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Paul Romaine
Dave Hanson: Blues Sky
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Dave Hanson opens his Blue Sky with a joyful barnburner, “Two Masters," a tip of the hat to Bill Evans and Chick Corea, two of the biggest names in piano jazz. Hanson is probably best known for his work as composer-arranger and co-leader of Denver's H2 Big Band, but he pares things down on his Blues Sky album release, thanks in part to a weeklong artist-in-residence gig at Denver's Dazzle Jazz club, which allowed him to shape his sound ...
Continue ReadingBrad Goode: Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer
by Jack Bowers
"Polytonal," according to Webster's, denotes “the simultaneous use of two or more musical keys." jny: Denver-based trumpeter and educator Brad Goode makes full use of that technique on The Snake Charmer, the debut recording by Goode's well-named Polytonal Big Band. When all has been written and played, two things are clear: first, Goode is a world-class big-band composer-arranger and master of his horn; and second, polytonality is simply a fresh approach to the music, one that in no way interferes ...
Continue ReadingBrad Goode: Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer
by Neil Tesser
I try to avoid hyperbole. I'm not all that comfortable out on a limb. But I'll still wager you've never come across a big-band album like this. Perhaps you've heard orchestras that use dissonance and unexpected note clusters as their operating system. Maybe you've encountered soloists who ply their playing with extended technique and postmodern pastiche, vividly escaping the gravitational pull of conventional composition. But I can't think of an album that combines these elements with the electric ...
Continue ReadingTed Piltzecker: Vibes on a Breath
by Jack Bowers
Even though Ted Piltzecker is a splendid vibraphonist and ushers a group of Colorado's leading jazz musicians through its paces on Vibes on a Breath, it is his sparkling arrangements that carry the day on this delightful new album. Several members of Piltzecker's septet double, and he makes the most of that versatility, writing charts that bring to the fore John Gunther's bass clarinet, Wil Swindler's baritone sax and (on the closing number) Judith Leclair's bassoon and Javier Diaz's percussion. ...
Continue ReadingDave Askren/Jeff Benedict: Denver Sessions
by Jack Bowers
There are times when a little extra effort goes a long way. To record the Denver Sessions, guitarist Dave Askren and saxophonist Jeff Benedict flew from the Los Angeles area, vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker from New York City to team with the Mile High city's Patrick McDevitt (bass) and Paul Romaine (drums) for Askren and Benedict's twelfth album together and fourth as co-leaders. Was it worth the trip? In one listener's opinion, first-class tickets, no matter the price, would be cheap ...
Continue ReadingDave Askren / Jeff Benedict: Denver Sessions
by Edward Blanco
Los Angeles-based guitarist Dave Askren and saxophonist Jeff Benedict collaborate on their fourth album as co-leaders on the Denver Sessions, an exquisite ten-piece set of primarily original music recorded in Denver, Colorado. The leaders have been playing together for around thirty years in the LA area but, for some time, had wanted to perform with New York-based vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker and decided to make it happen with the help of drummer Paul Romaine who encouraged the move to Denver for ...
Continue ReadingJazz Worms: Squirmin'
by Pierre Giroux
There is something to be said for playing the long game. If a group is willing to wait for over thirty years between the issuance of albums, then clearly there is a bond among the participants that is remarkable. This clearly applies to the Jazz Worms. The group's debut release was Crawling Out (Van Buren) in 1987 and only now do we have the follow-up, Squirmin'.This Denver-based quintet has a unique approach to their music and it is ...
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Music
Two Masters
From: Blues SkyBy Paul Romaine
Goose Chase
From: Polytonal Big Band: The Snake...By Paul Romaine
If I Only Had a Brain
From: Vibes on a BreathBy Paul Romaine
Jackie's Idea
From: Denver SessionsBy Paul Romaine
Voss Is Boss
From: Two Cigarettes In the DarkBy Paul Romaine
