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Nathan Eklund: Trip To The Casbah
ByEklund's band of musicians serve the occasion well. They have a sense of understanding that elevates the music both in their individual improvisations and collective journey.
The quintet finds its groove right off on the bop permutations of "Toboggan Ride." Eklund plays with brightly resonating phrases that are bouncy and lithe. The elastic pulse is driven by drummer, Tim Horner and bassist, Bill Moring as John Hart continues to stoke the flames on guitar. When Donny McCaslin comes in with his brawny and curling tenor saxophone the impact is slam-bang on.
The tempo is pulled back for "Hand Picked From Her Garden." Eklund is emotive and elevates the pulse of the composition. When he turns it around, his confident articulation enriches the theme. As for McCaslin, he is at home raising the heat with bristling notes that spike and roar.
"South Chelan" is a happy hunting ground for improvisation. The quintet breaks the mold of the composition, giving creativity new breeding space. Eklund's acknowledges the lush melody before he wraps it around in pungent blasts. The intensity is sustained by the five in tandem and then comes McCaslin who shows there are no boundaries to dimension as he breaks lines and reinvents them into startling new bodies.
Eklund hammers home his credentials as a player and a composer emphatically. His music crosses different terrains and he comes to grips with them, playing with determination and inventiveness. Here, he has a band to aid and abet and give this CD a punch.
Track Listing
Toboggan Ride; Passing Trains; Hand Picked from Her Garden; South Chelan; Trip to the Casbah, Part 1; Trip to the Casbah, Part 2; Long Lake; Happiness Is...; Big Bro
Personnel
Nathan Eklund
trumpetNathan Eklund: trumpet, flugelhorn; Donny McCaslin: tenor saxophone; John Hart: guitar; Bill Moring: bass; Tim Horner: drums.
Album information
Title: Trip to the Casbah | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Jazz Excursion Records
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