/Who’s Wrong or Right?, So What, and I Remember are spaced nicely on the album. The bossa number of Bateu, Levou/Who’s Wrong or Right? Is composed by David Finck with Téka Penteriche and Trist Curless on vocals. What a great song! The vocals are terrific with English lyrics by Wilma Classon and Portuguese lyrics by Celso Viáfora. Finck’s melodic line is so fine and the bass works is spot on. The jazz classic So What is tightly and warmly rendered by the large ensemble of Philippe Saisse on keyboards, Clint De Ganoon on drums, Mann returning on guitar, Finck on bass, Snitzer on tenor sax, Barry Danielian on trumpet, Mike Davis on trombone, and Kevin Winard on percussion plus fantastic vocals from Kelly Mittleman. Snitzer’s sax is smoking hot and the whole ensemble makes this classic fresh and powerful.


The album closes with Finck’s original, I Remember. It is the last of the vocal pieces with Melissa Errico singing with the duo of Finck’s bass and Redd Firth on piano. It is an excellent end to an excellent album with warm piano and bass supporting the sweet vocals of Errico. The lush lines of melody and lyrics are remarkable.


David Finck’s BASSic Instinct is a brilliant example of his compositional and performance mastery. The originals, as well as the covers, carry his indelible stamp of brilliance and emotion. He moves effortlessly between styles and makes us feel at home in each and every one. Bravo.


                      ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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David Larsen knows how to Deviate from Standards

9/22/2021

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David Larsen is a saxophonist, composer, and educator, serving as the director of instrumental studies at the lovely Spokane Falls Community College. A fine instrumentalist, Larsen is also an extraordinary and prolific composer winning awards every year for the past four years.

Larsen says, “This album started as a COVID-19 escape. A way to keep playing music, even as live performance was not possible. As the world began to open, I was able to play these pieces in public and learn more about how I wanted to present them. The compositions are taken from the last four years of my life, earning my doctoral degree and getting more exposure to jazz composers from a variety of eras and genres.”


And it shows. All of the pieces are originals from Larsen and they do honor to the influences that are so clearly and cleanly heard. 


Joining Larsen in the project are Brendan McMurphy on trumpet, flugelhorn and drums, Kate Skinner and Danny McCollin on piano and keyboards, Josh Skinner and Nick Isherwood on bass, with Greg Yasinitsky on tenor and baritone saxophones for tracks 1 and 9 and Ken Peplowski on clarinet for track 3. 

The album opens with A New Thing Comin’ with that great pairing of saxes with Larsen and Yasinitsky. Kate Skinner adds a fine touch to the keyboards (and gets a cool solo) and Josh Skinner and Brendan McMurphy make the rhythm section swing. I was hooked from the first track. 

Then Smoke Screen switches the line-up with McCollin on keyboards and Nick Isherwood on bass. Plus, McMurphy jumps aboard with smoking flugelhorn to complement Larsen’s sax who absolutely puts you on the edge of your seat with that throaty sax. Love it.

Augmented Reality turns in a Big Band feel with its big swing and catchy melody. Larsen’s sax trades with Peplowski’s clarinet and results are excellent. Then Family turns into something of a ballad with its emotional imagery. McCollin’s electric piano is delicate and deliberate. And oh, that tenor sax of Larsen. Gorgeous and warm as family.

Speaking of tenor saxes, He Who Getz the Last Laugh is obviously a nod-and-a-wink to the great Stan Getz and it works. Kate Skinner nails the piano solo. Oscar Peterson would be proud. What an excellent piece this is. The homage is there but it is also so original. Then See You at 8 pushes us in another direction and you are reminded of just how versatile Larsen really is. Into the Light is a beauty with a lovely melody and excellent drum work from McMurphy who is always understated but always, always spot on. Add to that McMurphy’s horn and you’ve got the makin’s.

Into the Mild is another sweet swing and Larsen works his magic so well. Kate Skinner is fantastic on the piano and Josh Skinner adds his great bass. Notice how the Skinners are on the same tracks? And that chemistry is also something to enjoy. This just might be my favorite track.

