Tag: Michael Dease

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SomethingElse Reviews Tom Tallitsch “Ride”…

http://somethingelsereviews.com

Two years after Heads of Tales , a searing date backed by Jared Gold, Mark Ferber and David Allen, tenor saxman Tom Tallitsch returns with another strong crew for Ride (March 4, Posi-Tone Records), in fact arguably even more so: Rudy Royston on drums, Art Hirahara on piano, Peter Brendler on bass and the phenomenal Michael Dease on trombone.

The change-up in instrumentation does nothing to change Tallitsch’s mission of evangelizing the hard bop form through the bell of his saxophone. Ride swings and grooves with flawless proficiency by guys who aren’t just going through the motions. Tallitsch’s traditionally minded saxophone diction never forgets that soul is an important part of it, but so is forgetting a lick once it’s played, too. That’s why he can go a while on a solo as he does on “El Luchador” and keep it interesting all the way through. And he can swing like the old masters, amply demonstrated on cuts like “The Giving Tree.”

Dease isn’t present on every track, but when he’s called in to help, he provides the perfect foil, and his solos on “El Luchador,” “Turtle” and especially “Knuckle Dragger” are fluid and full of character but in a graceful way. The rhythm section makes a lot of hay on the spicier numbers like “The Myth,” and Royston leaves behind a show stopping display on drums during his break on “Ride,” while Hirahara shines on “The Path.” Also during “The Path,” Brendler’s against-the-grain bass line offers up a funky counterpoint.

During the last go-around Tallitsch adapted a song from a rock icon (Neil Young’s “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”) into the jazz form the right way, by embracing the core melody. He does this again on Ride, putting his own stamp on David Bowie’s lofty gem “Life On Mars” and Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti deep cut, the splendidly downtrodden “Ten Years Gone.” On the former tune, Tallitsch’s sax takes on the vocal role, his sax accurately locating the emotional center of the song. For the Page/Plant song, he doubles with Dease to give it a late 60s Jazz Crusaders-type groove, but one that maintains the original’s serious tone.

New personnel and backup instrumentation doesn’t matter; Ride is another sturdy, deft straight-ahead affair from Tom Tallitsch.

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Music and More reviews Tom Tallitsch new CD “Ride”…

http://jazzandblues.blogspot.com

Tom Tallitsch is a tenor saxophone player working on the modern mainstream scene, recording as a leader and a sideman regularly. He is accompanied by Art Hirahara on piano, Mike Dease on trombone, Peter Brendler on bazz and Rudy Royston on drums. “Ride” opens the album with a strong beginning that builds to a boiling tempo and fine saxophone solo and an exciting drum solo. The David Bowie song “Life on Mars” was a surprise, but a pleasant one as Tallitsch steps back and plays a nice lyrical performance. “Rubbernecker” ramps the music back up to quick modern jazz, fast and loose with escalating and cascading waves of notes and rippling piano, bass and drums interlude. Tallitsch and Dease harmonize during the beginning of “The Giving Tree” staying taught before the leader’s saxophone is able to break free with a well controlled solo underpinned by pulsating bass. It is a great solo with a waterfall of streaming sound. “The Myth” is a longer performance, opening calmly before worrying in some more nervous dynamics as the tempo of the performance increases and Tallitsch makes his solo faster and faster. Royston is excellent here developing rhythms that shift and change in an exciting manner. (March 4, 2014)

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Critical Jazz reviews Tom Tallitsch “Ride”…

