Customer Reviews

Forward Moves

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

 

 

Forward Moves was recorded way back in 1991 but still sounds thoroughly fresh and joyful 20 years later. Cynthia Sayer is a marvellously accomplished 4-string banjo player, and if you think you don't like banjo, it just means that you've never heard Cynthia play. She's a virtuoso on her instrument and one of the few banjo players in jazz these days. She is also an excellent singer with a warm and sincere quality in her voice. On Forward Moves she was joined by the master clarinettist Kenny Davern, and the collaboration between the two proved to be very creative and full of delightful surprises. The other musicians on this album are Vince Giordano on bass sax, Peter Ecklund on cornet and Greg Cohen on bass. Seven of the tracks feature Sayer, Davern and Giordano only while the rest of the tunes were recorded with a band consisting of Sayer, Davern, Ecklund and Cohen. You might think that a line-up of only banjo, clarinet and bass sax or banjo, clarinet, cornet and bass doesn't seem very promising, but Cynthia Sayer's arrangement are so wickedly clever and the playing is of such a supreme quality that the result is a pure joy to listen to. This is an album that all lovers of traditional jazz will enjoy, but its appeal goes way beyond that, because these classic performances have a universal quality. I would go so far as to say that this is music that is almost impossible to dislike, regardless of where your musical heart is usually located. In a world dominated by commercialism and superficial, mass-produced music, Cynthia Sayer's music obviously comes from a place of heartfelt sincerity and is a breath of fresh air. Forward Moves is guaranteed to make you feel good!

Forward Moves was recorded way back in 1991 but still sounds thoroughly fresh and joyful 20 years later. Cynthia Sayer is a marvellously accomplished 4-string banjo player, and if you think you don't like banjo, it just means that you've never heard Cynthia play. She's a virtuoso on her instrument and one of the few banjo players in jazz these days. She is also an excellent singer with a warm and sincere quality in her voice. On Forward Moves she was joined by the master clarinettist Kenny Davern, and the collaboration between the two proved to be very creative and full of delightful surprises. The other musicians on this album are Vince Giordano on bass sax, Peter Ecklund on cornet and Greg Cohen on bass. Seven of the tracks feature Sayer, Davern and Giordano only while the rest of the tunes were recorded with a band consisting of Sayer, Davern, Ecklund and Cohen. You might think that a line-up of only banjo, clarinet and bass sax or banjo, clarinet, cornet and bass doesn't seem very promising, but Cynthia Sayer's arrangement are so wickedly clever and the playing is of such a supreme quality that the result is a pure joy to listen to. This is an album that all lovers of traditional jazz will enjoy, but its appeal goes way beyond that, because these classic performances have a universal quality. I would go so far as to say that this is music that is almost impossible to dislike, regardless of where your musical heart is usually located. In a world dominated by commercialism and superficial, mass-produced music, Cynthia Sayer's music obviously comes from a place of heartfelt sincerity and is a breath of fresh air. Forward Moves is guaranteed to make you feel good!