The album concludes with Tensai (天才), the Japanese word for genius. It is a fitting description for the work done on this song from Larsen and Yasinitsky on the saxes to the Skinners to McMurphy. Good God, ya’ll. Okay, this one was my favorite. It is just how you want an album to end…by not wanting it to end.
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Deviate from Standards works on every level from the performances to the compositions to even the track arrangement. This is an album that immediately makes you hit the replay button. Over and over.

         ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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Jackson Potter gets Restless

9/20/2021

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Jackson Potter has just finished his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Guitar from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami under the direction of John Hart. But don't make the mistake of thinking that he is new to the Jazz scene. He has been playing professionally since the age of 16. He has won numerous individual and group awards and has performed with a stellar array of Grammy-winning and -nominated Jazz artists.

Potter's debut album, Restless, has brought along a great line up of Miami’s first-call performers. With Potter on guitar, he is joined by Leo Folsom on piano, Patrick Leavy on bass, and Gibb Mandish on drums. Of the eight tracks on the album, six are composed by Potter and all are arranged by him.


The album opens with Bird Flu, a Potter original, and loosely based on Charlie Parker's classic Segment. Potter, however, switches up the rhythms and harmonies, giving it his indelible personal stamp. David Mason is featured on Alto saxophone and the piece starts off with cool swing and a sweet dialogue between guitar and sax. The rhythm section shows from the beginning why they are the chosen ones for this album. These guys can bring it.


Steve Swallow’s Falling Grace follows with drummer Mandish kicking it all off with a hot drum solo. Everybody in the quartet gets their own featured solo and they make it count. Already by the second track, you can see that Potter is here to stay. With ever-so-subtle hints of Pat Metheny, Potter has his own voice and it is worth hearing.


Mulberry Tree, another Jackson Potter original, may put the listener in mind of a samba, especially an Antonio Carlos Jobim style. Potter himself gets an extended solo, along with bassist Leavy. Potter’s touch is exquisite—deliberate but delicate when appropriate. Then Leo Folsom’s piano solo takes over just after the halfway mark with him and Mandish working beautifully together. 


Sophia’s Waltz
is written for his girlfriend. The delicate nature of Potter’s touch is on full display here and paints a delightful and loving portrait of the woman he loves. Folsom adds his own fine sensibilities on piano and Leavy’s understated bass is sweet (and I mean that in a good way). Potter’s guitar is warm and refined and the composition is flawless. You’ve got to love this guy.

Folsom disappears for two tracks and the trio of guitar, bass, and drums takes a different look at a Potter original and a Horace Silver classic. The original is Amalfi is based on the Amalfi Coast of Southern Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is on the little spur of land, just south of Naples. The music is as warm and inviting as the climate of Amalfi. Leavy gets a great bass solo along the way and Mandish ends it all with driving drum work. But that guitar of Potter’s is delectable.

Horace Silver’s Peace is perfect for the trio setting (sorry, Folsom) and the solo guitar introduction is fascinating, a great way to open the classic piece. I mean, Peace. It made me go back and listen again to Silver’s Blowin’ the Blues Away. Leavy’s bass is excellent. Silver described the writing of Peace like this: "I was doodlin' around on the piano, and it just came to me, but I also had the impression that there was an angel standing over me, impressing my mind with this beautiful melody and harmony." The slow ballad is just so very well done.


Folsom returns for Hindsight is 2020 a look back at that year of pandemic. As Folsom returns, the quartet is joined by Mason on alto sax, Joey Curreri on trumpet and Carter Key on tenor trombone. It is emotional without being maudlin and the play between horns and rhythm section with the focal guitar is wonderful. I said wonderful. Hang on for Mason’s sax solo. The close with all hands on deck is fantastic.


The album closes with the title track, Restless. Potter waiting for the album’s finale to cut loose his inner Rock shredder. All seven artists from the previous track return in fury for this one. In a nod and a wink to Weather Report, Potter and company drive it all home with force and fire. Smoking hot.


A great album by any measure, Restless is incredible as a debut. Jackson Potter can write and arrange and compose with the best of them. This guy has a home and a future in Jazz.