http://www.criticaljazz.com

Tom Tallitsch shows exponential growth both as a performer and a composer and is certainly a name to remember!
Brent Black / www.criticaljazz.com
Ride is the sophomore release from Tom Tallitsch on Posi-Tone Records. The stellar cover art is an excellent representation of a release that is evocative, energized and delightfully eclectic. This quintet is firing on all cylinders with all star drummer Rudy Royston keeping everyone on the rhythmic straight and narrow with pianist Art Hirahara and bassist Peter Brendler rounding out a formidable rhythm section that shift dynamics on the fly providing a solid base from which Tallitsch can work. Joining Tom is all star trombonist Michael Dease and the artful manipulation of swing has Ride carefully walking that fine line between the typical cerebral/visceral releases that dot the straight ahead landscape.
Covers…These can be the equivalent of tap dancing in a melodic minefield and taking on tunes from David Bowie and Led Zeppelin are certainly not done without some natural trepidation. Bowie’s “Life On Mars” is dialed down to an exquisite ballad while the reharm of the iconic Zeppelin standard “Ten Years Gone” puts a fresh coat of paint on an album rock classic long assumed hiding out in the rock and roll witness program by many. From the opening swing of “Ride” to the slightly odd metered gem ” Rubbernecker” the tone is open, warm and above all relaxed. While Ride is a release with subtle nuances hidden within a lyrical sense of purpose and a textured rhythmic sense of drive. There is not an ounce of pretentious pyrotechnics to be found and perhaps it is this inner confidence that translates a relaxed virtually live feeling to this recording. Michael Dease provides the counterpoint that makes tunes like “Knuckle Dragger” and “Turtle” somewhat reminiscent of Wayne Shorter’s early Blue Note work yet Tom Tallitsch is doing a riff on no one but himself.

I once made the statement that Posi-Tone may carry the best stable of saxophonists working the straight ahead side of the street and Tom Tallitsch more than proves this point. 

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Midwest reviews our latest releases….

http://midwestrecord.com/

POSI-TONE
WILL BERNARD/Just Like Downtown: This tasty guitarist takes plenty of the spotlight for himself but he leaves enough room for Brian Charette to pump that greasy organ sound so much so that you can be excused for thinking this is B3 date if you hear it without knowing what it is. Swinging throughout, this four piece combo delivers the real deal and never let’s things ever sink below smoking. Hot stuff for real jazzbo although they might just let hipsters in for a taste. A winner.
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NICK HEMPTON/Odd Man Out: Hempton’s playing here reminds me of a time Gerry Mulligan was teaching a master class at a university. There was a look of grudging admiration on his face when one of the student players just knew how to turn it up and turn it loose. I see that look again listening to this date. Hempton is a real cooker that can play the notes, play around the notes, play around with the notes and spread such good vibes in the process. A real swinger throughout, this is simply a killer date that expands the lexicon of modern jazz and makes it sound so cool in the process. Don’t miss it.
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CD Hotlist make “The Kung-Fu Masters” a pick of the month…

cdhotlist.com

When jazz tries to get rockish, the result is too often an embarrassing cross between oversimplifed jazz and awkwardly non-idiomatic rock. But when jazz tries to get funky, the results are often much better. Case in point: this adventurous but tight septet date led by saxophonist Sean Nowell, who writes and arranges with a great sense of voicing and structure but who can also take things out in exhilarating style when called upon to do so. The compositions are all Nowell originals except for a version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic,” and not only are they funky, but they also often rock hard–believe it or not.

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Richard kamins reviews Fowser/Gillece “Top Shelf”…

steptempest.blogspot.com

This was one of those weeks when music served as a “healing force, helped to ease the pain of the tragic events in Boston and elsewhere.  Driving home from work the other night, I put “Top Shelf” into the player;  it’s the 4th PosiTone Records release from the duo of Ken Fowser(tenor saxophone) and Behn Gillece (vibraphone) and the easy-going swing was a true panacea (sounding just as fine the next day and in the background as I write.)  Featuring the classy rhythm section of Steve Einerson(piano), Rodney Green (drums) and Hartford, CT, native Dezron Douglas (acoustic bass), the leaders also invited trombonist Michael Dease to add his burr-ey sound to a number of the tracks.  When Dease is in the group, as he is on the opening track, “Slick“, the music has a resemblance to the music of the Jazz Crusaders (pre-funk).  The blend of tenor and trombone really stands out as does the interaction of the vibes and piano.  When you add in the smart work of Green and Douglas, the music really flies.  “Stranded in Elizabeth” is an excellent example of the interaction and interplay.  Green really pushes beneath the vibes solo while Einerson’s Tuyner-esque supporting chords, along with the fine bass work, acts as a solid foundation for the soloists.

