Visionary reedist Brian Myers leads this progressive jazz outfit, exploring America's classical music from the Jazz Mecca of Portland Oregon, (including, across the river, in the more affordable but increasingly hip Vancouver Washington.)
Capitalizing on the near psychic connection of Abbott and Jacobson, who have been exploring the free scene as a duo, Myers and long-time collaborator Prescott, (on loan from pop/blues outfit G. Love & Special Sauce) create a compelling musical stew with just the right amount of the familiar to give our freedom a more narrative meaning.
Indeed, they open with a familiar FM radio favorite, (for any narcs reading this, this track is for educational purposes only) and you can feel the open road, and its melancholy glory. Then it's on to an original composition from the leader, a floating jaunt of pure tenor tone in a melody. The band cut this one several times over the three sessions scheduled for this release, but Myers selected this earlier take, explaining that "... with the solos and all, this is really super close to how I want that tune to sound."
With a bridge reminiscent of MJQ's Django via Fela Kuti, the Myers tune (labeled #1 in anticipation of his current compositional awakening) lays the groundwork for the next tracks, a two part exploration, which, with a small bit of added studio drama, expresses the Genesis of the most majestic of reeds, the Bass Clarinet. This is an area where we're expecting quite a flowering from the young Jacobson, with jazz restraint and a dry-martini sound, but unafraid to step on a pedal and suggest enjoying that drink from the Space Hotel.
Another vision of freedom comes from drummer Abbott (an ex-Floridian jazz-refugee seeking post-bop nirvana here,) with the closing original composition. This conversational piece generates the improvisation as a dialog, inside the patterns pulled forth from the Universe, and elucidated by Bach and the Beatles and Trane.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. Thanks for your ears too.
This collection is a prelude to a more formal release (across all the platforms, proper publishing, etc.) coming soon, but your paid download goes a long way towards that end, so thank you again, if you have the means and belief to kick down like that.
credits
released July 10, 2019
Jeff Abbott - Drumset
Joshua J. Jacobson - Guitar
Brian Myers - Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
Jim Prescott - String Bass
Recorded by J. H. Prescott, 36th Avenue Studios, Summer 2019
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