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                         ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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Ray Obiedo's Latin Jazz Project, Vol. 2

9/3/2021

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Guitarist and composer Ray Obiedo once again takes on Latin Jazz in a contemporary styling with Latin Jazz Project, Vol.2. It is Obiedo’s tenth recording as a bandleader and follows on the heels of 2019’s Carousel. You have to go back to 2016, however, to catch Latin jazz Project, Vol.1. And it’s worth the trip back.

To bring this particular approach to Latin jazz by way of R&B, modern Jazz, and other influences, Obiedo has collected a Who’s Who of modern masters to bring his vision to fruition. Joining Obiedo’s guitar are the great Bob Mintzer on sax, Sheila E. on percussion, Norbert Stachel on flue, Mike Olmos on trumpet, Peter Michael Escovedo also on percussion, and some of the Santana clan in the persons of David K. Mathews on keyboards, Jeff Cressman on trombone, and percussionist Karl Perazzo. A host of others add their talents and kills and the pay-off is huge.

The album opens beautifully with Still Life and Obiedo shows his distinctive guitar skills with the backing of Peter Horvath’s solo piano. David K. Mathews nails the keyboards and the percussion of Escoveda and Hawkins on drums is tight and sweet. The Cha-Cha-Cha number was originally written for Escovedo’s orchestra.

Criss Cross
continues with a bit of Fusion with its Mambo rhythms. The horn and woodwind section is cool alongside the smoking hot percussion which features Sheila E. on congas. The flutes of Norbert Stachel and Rita Thies are gorgeous. Mathews again turns in his magic for Obiedo’s beautifully written original.

The Cha-Cha-Cha returns with Beatnik and its sweltering sax from Maestro Bob Mintzer. Obiedo himself offers up hot guitar work and covers the keyboards himself. Again, the writing is exemplary. Santa Lucia brings in the steel pans from Phil Hawkins. If that doesn’t make you feel happy, nothing can. Stachel returns with the high-flying flute and the percussionists provide the riveting Soca rhythms of the Caribbean. Horvath’s piano solo is fantastic…but then, so is everyone on this album.

Belafonte
must be an homage to Harry Belafonte. I thought, at first, it was the Old French word for beautiful fountain but that requires two Ls in the spelling and Harry’s name does not. The sweet bossa nova sounds like Harry should be singing it. Horvath gives another beautiful turn on solo piano with warm backing vocals from Sandy Cressman and Jenny Meltzer.

Then Uno Dos brings back the steel pans and the Mambo rhythms. Obiedo, Horvath, and Mathews are all on keyboards and organ—and Brother Mathews gives a cool, cool passage on the organ. Mintzer again contributes that amazing tenor sax. Garibaldi’s drums, Escovedo’s percussion, along with Jon Bendich and Michael Spiro, is tight and smoking. This deserves repeated play.

Viva Tirado
is the sole track on the album not composed by Obiedo but by Gerald Wilson. The version recorded by El Chicano is the arrangement that captured Obiedo’s attention and with good reason. Obiedo called said it has a “cool low-rider vibe.” You will agree with him. Mathews get the brilliant piano solo and Obiedo’s guitar work is so fine. Mike Olmos on trumpet is inspired.

The album wraps with Big World, once again an Obiedo original. The percussion section handles the cool meter effortlessly and Obiedo finally gives us a focus on the guitar again. Sometimes, he’s too generous but the artists with him make it worthwhile. It’s Mike Olmos on flugelhorn and Sheila E. on congas that take us home.

Truthfully, I had been praying for some good Latin Jazz to review. Ray Obiedo came to my rescue.

Ray Obiedo again shows his mastery of the Latin Jazz genre and he brings just the right artists to breathe life and love into his originals and one cover. Latin Jazz Project, Vol. 2 is worth the five-year wait.
 
                                    ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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Steve Million speaks Jazz Words

9/3/2021

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Steve Million has a lot to draw on for his inspiration. His own piano artistry and composing in strongly influenced by poetry. And it shows. He also has a sense of humor that bears close attention.

This album, Jazz Words (his seventh), is a brilliant display of Million’s composing and lyrics. Each of the songs on Jazz Words are originals. To help him in the delivery of own poetic sensibilities is vocalist Sarah Marie Young and she is marvelous. Along with Million on piano and Young on vocals are Jim Gailloreto on sax and flutes, John Sims on bass, and Juan Pastor on drums.

