In Montana [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Jack Walrath (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 25, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Labor Records
• ASIN: B00005QD91
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #580,918 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Not nearly as obvious in its revivalism, but every bit as committed, is Montana. With guest soloist Jack Walrath on trumpet and fluegelhorn, the quartet plays a highly evolved hard-bop evocation of the Sixties Blue Note records sound, when Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard were in full sway as composer-soloists. Though the group's members all live in or hail from Montana, their CD suggests mid-'60s New York mainstream improvisation at its finest. The level of playing is high: Reedman Chuck Florence has a strong tone, a hard attack, and a sophisticated harmonic approach on tenor, masked in the kind of smeared notes and glissandos that Shorter originated; Walrath, a veteran of several Charlie Mingus bands and numerous bluechip sideman spots, is capable of timbral delicacies and refined shadings of the highest order; and pianist Bob Nell moves between Cecil Taylor-style angularities and lush, open-ended chord extensions with finesse. The group's roots show up most obviously in the stop-time space and uninhibited humour of Nell and bassist Kelly Roberty's Seper B, as Florence's soprano sax flutters and squawks like a crow on a telegraph wire. But this is serious stuff. In fact, "Montana" is one of the strongest mainstream-jazz debuts of the past year. --Crispin Cioe, High Fidelity

Product Description
Spirited recording of original compositions by Mingus protége combines the best of hard-bop drive with contemporary harmonic innovations

Labor Records is pleased to announce the re-release of Jack Walrath's "In Montana," a fresh testament to the compatibility of tradition and innovation in jazz which was recorded at three different sessions in Montana in January, April and March of 1980. There are thirteen original compositions on the recording, created by Walrath and his cohorts. While firmly set in the tradition of swing-based rhythms and be-bop influenced improvisations, Walrath and his sidemen nevertheless incorporate many of the significant stylistic innovations stemming from modern, modal, free and out jazz, thus giving this recording a passionate and somewhat unpredictable edge while remaining completely accessible - a winning combination that is hard to find in most contemporary jazz recordings.
Trumpeter Walrath, who has performed with Charles Mingus and Ray Charles, is joined by Ornette Coleman-influenced pianist Bob Nell, saxophonist Chuck Florence, bassist Kelly Roberty and drummer/percussionist Jim Honaker. Why jazz "In Montana"? Is there a particular Montana flavor? Perhaps there is. The listener will hear a highly-refined sense of space and a looseness which seems to reflect an unconventional attitude towards life as well as the expansive geography of the territory. Unconfined by the tension and stress of the urban environment, these talented musicians play and feel jazz on the level of the best.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars neat rarity, November 2, 2007

By	Anthony Cooper (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jack Walrath is perhaps best known for being Mingus' late-period trumpeter. Unfortunately, that honor won't get you too far, and that's why this 1980 CD is an unknown. Walrath recorded this with some Montana jazz friends. Rather than being an anonymous back-up group, saxophonist Chuck Florence, pianist Chuck Nell, bassist Kelly Roberty and drummer Jim Honaker contribute heartily to the playing and writing. The music is post-bop with the occasional free, modern flourish. The songs mostly have catchy melodies, and vary in tempo and mood. "Lodgelian Mode" starts things off with a bang, for example, and "Where Have I Been Before" features some pretty playing by Walrath. The melody of "Grey And Blue" reminds me of Ornette Coleman's "European Echos" with its chaotic skipping around. "At Home In Rome" sounds like a catchy theme from mid-60's Horace Silver. The soloing is good throughout by all hands. I recommend this CD, it's a bit of a change of pace from getting (for example) another 50-60's Blue Note.