Customer Reviews

As We Speak

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The only reason this gets 5 stars is because there are not more to give.

This is a double CD, trio with Egan on fretless bass, John Abercrombie on guitar and Danny Gottlieb on drums.

The music is contemporary improvisational. No standards here. It is very much in the moment and it is a first class example of jazz musicianship at its best.

The tunes range from engaging, mid-tempo jazz grooves (do NOT read that as "smooth jazz") to highly interactive free form improv. Most of the compositions are Mark's.

The musicians are constantly interacting, trading ideas. (I've had the CD for months and every time I play it, it sounds new) Egan's fretless Pedulla sings. It is the hallmark of the recording but does not dominate it. In fact, blindfold you might mistake this for a John Abercrombie CD. John is clearly enjoying himself here and this could be some of his best trio work ever. The give and take is palpable. Gottlieb is subtle and creative. Not constantly pushing as he might in a quartet, but weaving in and out, supporting, driving, creating.

And to top it all off, the production and recording quality couldn't be better.

I just can't say enough about how good this recording and this music is. But because it is released on a small label, As We Speak will probably not garner any big awards. And that is a true shame because this is great music and a recording. Check Egan's site at [...]