With all the beautiful lyrics and gorgeous vocals, the musical compositions are fabulous. You wind up listening to the vocals and then repeated listening for the music itself.

The album opens with Heaven to Monkitroid. The Thelonious Monk influence is clear and delightful but you also see Million influenced by the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Snagglepuss. The piano is unmistakably a nod and a wink to Monk and the lyrics are deserving of close attention. Young’s bluesy-bop delivery is infectious. Pastor also gives some cool drum passages.

Mis’ry Waltz is actually from an earlier album but Million wrote lyrics for this version of the song and Young works it well. The tune has a distinctively Gospel feel to it and it is gorgeous. Missing Page was written for his daughter, Page, who had moved away. It is not the melancholy of the Beatles’ She’s Leaving Home but is a warm farewell as a daughter takes on life.

The sorrow comes with Hymnal, written after September 11, 2001.
Time will come and go away
Another welcome overstayed
So we will sing a hymn and pray
Will this help us find our way?
 
Life moves on. We plant our seed
Growing toward the life they lead
No matter how hard we plead
They will steal away our greed
 
These are not to be sorrowful seeds we sow
For there’s joy in discovering that we always know
These will not be sorrowful seeds we sow
There’s so much more to know
Before We Go
Away

Melancholy but not maudlin, the song is full of hope and is beautifully done by Million’s piano and Young’s intonations

Nika’s Changes
is written for his other daughter and his hopes for her. It is a cool, cool 5/4 and bops along beautifully. The piano and sax are remarkable in their partnership and Gailloreto gives us an exquisite sax solo. Cold Wind gives a warm bass introduction from the bass of Sims. The cold piano is in contrast and reveals the struggle of Million’s discovery of having cancer at the same time that his wife discovered she was pregnant. An altogether impressive piece with wonderful piano and fine bass. Wait for the Gailloreto flute solo.  
Loss follows from the point of view of his divorce from his first wife. It starts with a layered approach and moves to a straightforward sad reminiscence.

Was this love ever real

Even at the start?

It is not only about loss but about personal rediscovery. Anyone who has been through it, knows exactly what Million is talking about. Great sax solo along with Young’s agonized vocals.

The album closes with The Way Home. Listen carefully to the lyrics and understand the quest for St. Theresa of Avila’s Interior Castle. It is about finding truth within. Ever-present, ever-waiting.

​Jazz Words
is more than the words—which are remarkable—but also it is the music—which is inspired and inspiring. Steve Million makes it all work, from lyrics to composition to performance. His artistry is beyond dispute.
 
                                    ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Bryan Lubeck – Midnight Sun

8/19/2021

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At last, the new album from guitarist extraordinaire Bryan Lubeck. Following on the incredible success and artistry of Tuscan Sky, comes Midnight Sun. In fact, Lubeck himself states, “It was difficult to envision what could follow the sonic and music writing quality of Tuscan sky. Not only was it my most successful album to that point, it felt like the culmination of my writing skills. It marked a point when the music deserved—and received—the best musicians, producer, engineers, and designers. More importantly, those talented individuals were willing to spend their valuable time on the project. I thought perhaps I had said all I could say musically. But then came a song into my head. I almost immediately named it Midnight Sun… That one song inspired me to embark on a new album after a four-year hiatus from the studio. As soon as I took the “no net” leap, the rest of the songs came easily—like no other time in my life. I guess I had more to say.”

And there is nothing to suggest that he has lost anything that made the previous album such a treat. Lubeck’s signature guitar sound is shot through with Spanish Romanticism. His special gift is the blending—I won’t say fusion—of dissimilar styles into something interesting, emotional, and completely satisfying.

To aid him in his endeavor for the new album, Lubeck brought along a veteran corps of session and touring artists. With Lubeck on guitars and some piano and synthesizers (not to mention flute on track 5), he is joined by Felton Offard and Dave Hiltebrand on guitars, Nick Bisesi on sax on flute, Richard Gibbs on Hammond organ, Neil Artwick on the Fender Rhodes, Katherine Hughes and Erik Rumsa on violin, Matthew Agnew on cello, Kirk Garrison on the trumpet and flugelhorn, Christian Dillingham on the upright bass, Jon Paul and Ryan Herma on bass, Jonathan Marks on drums, and Rich Stitzel and Bob Garrett on percussion.

