Customer Reviews

Sakesho

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

 

 

It's not that Andy Narell has made a bunch of bad records since the mid-eighties; it's just that he seems to have been struggling a little bit to find just the right musical context to display his prodigious chops and super-refined musical sensibility since the break-up of the great band he had with Kenneth Nash, Steve Erquiaga, et. al.

Well, he's found it with Sakesho. Though billed as a "true band," it's hard for me to see this as anything other than Andy Narell's new gig. OK, there's a greater compositional contribution from his bandmates than before, but Narell's is such a strong musical personality that any date he's on he's likely to dominate.

What sets this apart from recent Narell outings is the level of musicianship. These guys (Mario Canonge, piano & keys), Michel Alibo (e-bass), Jean Phillipe Fanfant (drums) seem to be definitely pushing Narell beyond his usual comfort zone yet without compromising his deep groove--indeed setting it even deeper in the pocket, if possible.

Take, for example, Laventille, a Narell original. Everyone cooks mightily, yet it all seems so effortless. When Narell comes in for his solo at about the 4:30 mark, he turns in an impassioned effort, one of his best, with all the lads, especially Fanfant, providing sympathetic yet provocative support. This record achieves a profound swing only occasionally reached on his last five or six releases, and that in a somewhat contrived latinate enviornment.

I'm blown away by this recording. It hasn't left my changer since I got it several days ago. Highest recommendation.

This CD is just fun to listen too. The musicans are amazing and the songs are great with unique timing and use of their instraments. I was fortunate enough to see this band play live and it was an awesome show. Again the best word to discribe it is fun, you enjoy yourself and have a good time listening to the CD, you want to get up a grove to it while having a margarita.

I saw the band live at a small non profit arts place in Connecticut. What a great show!! Full of energy and you could tell they were having fun. I had to have this CD!!