Seattle Jazz Scene

Review by Libby Graham

I went to Bake’s Place in Issaquah on Friday, June 11, and had the great pleasure of seeing vocalist and trumpeter extraordinaire Jake Bergevin. He is one of the nicest people you’ll meet and has a mega talent to match with his effortless crooning vocalese, inventive original compositions, and sensitive re-imaginings of works by such artists as Kurt Elling and Leonard Bernstein. His rendition of the classic standard “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face” and a fresh arrangement of Sting’s “The Girl with No Regrets” were shining examples of his varied, eclectic repertoire. Joining Jake that evening was an exceptional rhythm section comprised of Dan Kramlich on piano, Brad Boal playing drums, RJ Whitlow on bass, and local favorite Susan Pascal playing vibes.

Jake’s second set was themed around songs of New York and the debut of brand new material for him. Especially wonderful were his takes on “New York, New York”, “Let Me off Uptown” and a couple of songs dedicated to two famous NY bridges, “Chelsea Bridge” and “Brooklyn Bridge”.

Jake is the gifted jazz band director at Edmonds-Woodway High School and in May gained national recognition for his band’s participation in the famed Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center in New York City. He also fronts his popular big band, “Javatown Swing Orchestra” and will be performing with them for the 13th year in a row at Ellensburg’s Jazz in the Valley on Saturday, July 31st. Other up-coming performances include Pacific Lutheran University’s Jazz under the Stars on Thursday, July 15, The Bloedel Reserve Concert Series (Bainbridge Island) on Saturday, July 17 and The Mill Creek Community Summer Concert Series on Thursday, August 5.

from All About Jazz:

The Seattle-based quintet Speak explores a multitude of musical moods with their eponymous recording debut. An exemplary model of genre-defying music, the disc features original compositions that delve into odd-metered progressive rock grooves and spontaneous bursts of improvised sound that are at times explosive.

The opening cut “Amalgam in the Middle” makes anthemic pronouncements with an extended section for Aaron Otheim’s intensity building piano solo, garnering strength from the free-flowing interplay of bassist Luke Bergman and drummer Chris Icasiano. Trumpeter Cuong Vu (Pat Metheny, Laurie Anderson) leads the lyrical friendliness of Bergman’s “People or Cats,” a piece played out in multiple variations, each with an added layer of dissonance, rhythmic drive and harmonic clusters. Bergman’s “Polypockets” swells with a paradoxical pull between a rock-driven pulse and all-out tonal abandonment.

By the fourth track, saxophonist Andrew Swanson’s “Mustard Knuckles,” an ensemble mentality with shared ideals begins to emerge. This piece, suggesting Metallica meeting Weather Report, introduces clever themes that seem to bask together in a musical landscape found off the beaten path. Icasiano’s “Pure Hatred” begins with friendly banter and quickly melts into some kind of inescapable confrontation.

The disc ends with Otheim’s “Litany Split,” a somber, minimalistic dirge, culminating in an expanded final crescendo. Speak presents an open-ended direction, reliant on group dialogue, unfolding in the moment and paying heed to context.

from JazzReview.com

This recording is just a good old-fashioned blowing session. Seven of the straight-ahead tunes are originals by members of the group, with the only standard being Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing.” All of the music is in the hard-bop and post-bop jazz language, and all of the members of the ensemble are accomplished musicians in their own right. Johnson and Bishop, who have worked together frequently, have a real simpatico relationship. You can tell that just by the slightest nod of the head or rhythmic figuration they are able to change feel on a dime. Their actions are always in coordination with each other, and instantaneous. They exhibit this most especially on “Portrait” and “Doop Dee Doop.”

Anschell can be a fiery pianist, as on his own self-penned “Turbulator,” as well as be commanding when laying back and just playing in the groove. Jensen, who plays just soprano on this recording, sometimes will thin his sound for effect, as on “Turbulator,” or play with a warm reedy sound full of thick overtones, as on “Stories We Hold.”

If there is a flaw with this recording, and this is a minor one, is that the compositions don’t show off the abilities of the group to the fullest extent possible. While one wouldn’t want to hear these incredible musicians just play standards, perhaps ripping up some thicker harmonic material and neglected chestnuts by Duke Pearson, as well as others, might play perfectly into their hands. That small negativism aside, this group plays with a heart and soul lacking in many working jazz bands.