Nine of the eleven tracks are written by Lubeck with the opening track, Invincible, by guest guitarist Felton Offard and Sarah Smile, of course, by Daryl Hall and John Oates.

Felton Offard plays the electric guitar on Invincible to kick off the album with Lubeck on acoustic guitar. It’s a cool way to start the album with the funky, scratchy electric guitar and Lubeck on the sweet acoustic guitar. The Hammond organ gives a jumping backdrop and the rhythm section joins in the jump. Lubeck’s acoustic guitar shows off the great artistry that we have come to expect. Fun stuff.

The drive of the rhythm section takes off on Rocket Fuel. Lubeck is backed by the electric guitars and the percussion gets in some good licks as the Nick Bisesi sax wails in accompaniment with the Kirk Garrison horns. A rollicking number.

Bisesi stays in the spotlight for Sarah Smile. The acoustic guitar and tenor sax work well to make this instrumental version a, frankly, superior version to the original. Then things gets hopping again with Come Dance, a musical invitation if ever there was one. Lubeck is spot on in front of the Hammond’s swirling support. Bass and drums are relentless and the Bisesi sax again shines. The melodic lines are fresh and lively. Think of Spyro Gyra at their best.

Road to Mackinac
is full of wonderful moments: the trills of the flutes, the delicate touch of the electric guitars, and Lubeck’s tightly precise acoustic guitar. This is worthy of repeated listening. As is If Only You Knew with its swelling harmonies and the determined acoustic guitar of Lubeck. The Spanish guitar sensibilities are evident and the Hammond and synthesizer scaping is lush and lovely. Again the sax takes a prominent role and is excellent in its proclamation.

The title track, Midnight Sun, makes clear how this could indeed be the starting point for more writing and a renewed sense of discovery for Lubeck. The acoustic guitar is charming and thoughtful. The bent notes are well-placed and everything just works. It is followed by Sun Dress which evokes imagery of the very thing it names. It is light and delicate and oh-so-attractive. The melody is sweet and memorable. The Hammond and the Fender Rhodes offer light touches that are wonderful.

Till I’m Found
is thoughtful and captivating. The keyboards play a great part in the saga and the acoustic guitar of Lubeck goes from cool to warm in fine passages. The flute plays a great part in Alex Arrives. Lubeck takes over the piano for this one and shows himself masterful in everything he touches as the electric guitars grab well-deserved attention before Lubeck’s acoustic assumes command. The album concludes with the reverie of Adirondack. It is pastoral and meditative with simplicity and imagination.

Bravo, Bryan Lubeck. To follow up a brilliant album with an equally brilliant one is no mean feat. In many ways, Midnight Sun is a fitting sequel or even companion piece to Tuscan Sky. The composing is undiminished and the performance artistry is nothing short of stellar. Listen again and again—like I did.
  
                       ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Benjamin Schnake Ensemble – The Joy of Playing

8/19/2021

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Chilean-born Benjamίn Schnake does it all, it seems. He plays guitars and mandolins and is a brilliant composer and arranger. He has performed at many music festivals—especially across Chile—and has been leader and composer for several bands. Now, with the ensemble named for himself, Schnake has released the album The Joy of Playing.

The core of the ensemble is Schnake on nylon-string guitar, electric guitar, and mandolin, Santiago Leibson on piano, Gui Duvignau on bass, and Paul Shaw on drums. Also appearing are Dave Petro on alto sax (tracks 1,4), Sunhyun Yoo on alto and soprano saxes (tracks 2,3,6), Tim Struven on tenor sax, John Blevins on trumpet, Eric Quinn on trombone, Jennifer Wharton on bass trombone (all on tracks 1,2,4,6), and Ammon Swinbank on flute (track 7).

Six of the seven tracks were composed by Schnake himself. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat was, of course, composed by Charles Mingus but was arranged by Benjamίn Schnake.