There’s a Latin tinge to “Unstoppable” as well as a snappy theme for the tenor and vibes.  In a short YouTube video that accompanied the CD’s release, the leaders mention the influence of Bobby Hutcherson’s work with saxophonist Harold Land and it is most evident on tunes such as this one and the up-tempo title track.  Green creates sparks beneath the hearty tenor solo and prods Gillece to produce one of his most notable solos on the recording.  Again, Einerson’s forceful chords and driving solo stand out.

Some may say that “Top Shelf” does not break new musical ground but what the CD offers an eager listener is a band comfortable with each other playing a repertoire born from the duo’s weekly gigs at Small’s Jazz Club in New York City.  Rodney Green, Steve Einerson and Dezron Douglas are super throughout, giving the music the energy it needs to stand out.

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Marc Myers goes “Top Shelf”…

www.jazzwax.com

In most cases these days, the best new jazz albums sound terrific from their opening notes. I audit about 15 new CDs daily and, in nearly every case, the most inspiring ones are exciting from the get-go. That’s largely because better musicians and their producers know that in today’s world of digital distractions, you have to come  out of the gate with your best stuff. Listeners no longer spend much time trying to figure out what musicians are trying to say and they aren’t very forgiving when feet drag.

A good example of a new album that starts strong and keeps on going all the way to the end is Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece’s Top Shelf (Posi-Tone). This hard-bop album pairs tenor saxophonist Fowser with vibist Gillece on 10 originals composed separately by the co-leaders. Top Shelf  is their fourth joint album and features Michael Dease on trombone, Steve Einerson on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass and Rodney Green on drums.

Fowser grew up in southern New Jersey and attended Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. He became a regular at local jam sessions before transferring in 2004 to William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. Upon graduating in 2005, Fowser relocated to New York, where he often plays at Smoke and Smalls.

Behn Gillece also is from southern New Jersey and jammed in Philadelphia before moving to New York in 2006. He has appeared routinely at clubs in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia as well as at jazz festivals. He finished his graduate studies at SUNY Purchase in New York in 2008 and has won a string of competitions.

As you’ll hear, these two have a good thing going. Gillece jumps in aggressively with long, clean lines, complementing Fowser’s confident, insistent tenor. Dig Gillece on the lightly Latin Pequenina or Proximity, for example. Or Fowser onStranded in Elizabeth (N.J.) and Slick. And when they’re playing together, it sounds as if Fowser is telling a story and Gillece is taking it all down on a steel typewriter behind him. These two are magic.

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Dan Bilawsky reviews Fowser/Gillece “Top Shelf”…

www.allaboutjazz.com

The team of tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece has been steadily releasing music of a similar nature on the Posi-Tone label since its 2009 debut, Full View, hit the shelves. With this, the duo’s fourth album, Fowser and Gillece continue along the same path with nary a stylistic sharp turn, yet this one manages to stand out because of one important difference: a third man out front. The three previous recordings were leaders-and-rhythm dates but, with Top Shelf, the group opens the frontline door, inviting trombonist Michael Dease to join in.

The vibes-saxophone-trombone combination puts a slight aural twist on the formula that’s been at the heart of previous outings. Greater tonal and timbral complexity naturally comes to the fore with a trombone at play, and Dease’s skills as a soloist add volumes to this album; his horse neigh arrival and triplet excursions on “Due Diligence,” for example, steal the show. Every solo has head-turning potential, but the trombonist is, in some respects, underutilized; the presence of another frontline personality could have been cause for Gillece and Fowser to significantly expand their arranging/composing vision(s), but they don’t take the bait.