Note: Thomas Marriott is heading out-of-town this weekend to perform at the Denver Jazz Festival with Ray Vega. Travis Shook, Phil Sparks and Matt Jorgensen round out the group.

via All About Jazz.com:

East-West Trumpet Summit is a rollicking showcase for longtime friends Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott. Vega, a New York native and the elder of the two, has served for many years as a mentor to Seattle’s Marriott. The two first met when Marriott was a student at the University of Washington in Seattle, and Vega was in town touring with the late Tito Puente. Friends ever since, the two trumpeters share an affinity for hard-blowing, grounded-in-bebop jazz. New York pianist Travis Shook and the Seattle rhythm team of bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer Matt Jorgensen round out this exceptional set of standards and original compositions.

A whirling rendition of “It’s You or No One,” featuring solo turns by the entire cast, gets the disc off to a feverish start. A faithful-to-the-original take on Horace Silver’s medium bouncer “Juicy Lucy” swings along nicely, with Vega paying homage to the spirit of Blue Mitchell. Two Marriott originals follow: the rocket-propelled “Pelham Gardens,” delivering an inspired back and forth between the two leaders; and “Bishop Island,” a free-flowing waltz with a matter-of-fact melody and lyrical turn by Johnson.

Vega contributes as a composer as well, with two strong pieces. The pensive “Only of a Season” and the energetic modal workout “It’s a New York Thing” are both disc highlights, the latter a vehicle for frenetic displays from Shook and Jorgensen. Following a straightforward ballad medley of “Round Midnight” and “In a Sentimental Mood,” featuring Vega and Marriott respectively, the disc winds down with “Big Brother,” Marriott’s Latin-tinged tribute to Vega.

With evident camaraderie, East-West Trumpet Summit is a joyful celebration of friendship and music from two heavyweights of jazz trumpet.

The first day of the 2010 Bellevue Jazz Festival got off to a respectable if not rabid start, a low-impact workout in preparation for the long weekend of shows. Thursday night’s performances were an all-local affair with familiar names playing five venues including the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, where all the headline performers can be heard.

Pianist Overton Berry and vocalist Gail Pettis officially started off the festival, with Berry playing a 5 p.m. set on the first floor of the Lincoln Square shopping center and Pettis singing (also at 5 p.m.) three blocks away – Bellevue’s large blocks are car-sized, not people sized – in the year-old Grand Cru Wine Bar on the ground floor of the TEN20 apartment complex.

Organizers have programmed the festival in three layers, with performances by some of the area’s best high-school musicians and bands (mostly during the day), local professionals playing at night for free, and the big-name national acts performing in the Theatre. Only the Theatre shows require a paid ticket. Another attraction of the festival is downtown Bellevue itself, much of it newly paved and constructed. The shopping plazas, hotels, restaurants and bars have been turned into jazz clubs for the weekend.

Pettis, accompanied by pianist Randy Halberstadt, sang to a standing-room-only crowd at the year-old Grand Cru Wine Bar. The pair was tucked in a corner by the window, behind a steel-mesh, floor-to-ceiling curtain that served as a buffer to the intimate dining room.
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from All About Jazz:

In the crowded and talent-filled lady jazz vocalist field, standing apart is no small feat. Some natural vocal chops, combined with a bunch of hard work and a good backing band, can make for a very viable artistic effort, and there are a lot of those around. But a very workable artistic effort is not enough. The singer has to connect on a personal level by telling the stories of her songs in a convincing fashion—in her own vulnerable or tough and world-weary, or sweet, or rough-and-tumble way. That’s what Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae, Blossom Dearie and Anita O’Day did. On her debut release, I’ll Get Around to It, Seattle-based jazz vocalist Carrie Wicks proves herself a very convincing storyteller.

With a wonderful feel for the beat, adept phrasing and a bit of a Tony Bennett hush in her voice, Wicks can make you fall for her on “I’m Old Fashioned,” or she can, sweet-voiced on the Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers gem “Everything I’ve Got,” give a grown man a good scare and make him check the room for an escape route. She can also exude a laidback, no-nonsense, Carmen McCrae toughness on “Baby, Get Lost,” or sing with a beautiful, horn-like delivery on Elvis Costello’s hauntingly surreal “Almost Blue.”

