Steve Slagle scintillating sophisticated jazz Steve Slagle – DEDICATION: As always, Steve’s sophisticated alto & soprano jazz sax, and flute work will thrill your ears on this new album that’s slated to release on 4 January, 2018! He’s joined (yet again) by a stellar cast of players – Lawrence Fields-piano, Scott Colley – bass, Roman Diaz – percussion, Bill Stewart – drums, and special guest Dave Stryker – guitar – & I’ll tell you right now, they’re gonna’ ROCK your jazz world… a perfect way to start off a new year.
Since I’m working from a pre-release version, there are no samples posted up yet, so I’ll come back & link them in when the album goes hot, but as I listen to down & funky tunes like the 6:23 “Niner”, I know (beyond the shadow of doubt) you’re gonna’ love this… the recording is pure perfection, and I just LOVED Lawrence’s keyboard work on this one – it just MOVES with the spirit of jazz! I’ve reviewed Steve’s work before in Contemporary Fusion Reviews, but this new release shows him at his very best!
If you’re looking for a tune with a bit of Latin flavor, laid-back & smooth, you will fall in love (immediately) with “Watching Over” just as quickly as I did… you can hear Steve’s concentrated dedication at the forefront of this track, without doubt.
My personal favorite of the nine great songs offered up, though, is “Opener”, which Steve wrote in honor of his connection with Jackie McLean… Steve’s style just shimmers with the vibrancy of life on this wonderful song – just LOVED his flute on this track. I give Steve & his players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.99 for this excellent album. Learn more about this versatile player on the Steve Slagle website. Rotcod Zzaj
