12/22/07
GO MEDIA
RYAN BLOTNICK/Music Needs You: As the record business continues it’s downslide, there seem to be more great young cats trying to rise from it’s ashes. This well traveled, 24 year old guitar man is one of those virtually wise beyond his years players that respects the past masters, learning and drawing from them but charting his own path. A progressive cat with a mainstream sensibility, if he can impress pros like John Abercrombie, guitar fans should take note of these snappy proceedings. There’s a delightful future starting here now.
1570 (Songlines)
KARI ON PRODUCTIONS
DOROTHY DORING/Southern Exposure: A Minnesota lass that doesn’t feel the need to follow Linda Eder’s footsteps out of town heads down to Nawlins to play with some of the top cats in the local jazz scene turning out a set of jazz standards with just the right amount of swing and style. Mostly a club flavored set with some “deep” jazzbo moves along the way (“Giant Steps”), Doring does the familiar but avoids the cliché. Fun vocal date genre fans are sure to enjoy.
(Quarter Note)
JAZZ PROMO SERVICES
PIERS LAWRENCE QUARTET/Stolen Moments: This crew comes across like a classic bunch of jazzbos. Recording the date in an afternoon mixing Rollins, Parker and Nelson with originals and some Jaco, the guitar led crew has the easy after hours vibe that flows from the Harlem renaissance in which most of them have some roots. Not showy but with a lot of flair, listeners that like their jazz straight up will simply dig this set. Well done throughout.
701 (Jazz Net Media)
DAVID FINCK QUARTET/Future Day: Back when cats like Neshui Ertegun roamed the earth, this set would have been on Atlantic because it had to be. Bass ace Finck, who has played with everybody, rounds up some like minded cats who have also played with everybody, and deliver a tour de force jazz trip that let’s the outside world know there are smoking cats still smoking. Simply a solid, right on jazz date that comes at you non-stop and doesn’t stop delivering.
1012 (Soundbrush)
RED CAT PUBLICITY
DREW GRESS/Irrational Numbers: Up and coming bass ace continues to sharpen his skills as he and his crew kick it out on composed works that have room for improv. A free wheeling date where the wheels never run off the track, Gress is one of the new musical voices that demand to be heard. Uncompromising throughout, this is a solid serving of smart contemporary jazz that hits the mark.
90775 (Premonition)
SHOUT! FACTORY
EMERSON LAKE & PLAMER/Works V. 2: After the tour de force Works V. 1, ELP came back with a similarly titled set that took a tour through the vaults instead of continuing to break new ground. The album that slagged in it’s time, sure it’s a collection of out takes, but that doesn’t make them bad, especially if you are/were a prog fan. Loaded with the moves that would make punks rise up and decry dinosaurs in short order, with prog on the way back and classic ELP never really gone away, this rounds out the fans collection in a nice way.
10788
Volume 31/Number 52
December 22, 2007
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2007 Midwest Record