The songs come mostly from yesteryear, way back from the thirties and forties, and for the most part are not from the overly-covered side of the old fashioned tunes. Exceptions are Costello’s “Almost Blue” (1982) and the Ken Nottingham/Carrie Wicks-penned title cut, both of which slip smoothly into mix.

The first-rate backing band—headed by pianist/composer Bill Anschell, who produced and arranged the disc—sets a vibrant background for Wicks’ storytelling, featuring Jeff Johnson’s big bass bounce on “I’m Old Fashioned,” Hans Teuber’s tangy New Orleans-esque clarinet on the title tune, drummer Byron Vannoy’s shuffling caresses with the brushes on “Everything I’ve Got,” and Anschell’s always exquisite accompaniment and deft embellishments.

I’ll Get Around To It is an extraordinary debut, a first-rate jazz vocal effort.

from All About Jazz:

Comparisons with Thelonious Monk and McCoy Tyner notwithstanding, Seattle- native Nelda Swiggett summons the influence of a piano talent closer to home, that of the late Gene Harris. Both pianists’ styles are characterized by a bright palette, a sinewy execution and a powerful, assertive command. Swiggett’s atonal tendencies echo Monk and her percussive nature, Tyner. Taken as a whole, the sound is all Swiggett’s: refined and confident, open and inviting.

This Time is Swiggett’s first recording for the OA2 label, and third release overall. No Time for Daydreams (1993), with the Room to Move Sextet, and Hands On (1999) were released on her own Moving Room imprint. This Time features 11 original Swiggett compositions that all reveal a keen ear for memorable and unique jazz composition. Swiggett favors rhythmic archetypes such as the punctuated “Jack and Key Boo Ba,” the closely chaotic “Mere Madness,” and the Latinesque “Beyond That.”

Swiggett is very much a double fisted pianist, like Harris, who is able to coax much from her piano. The orchestral expanse of her playing would enable Swiggett to easily produce a full-bodied solo recital. Bassist Chris Symer shares a close empathy with the pianist, fully able to duplicate and sustain her craggy rhythms. His arco playing on “The Time Being” is beautifully appropriate. Drummer Byron Vannoy is the anchor that keeps this trio grounded, his playing never too loud of overbearing. Swiggitt’s singing is also very fine, though closely guarded as she sings on only three of the disc’s compositions. This Time is a strong and elegant jazz showing.

from All About Jazz.com

The Wellstone Conspiracy is a collective venture for four of the more prolific jazz musicians residing in the Northwest region of the United States. The group consists of Idaho-based saxophonist Brent Jensen and from Seattle, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop. The quartet, previously heard together on Jensen’s One More Mile (Origin, 2008), hits the mark with Motives, a disc full of stunning interplay and individual showmanship.

A highlight of the recording is the opening “Bye Bye Blackwell,” Jenson’s tribute to the late drummer Ed Blackwell. The tune builds on Johnson’s droning double stops and Jenson’s lyrical melody with spirited free-form improvising and aggressive drum flourishes from Bishop. Anschell’s swinging “Phindango,” based on the chord changes to Herbie Hancock’s “Dolphin Dance,” showcases the pianist’s ability to express harmonic sophistication with an inviting warmth. The tune also features one of many exceptional solo spots for Johnson. The bassist shines throughout the recording with a deep-in-the-wood tone and free flowing lines. He is especially poignant on his composition “Portrait,” a moving ballad.

Continue reading at All About Jazz.com

from JazzTimes:

Veteran tenor saxophonist Hadley Caliman—he was on the Central Avenue scene in Los Angeles during the ’50s—teams with golden-toned trumpeter Thomas Marriott on the frontline for this inspired outing. Flaunting a beautiful, burnished tone and remarkable fluidity on his horn, Caliman sails through his “Cigar Eddie,” Harold Land’s “Rapture” and Lee Morgan’s Latin-flavored “Totem Pole” with confidence and old-school swagger. And he acquits himself with rare elegance and taste on Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” and the poignant ballad “You Leave Me Breathless.” Marriott, who produced the session, also contributes the driving “Cathlamet,” and the two horns engage in some facile, energized exchanges with pianist Eric Verlinde on Joe Locke’s uptempo swinger “Blues for PT.”

from All About Jazz.com

Keyboardist Ryan Burns possesses a distinctive artistry, one that is integral to the success of the sound of the Matt Jorgensen + 451 group on sets such as Hope (Origin Records, 2004) and Another Morning (Origin Records, 2008), and with trumpeter Thomas Marriott on the strange and stellar Crazy:The Music of Willie Nelson (Origin Records, 2008). Burns also works as a leader on the acoustic piano trio set Tree-O (Old Bird Records, 2007), and now on the plugged-in Birds. A fine pianist, Burns is virtuosic and always adventurous on the electric side of the keyboard spectrum.