Instead, Fowser and Gillece continue to deliver swinging tunes and straight-eighth vehicles that bound along with enthusiasm and glee. Gillece remains the primary composer in this partnership, contributing seven of the album’s ten tunes, but Fowser also adds a few numbers to the playlist. The peppy “Pequenina,” with Dease and the leaders at the center of the action, and lightly drifting ballad, “For The Moment,” housing gorgeous rubato harmonic rainbows, prove to be Gillece’s best, standing apart from the rest in style and syntax. Fowser’s finest is the title track, a blues with a Latin rhythmic foundation that contains some strong solo work.

Top Shelf doesn’t necessarily break new ground for this duo, but it does find them in good form and good company, with Dease and a strong rhythm section onboard for a fun-filled ride.

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AAJ’s Glenn Astarita writes up Sean Nowell “The Kung-Fu Masters”…

www.allaboutjazz.com

Track review of “Mantis Style” 

New York City-based saxophonist Sean Nowell has found a home with the increasingly prominent West Coast modern jazz record label, Posi-Tone Records. His fourth release highlights the turbo-powered acoustic-electric band, The Kung-Fu Masters. Word has it that the ensemble has been creating a buzz in The Big Apple, and in recent times has acted like a jazz collective, featuring guest spots by formidable players such as guitaristMike Stern and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. Now that Nowell has firmed-up the core band, let us hope that this high quality album signifies the beginning of a lengthy recording cycle. Simply put, this unit knocks the living daylights out of conventional jazz-funk stylizations.

“Mantis Style” is an example of the ensemble’s vast weaponry. Marked by difficult super-funk time signatures and regimented unison lines, either keyboardist Art Hirahara or Adam Klipple calm the waters by rewinding the intensity with supple electric piano phrasings then up the ante, summoning the frontline to reenergize the proceedings. Think of James Brown’s JB Horns kicking matters into submission via a rigorously technical arrangement, shadowed by punchy accents and snappy choruses. With some push and pull, the musicians restate the primary theme towards the finale as trombonist Michael Dease navigates the perimeter while offering subtle contrasts. Here and throughout, Nowell and associates dish out a sweltering modus operandi with an irrefutable vengeance.

Personnel: Sean Nowell: tenor saxophone; Brad Mason: trumpet; Michael Dease: trombone; Art Hirahara: keyboards; Adam Klipple: organ, keyboards; Evan Marien: bass; Marko Djordjevic: drums.

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Brent Black reviews Fowser/Gillece “Top Shelf”…

www.criticaljazz.com

Roughly 27 years ago Stan Getz made one of the finest duet recordings on the Blue Note label with pianist label. Now the aptly titled Top Shelf picks up where Poetry left off. Granted this release is a sextet with attitude but Fowser and Gillece and the modern jazz evolution of tenor saxophone and vibraphone. Michael Dease sits in on trombone and pushes the front line to the next dimension while the rhythm section of Steve Einerson on piano, Dezron Douglas and Rodney Green on drums take the ten original compositions with the obvious attitude of swing hard or go home! This fourth release may well be arguably the finest with their own special brand of swing. I once asked Posi-Tone drummer Jordan Young, “Do you learn swing or is an innate ability to find your own groove?” Young’s answer was probably the best I have hears and certainly an apt description of this stellar release when he replied “How do you know you are in love? Is it a simple feeling with complex nuances or is it something learned from watching others?”
There are almost too many highlights to list here. “Slick” along with “Ginger Swing” and “Top Shelf” are perfectly titles pieces for a release  that is “Top Shelf.” The Gillece tune has a cross mixture sound of the more traditional Blue Note and Impulse  sounds. A different type of swing, slightly disjointed but melodically accessible with a straight ahead flair other working bands struggle for years and still run dry. “Ginger Swing” is a minor key, deconstructed swing that creates a unique dynamic tension that most bands struggle with to this day. “Top Shelf” is minor blues, free and open ended.
The improvisational skill level within the band is off the charts (pardon the pun). Fowser and Gillece are like Getz and Tjader, while the physical presence has left the planet, their spiritual dynamic will continue to  move forth and grow as long as one of the finest straight ahead labels in Posi-Tone still exists.