The album opens with Marisol and Schnake’s beautiful nylon-stringed guitar. The brilliant Dave Pietro is featured on alto sax. What a pairing. The horn section add their flash and flair to create a smoking ensemble piece. The rhythm section pushes the horns and guitar nicely.

The Joy of Playing
features Santiago Leibson’s piano and Paul Shaw on drums. The melody has a great hook and the solo by Leibson is catchy, then pairs off with Shaw’s drums in a great passage before returning to that sweet hook. Then Leibson and Shaw stay in the spotlight for Fragment as Schnake and Yoo’s alto sax join them there. The piece opens with solo nylon-stringed guitar before being joined by Shaw’s washing cymbals and the touching piano. The piano solo on Fragment may be the best of the album. The Schnake’s guitar paves the way for Yoo’s warm and wonderful alto sax. This could be my favorite track on the whole album. Good Lord, it’s good.

Eric Quinn’s trombone and Dave Pietro’s alto sax take center stage for She’s Gone. The moody and melancholy piece is exquisitely accented by Leibson on piano. Schnake adds his guitar to the back layers in a wonderfully sad track. That sadness is alleviated by the fiery and fun Ajú with Schnake’s electric guitar and the rest of the core quartet. Leibson brings forward the percussive piano and Duvugnau and Shaw work the rhythms hard. Fantastic.

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
was Charles Mingus great elegy to Lester Young and was released on the 1959 album Mingus Ah Um. Schnake arranges it beautifully for the horn section. When Mingus played the song live, it could go on for 30 minutes and, so help me God, you wish that Schnake took that long with this version. Yeah, it’s that good.

The album wraps with Lakitas, featuring Schnake on mandolin and Ammon Swinbank on flute. Piano and drums flesh out the great original by Schnake.

​The Benjamίn Schnake Ensemble is a cast of remarkable characters, portraying tight and well-reasoned parts under the over-arching vision of their leader. The Joy of Playing is, for us, the joy of listening.
 
                               ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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Kerry Moffit proves What Goes Around Comes Around

8/18/2021

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After 41 years in professional music, Kerry Moffit blesses us with his debut album, What Goes Around Comes Around. Having appeared on over 70 recordings and written arrangements for small and large ensembles, trumpet master Moffit records with his band Turning Circles for a fantastic introduction to himself as bandleader.

Moffit wrote four of the eight tracks on the album and arranged all of the songs presented here. But he fashions the songs around the bridal theme of “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” The four Jazz standards are what is borrowed, Jimmy Van Heusen’s But Beautiful is the old, the four originals are, obviously new, and the Blues piece Free for All is what is blue. Nice.

The band Turning Circles includes, with Moffit on trumpet and flugelhorn, Seth Ebersole (alto and tenor sax), Rob Killips (trombone), Altin Sencalar (trombone), Arlene Pritchard McDaniel (Fender Rhodes, piano, Casio Privia), Luther Allison (Fender Rhodes), Terry Newman (bass), and Ian Levine (drums). Moffit says the band is comprised of “new and old friends.”

The album kicks off with Hank Mobley’s This I Dig of You. The piece is introduced by the Newman bass but is quickly joined by Moffit’s trumpet and then the other horns. Ebersole’s alto sax is a beauty and the rhythms are tight and fresh. Milton “Shorty” Rogers’ was one of the founders of West Coast Jazz and Just a Few is a great part of the reason why. The cool swing is intoxicating. The unified horn section is brilliant.

Woody Shaw’s Katrina Ballerina is a hard bop piece with its well-known, smoking trumpet solo. Moffit shows why he is so well-regarded with this flawless handling of the great piece. Arlene McDaniel’s fantastic piano solo is worthy of great attention, as well. Then Jimmy Van Heusen’s But Beautiful is the last of the something borroweds and is also the finale of the album. The beautiful flugelhorn is simply breath-taking and the Fender Rhodes provides a wonderful partner for this duet.

As wonderful as those standards are, the Moffit originals are truly remarkable. Free for All sounds like it could have composed by Billy Strayhorn and this song swings hard. Great drumming from Ian Levine accents the cool piano and hot horns. Life, Love, Loss sounds like something Michel Legrand would be proud to claim. The flugelhorn is warm and melancholy. The whole piece is something extraordinary. Listen to it carefully.