Birds opens with the title tune that he introduced on the Hope CD. The sound glows into existence on luminescent electric keys at a measured pace. The dry, tart sound of Mark Taylor’s alto saxophone seeps in, counterpointing the Fender Rhodes gleam with Burns’ stick-in-the-mind melody. “June Bug” has an eerie, exploration-of-another-planet vibe, with bassist Geoff Cooke and drummer Joe Martinez supplying an altered gravity rhythm behind the leader’s otherworldly safari.

Continue reading at All About Jazz.com

from All About Jazz.com:

[Phil Kelly is] back at it, stronger than ever with Ballet of the Bouncing Beagles and to bolster that swing allegation, the set opens the boldly with “Play Bud Tonic,” featuring on-fire solos by tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb, trumpeter Vern Sielert, and trombonist Dan Marcus, followed by a rip-roaring, vivacious ensemble section.

The band eases off on the full force forward momentum of the opener with the light-stepping, laid-back “Limehouse Blues.” A tinkly piano intro gives way to a lighter-than-air ensemble horn interlude followed by a series of elastic solos—alto sax, trombone (getting down sweet and low), baritone sax (gritty and low), and trumpet, all over a supremely relaxed rhythm.

Continue reading at All About Jazz.com.

from All Music Guide:

Hadley Caliman, Straight Ahead
by Ken Dryden

Hadley Caliman has had a long, distinguished career as a sideman, appearing on albums by Gerald Wilson, Bobby Hutcherson, Hampton Hawes, and Joe Henderson, among others, though he has had relatively sporadic opportunities to record as a leader. His second CD for Origin indicates he may have found a regular outlet for his music, backed by the young trumpeter Thomas Marriott (who also records as a leader for the label and appeared on Caliman’s first Origin CD), pianist Eric Verlinde, bassist Phil Sparks, and drummer Matt Jorgenson. Rather than choose typical approaches, such as heavy doses of originals or covers of familiar standards and jazz works, Caliman mixes it up with a few of each, plus less frequently played gems. Harold Land’s “Rapture” has yet to enter the jazz canon, but the blend between the leader and Marriott in this soothing, easygoing piece suggests a relaxing walk along a sunny beach. Lee Morgan’s “Totem Pole” is overshadowed by his better-known compositions, though the quintet makes the most of this long-forgotten hard bop vehicle. The originals also stand out. Marriott’s vibrant “Cathlamet” has a bit of an urban swagger, while Caliman’s upbeat “Cigar Eddie” blends soul-jazz with a Latin undercurrent that turns Afro-Cuban at its conclusion. Caliman’s potent solo in “Lush Life” and playfulness in a brisk finale of “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” also breathe new life into these familiar pieces.

from the February 2010 issue of Downbeat Magazine

Tom Varner – Heaven And Hell
OMNITONE 12210
4 Stars

It’s usually a good idea to avoid programmatic interpretations of music. The ear of the beholder can be made of tin in detecting intended mean­ings, assuming there are any. But when a work is as powerfully rooted in a cultural and political moment as Heaven And Hell, French hornist Tom Varner’s extended piece for tentet, it’s difficult not to assume the images you see in your mind’s eye and the emotions you feel are ones the artist is seeing and feeling as well.

Heaven And Hell was largely inspired by 9/11. Varner witnessed the attacks and their aftermath as a New Yorker. Now based in Seattle, where he and a predominately local cast recorded the album (his first in eight years), he is still coming to terms with the tragedy. A mournful uncertainty defines the opening “Overview,” with its constrained melody and irregular ensemble patterns. As the music builds to the operatic, Greek chorus-like effects and eerie descending tones of “Structure Down,” it draws hope from happier events in Varner’s life, notably the adoption of his Vietnamese son and starting a new life in Seattle. But making stirring use of grouped and clustered horns and sparing use of drums, Varner is nagged by unre­solved questions.

