Sometimes I like to play the game of just listening to an album and try to figure out who is the leader. These latest two releases made the game fun.
Until you get to the bass solo on “Yellow Room” it can be a tough call to figure out that Michael Ross is the head of this impressive team. Danny Jordan/ts-fl, William Evans/p (tough name!!!), LaRue Nickelson/g and Walt Hubbard make some wonderful melodies out of material such as “Cone Of Uncertainty” and “Yak Attack”, while the gentle title track and trio take of Ellington’s “I Got It Bad” show some sensitivity and symbiotic interplay. Cleaned and pressed and fits like a perfect linen suit.
The trio of Jonathan Moritz/ts-ss, Shayna Dulberger/b and Mike P ride/dr-perc deliver seven quirky songs with equally quirky titles such as “Medium,” “Melody,” and that hit everyone asks for at concerts, “7779”. Moritz’s tone is rich and lucid, which makes you hang in there with him on directionless songs such as “Fast” or “Harmony.” The songs come off like more like rehearsals for practicing techniques than actual songs you want to sell to the public. Hmmm…
Hot Cup Records