* johnstein fine original jazz compositions * John Stein – COLOR TONES: John’s amazing jazz guitar is in fine form here, and he’s joined by a stellar cast of players, too; drummer Zé Eduardo Nazario, bassist John Lockwood as well as soloists Fernando Brandão on flutes and Phil Grenadier on trumpets and mutes in this splendid set of John’s all-original compositions. Just listen to the high-energy “New Shoes” to get a feel for the treat your ears will experience… though it has a “light” feel, as you listen (with your headphones on, please) you’ll realize that you are hearing the way musicians “talk” with each other… spontaneous energy that is both bright and full of life… a great song!
The 3:40 “Neck Road” picks up the pace a bit, and has a strong focus on the drums during the lead-in… as the bass moves it even more and the other players join in, you’ll find your toes, fingers and all appendages moving right in synch with the band; a perfect tune length for airplay – I predict this one will be showing up on your local jazz DJ lists and entertaining you for the long-term… the flute and horn on this track is total excellence.
The longest song on the album, “Angel Eyes“, headlines the skills of each player as they take their solos, but in the overall, it is the cohesiveness of the arrangements and the energy of the players that makes it such a great tune, without doubt… as always, I consider myself truly privileged to get such fine jazz in to review (thanks, John).
It was easy to pick my personal favorite of the eleven tunes offered up for your jazz edification… “Five Weeks“, the second longest song on the release, has some great mute trumpet from Phil, and once again gives you a chance to witness just how marvelous a real musical collaboration can be… I’ve listened to this particular song about twenty times already & still keep coming back to it!
If you compare this album to John’s Wood and Strings release, you will hear just what “contrast” is all about… both CD’s are excellent, and jazz fans who love great guitar jazz will agree wholeheartedly with me when I declare this to be MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED… it also gets an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of (a perfect) 5.00, meaning that it also get my “PICK” for “best guitar led album”. Get more information, and purchase it at the Whaling City Sound page for the release. Rotcod Zzaj
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