For all its darkness, Heaven And Hell unfolds with the easygoing, open clarity that is a hallmark of his music, striking a reward­ing balance between bold modern jazz harmonies and austere modern classical voicings. Connected by brief pensive interludes, the longer individual composi­tions unfold deliberately. But there’s no lack of peak moments, as witness the lively solos over Phil Sparks’ limber walking bass on “Queen Tai” by the brilliant East Coast trumpeter Russ Johnson, the Konitzian altoist Mark Taylor and the virtuosic Varner.

More than ever, Varner’s warmly expansive but tough-edged playing rescues the French horn from the “miscellaneous” instrument cate­gory. The voice of conscience on Heaven And Hell, he also bestows its greatest pleasures.
—Lloyd Sachs

from All About Jazz:

An entire disc of solo, improvised guitar music could easily run the risk of sounding like one continuous tune. Fortunately, Portand, Oregon-based guitarist John Stowell applies enough depth and open-minded searching to his nylon-string guitar to keep things interesting throughout Solitary Tales. The eleven-track disc was recorded live at the home of master guitar luthier Mike Doolin, who builds guitars for Stowell. Relying heavily on single-note lines, the guitarist seems to pull arching motifs out of thin air, eschewing clichés while maintaining a swinging essence.

Stowell gives contemplative readings to Cole Porter’s “Everything I Love” and Bill Evans’ “Funny Man.” Steve Swallow’s “Outfits” contains some of the disc’s most inventive lines, with breathtaking leaps across the fret board. Ornette Coleman’s “Blues Connotation,” a disc highlight, jumps out as a bluesy surprise, as Stowell digs in with spirited phrasing.

The bulk of the recording is comprised of Stowell’s original compositions, including the rhythmic “Fun With Fruit,” the harmonically lush “Behind the Scenes” and the swingingly unpredictable closer, “Wybleing.” Thick and juicy chord clusters bring out a thumping, unhurried pace on the hypnotic “Friendly Giant.”

The up-close-and-personal setting and superb audio of Solitary Tales allow an extraordinary glimpse into Stowell’s uncompromising artistry.

Learn more about Solitary Tales at Origin Records.

from The Seattle Times:

PORT TOWNSEND — During a workshop she helped teach on the art of vocal jazz, Gretchen Parlato confessed that many of her favorite singers were those who “don’t really sing.”

Several hours before she took the big stage at McCurdy Pavilion for her festival debut, she explained some of the singers she liked the most did not have the greatest technical ability, but rather a certain quality to their voice, a pleasing sound, an emotional gravity.

To a large degree, she could have been talking about herself. New to many audiences, Parlato performed Friday night at Jazz Port Townsend with the Gerald Clayton Trio, challenging notions of what defines a great jazz singer. Her voice has a breathless quality to it. She emphasizes phrasing and subtle changes in pitch rather than melodic acrobatics.

She sings much the way she talks. She possesses a soft but striking voice that sounds wistful and sleepy, the way someone sounds perhaps if they’ve recently been crying. As festival director John Clayton put it, she puts the microphone close to her lips and “whispers” the song into your ear.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

from All About Jazz.com:

Saxophonist Mark Taylor was announced Northwest Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2009 Earshot Jazz Awards. Such esteemed recognition may be due to his high profile supporting roles on Origin Records releases by Thomas Marriott and Matt Jorgensen + 451. For Spectre, his first recording as a leader in six years, the Seattle, Washington-based Taylor presents an inventive set of original, progressive jazz. The quartet setting features Taylor on soprano and alto sax, pianist Gary Fukushima, bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer Byron Vannoy.

Taylor’s cutting soprano tone leads the way for much of the disc, especially on the bright, spirited title track and the loose funk of “Fleeting.” The leader solos with overflowing confidence, allowing a steady stream of edgy, yet swinging ideas. Tunes such as “Maia” and Johnson’s “The Art of Falling” reveal a mature improviser who prefers restrained lyricism over excess.

