Consisting of Ben Ferris/b, Jose Guzman/g, Mark Hetzler/tb, Mike Zoszewski/dr, Jason Kutz/key, Eddie Barbashas and Buzz Kemper/voc, the band Mr. Chair runs the range of chamber music to poetry to even some rocking fusion on this album of originals. For the poetry, Kemper sounds a bit like Kurt Elling on the R&Bish story of “Fuschia” while lithe bowed strings meld with piano and Barbash’s warm alto on “Elegy” Hetzler brass is warm on the galloping Brittens’ Written Rhythm” and glistens on the pretty title tune. The band gets kinetic on the extroverted “Uncanny Valley” and takes a rich journey with Ferris digging in deep on “Apellations Spring”. A musical mosaic that forms a nice portrait from a distance.Mr. Chair: Better Days
Consisting of Ben Ferris/b, Jose Guzman/g, Mark Hetzler/tb, Mike Zoszewski/dr, Jason Kutz/key, Eddie Barbashas and Buzz Kemper/voc, the band Mr. Chair runs the range of chamber music to poetry to even some rocking fusion on this album of originals. For the poetry, Kemper sounds a bit like Kurt Elling on the R&Bish story of “Fuschia” while lithe bowed strings meld with piano and Barbash’s warm alto on “Elegy” Hetzler brass is warm on the galloping Brittens’ Written Rhythm” and glistens on the pretty title tune. The band gets kinetic on the extroverted “Uncanny Valley” and takes a rich journey with Ferris digging in deep on “Apellations Spring”. A musical mosaic that forms a nice portrait from a distance.