The boogie-woogie intro of 10-4 Jam turns into riotously good fun with the bass clef piano that gives way to the bright horns. The horns make me think of Night in Tunisia but this is something definitely new. Then M.L. closes the originals with tight horns and a rollicking rhythm section. Again, Moffit shows why we have missed him without knowing it.

Yeah, we had to wait too long for this album. With all those years spent in the Air Force Band, Kerry Moffit was honing his craft so that, when he was ready, he could release an album that we longed to hear.

​Maybe we had to be ready to hear him.
 
                      ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Gaetano Letizia's Chartreuse

8/18/2021

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Guitarist, composer, and vocalist Gaetano Letizia may be the leader of a Jazz band but that doesn’t kept him from exploring R&B, Blues, Soul, and some serious Funk. In his latest and eleventh album, Chartreuse, Letizia tackles a “multi-genre Jazz suite” of nine compositions that are all his own. The Gaetano Letizia Jazz Quintet is just the crew to handle it.

The band is made up of old comrades with whom Letizia has performed over the years. Saxophonist Bob Esterle, drummer Bill Ransom, bassist Matthew Derubertis, and B3 player and pianist Theron Brown. This is Letizia’s first outing with Brown.

While billed as a Jazz quintet playing a Jazz suite, the lines get blurred as the music gracefully and effortlessly glides between Jazz, Blues, and Funk with dashes of Reggae and Classical thrown in to spice things up even more. In the liner notes, Letizia explains, “This suite of compositions reflects the combination of many of the modern styles of Jazz genres from straight ahead to Funk and more. I’ve been influenced by so many great musicians, it’s hard to center on just one…I really enjoyed writing and recording this music from my heart.” It shows.

The album opens with the title track, Chartreuse. The song takes its name from a chartreuse ’57 Chevy owned by his aunt. If it reminds you of the way Bach developed and recapitulated themes, it should. Letizia credits Bach as his favorite composer. Letizia’s guitar and the saxophone of Bob Esterle get some cool dialogues going. Nice strum patterns from Letizia and exciting B-3 play from Theron Brown.

Expanding Reality reflects just that with its excellent tonal lines and shifting times. This one had me intrigued from the start and I kept coming back for more. I still do. Pay attention to Ransom’s drumming. A brilliant track with nice piano from Brown.
Letizia acknowledges that Back & Blue was influenced by Jaco Pastorius’ Chicken. You can hear it. This was a great follow-up to Expanding Reality, keeping your listening honest and nimble, with its straight-up Jazz opening, then flirting with the Blues. Sax, B-3, and guitar combine to shake you loose. Then Letizia challenges the listener with Paradise Found. Just when you think he’s gone ‘round the bend and into atonality, Letizia grippingly pulls it from the brink to keep every listener happy.

Genricide needs a passport to cross all the borders it tackles. Jazz to Hip-Hop to Funk with Latin and Reggae passages make this track a true standout. Esterle’s sax takes the early lead before Letizia assumes command with Brown’s swirling Hammond behind. Derubertis and Ransom keep the drive alive with their sweet switches between rhythmic stylings.

Letizia gives a different look with the nylon-string acoustic guitar on Blue Ionosphere. The Latin, even Brazilian, flavors are sweet as piano and guitar mix it up beautifully. Love, love, love this piece. Then Punch Drunk brings on the bone-crushing Funk with Esterle’s hot horn and the raucous propulsion of bass and drums. But its Letizia who steals the show with some of his hottest passages.

Letizia offers an almost-ballad feel with Wandering and its lush sax and organ textures. Gorgeous guitar and sweeping B-3 and the noir sounds of the sax make for fascinating listening. The B-3 leads are stellar and memorable.

Orange Sunset concludes the album with its nice progressions and wicked guitar playing offset by the equally intoxicating B-3 and the powerful sax against the great rhythm section. If Letizia wanted to leave us wanting more, he succeeded admirably.

Gaetano Letizia’s Chartreuse is a splendid adventure of cross-pollinating styles, times, textures, and more. The compositions are brilliant and the performances are remarkable. Nothing disappoints and you keep coming back for more.
 
                                      ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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