In between lengthy compositions are shorter improvised interludes that give the disc a continuous flow. Tantalizing spurts of energy such as “Opaque” and “Lucid” deconstruct various elements of one piece while setting up the next. A fine example of this is the rambunctious duet between Taylor and Vannoy, and exposed piano romp by Fukushima, on “Persiflage,” acting as a tense buildup to the rather serene “The Ruse of the Muse.”

Fukushima’s exuberant playing on both piano and Fender Rhodes adds a fresh perspective to this vibrant session full of stand-out performances and unique compositions.

>> Buy Spectre from Origin Records

Note: Thomas Marriott celebrates the release of Flexicon at The Triple Door on Tuesday, May 12.

from allaboutjazz.com:

By Dan McClenaghan

If Seattle, Washington-based Origin Records can be said to have a signature sound, trumpeter Thomas Marriott’s Flexicon could be picked as an example. The music is mainstream, with two horns and a rhythm section, polished up and modernized with a nice edge, some luminous Fender Rhodes, a solid-yet-adventurous bassist, and a top notch, push-the-tradition-forward drummer. And everything small and large that the drummer does can be heard. Additionally, Joe Locke is featured on vibes on a couple of tunes.

Marriott’s excellent Crazy: The Music of Willie Nelson (Origin Records, 2008), expanded the boundaries of the trumpeter’s musical world on a quirky and offbeat offering. The equally fine Flexicon reigns things back toward more standard, straight-ahead fare, with a cast of Northwest/Origin Records All-Stars.

The set blasts off with Freddie Hubbard’s “Take it to the Ozone” on some high octane unison horn blowing and a pedal-to-the-metal ensemble work. Marriott’s first solo suggests he should be mentioned in the same breath with Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard in terms of purity of tone and control of his instrument. He gives way to Locke, who adds a buoyant luminescence to any situation he joins.

Wayne Shorter’s “Masquelero” recalls Miles Davis’ second great quintet work—mysterious, dangerous, and full of dark shadows. Saxophonist Mark Taylor, on soprano here, playing entrancing lines in front of drummer Matt Jorgenson’s waves-on-the-beach percussion. Pianist Bill Anschell, on Fender Rhodes, goes searching the night time streets on his solo.

Rodgers and Hart’s “Spring is Here” lightens the mood, with Marriott and company giving the tune a zingy, modern treatment. “Little Frances,” from Marriott’s pen, sounds like a ’60s jazz standard. The tune showcases Marriott’s clean, hundred-karat tone that leads into an exploratory Jeff Johnson bass solo.

The familiar “Detour Ahead” finds Marriott with mute, on this a sweetly introspective ballad that features a delicately pretty Anschell solo.

Elvis Costello’s “Almost Blue” closes the show on a beautifully melancholic note. In a lonely duet with pianist Anschell, Marriott’s horn talks, telling a sad tale in a rich, warm voice. A perfect ending to a first-rate jazz set.

Click here to buy Flexicon

from The Seattle Times:

Perhaps the moment that said the most about saxophonist Branford Marsalis, whose quartet began a four-night run Thursday at Jazz Alley, was the moment he left the stage, disappeared and left the spotlight to his young drummer Justin Faulkner, who delivered an inspired, disciplined solo over the Thelonius Monk tune “Rhythm-a-Ning.”

from All About Jazz.com

A sextet based out of Seattle, Washington, Reptet present a sound and message that, in its own words, aptly describes both the group’s approach and its broader mission “to compose, interpret and improvise music that inspires growth through freedom and discipline.” Working within a good-natured, party band atmosphere, the unit manages to stretch its genre’s typical trappings on Chicken or Beef?, with both a broad array of stylistic capabilities as well as an adventurous, fun-loving attitude too often lacking in this setting.

The album opens with the funky “Danger Notes.” Starting off in New Orleans party band mode, percussionist John Ewing and bassist Tim Carey guide a path that ebbs from the scorching solo of saxophonist Chris Credit to the more contemplative, textural mood over which Samantha Boshnack’s trumpet can shine.

Things get even less predictable on “Reptet Score!” With a flurry of horns and percussion, the piece uses a Latin-tinged theme, building until the whole unit yells “hey!” before slinking into a steady, understated groove that meets somewhere between the dance floor and the lounge. The piece breaks apart soon enough, with horn squalls and guffaws abounding, sounding not unlike Spike Jones and his City Slickers if they were to cover Sun Ra.

… continue reading at All About Jazz.com