Review: Elliot Deutsch Big Band - Weeknight Music

Elliot Deutsch Big Band - Weeknight Music
2009, Elliot Deutsche

Elliot Deutsch knows the truth, that Jazz was Rock N Roll before Rock was born. The twenty-six year old performer, composer and bandleader has been knocking them for a loop on the Los Angeles Jazz scene since 2007, and released the debut album from the Elliot Deutsch Big Band, Weeknight Music, last year. Hard driving swing is the order of the day, mixed with rambunctious play and musical risk taking that harkens back to a time when Jazz was the high-wire act of American music and here adherents were the stars. Deutsch's background is rock solid, having played with or under the likes of Lalo Schifrin, BB King, Jason Mraz, Kenny Burrell, Les McCann, Hubert Laws, Bobby Rodriquez and Pato Banton.

Weeknight Music opens with a lively take on Cheek To Cheek before barreling into The Jury's Out with gleeful abandon. The spark of mischief that runs through the songs presented on Weeknight Music speaks to how much fun and creative energy went into the project. Beautiful Friendship takes listeners back to an era when big bands ruled the world, throwing in a decent vocal line over a lush orchestral jazz score. Aside from top-of-the-line musicianship, Deutsch takes risks in the writing/arranging of songs that are far beyond that most staid jazz musicians would ever dare. Even when these risks don't quite pay off the experience is still very worthwhile for the listener. Rhythm Challenge finds Deutsch having a race with himself; speeding things up right to the edge of losing control. A little of that control actually slips away on Space Cowboys, which plays a bit like Duke Ellington on speed.

Deutsch goes to the other extreme on Coffee Time, a pensive, halting tune that's more about setting the stage with atmosphere. The song is a nice change of pace, but is a bit listless at times. Yeah, We're Sleeping Together features some of the best solo work on the album, as Elliot Deutsche mixes brash confidence with musical subtlety beyond his twenty-six years that speak volumes into every note and every phrase. The finest work on the album, however, is the ensemble work on Nearness Of You, with subtly charged phrasing and a master's touch. Right behind it (figuratively and literally) is Nearness Of You. The same sort of energy is at play here, although perhaps to a slightly lesser extent. Weeknight Music closes out with the sprightly Stroll At The Beach, exuding the same playful energy that has made much of the album live and breathe.

Take a look around the Jazz world in twenty years and it won't be a big surprise to see each of the 17 members of Elliot Deutsch Jazz Band active in one project or another. I wouldn't go quite so far as to say Deutsch is the future of Jazz, but he brings the same sort of fresh perspective and exuberance that Harry Connick Jr. displays in the late 1980's. Weeknight Music is brilliant, balancing a healthy look forward with clear reminiscence on wear Jazz came from; all from a young man who sports what may be one of the brightest young talents in Jazz.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about the Elliot Deutsch Big Band at http://www.edbigband.com/ or www.myspace.com/edbigband. You can purchase Weeknight Music as either a CD or Download from CDBaby.com.

Review: Garrett N. - Instrumentals And Oddities

Garrett N. – Instrumentals And Oddities
2008, Garrett Newman

Amidst the snowy slopes and frozen ropes of Aspen Colorado flourishes instrumental artist/composer Garrett N. Drawing on influences ranging from composer Lalo Schiffrin to early Pink Floyd to George Benson, Garrett N. manages to never repeat himself in a musical world built on Ambient sounds and punctuated rhythms. His debut album, Instrumentals and Oddities is fourteen tracks of music to relax and explore to.

Eorche 2 leads off the set with distorted guitars and a bass melody against the backdrop of a slow, steady beat. Entrancing and dark; this is the perfect mood setter for the album. Masterpiece is as musically obtuse as Pink Floyd ever was, and is very much in the spirit of recordings such as Umma Gumma. Billie J. is one of the stronger tracks here as well; built on a Drum N Bass base with a sonic wash of keyboards, live electric guitar and various effects. AquaCave is perhaps one of the most prescient representations of motion in music you’ll find. You can actually envision yourself drifting down through water like a tendril.

4567 Down! Is intriguing. The song hints at structure while moving through deep and murky soft-core Industrial waters. Cloaked confused me a little on first listen, as I thought Garrett N. was using a dulcimer for a few minutes, but it sounds like a very unique picking style on standard guitar. Lateprod1 is a danceable song that sounds like it should be on the soundtrack of a Tim Burton movie. Garrett N. pulls out a wonderful jazz/funk/electro hybrid on The Thought Had Crossed My Mind. This one has real commercial/club potential. The album closes out with Cheap Unleaded, an odd spoken word/noise track that is in the essence of some of Pink Floyd’s weirder stuff.

Garrett N. mixes old and new sounds on Instrumentals and Oddities to come up with a sound and style that is distinctly his own. You’ll hear the occasional nod to Pink Floyd here, as well as a few pieces that are more cinematic in scope, but in general Garrett N. is writing for himself. The result is a wonderful electronic patois that will keep you coming back for more. Instrumentals And Oddities is a must listen for an aspiring electronic musician or fan. Even folks who don’t normally take to the electronic side of the staff will find much to like here.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Garrett N. through his GarageBand profile. You can purchase a copy of Instrumentals and Oddities at www.cdbaby.com/cd/garrettn2. You can also access Garrett N’s music through outlets such as Amazon.com or iTunes.