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Matt Greenwood: Atlas
by Dan McClenaghan
There are a lot of jazz guitarists out there, and competence in the art of the guitar is common. Mature excellence is less so. But we expect that when we spin a CD. Matt Greenwood, born in Zimbabwe and now home-based in Canada, displays that rare-for-a-debut mature excellence on his axe-- and more importantly in his artistic vision--on his debut recording, Atlas. He lays his vision out with assured eloquence on an impressive guitar/piano/bass/drums affair. There is boldness ...
read moreShuffle Demons: All In
by Chris M. Slawecki
There aren't too many bands still standing from back when Shuffle Demons first performed in 1984. Their tenth recording, All In features three saxophonists-- tenors Kelly Jefferson and Matt Lagan plus Richard Underhill on alto and baritone--plus acoustic bassist Mike Downes and drummer Stich Wynston tearing through ten new originals. With no chord instruments (piano, guitar) between them and the horns, bassist Downes and drummer Wynston keep shuffling in the spaces like madmen to keep All In moving, and simultaneously ...
read moreThe Shuffle Demons: All In
by Jack Bowers
With a three-saxophone front line and no piano, Canada's Shuffle Demons could be mistaken for the legendary Gerry Mulligan Quartet on steroids—could be, that is, until one hears the music, which bears scant resemblance to the West Coast cool espoused by Mulligan, Chet Baker and their colleagues. In other words, they're not called Shuffle Demons for nothing. When not shuffling, the Demons are otherwise brash and busy on their tenth album, All In, whose ten numbers were ...
read moreThe Shuffle Demons: All In
by Kyle Simpler
Bands such as Tower of Power and the Average White Band are known for their hard-driving blend of funky soul mixed with rock and jazz elements. The Canadian-based group, Shuffle Demons, takes these influences and keeps the funk alive while emphasizing their own jazz roots as well. Their tenth album, All In, features a non-stop combination of in-the-pocket grooves combined with big band elements. The Shuffle Demons formed in 1984, and they started off playing as buskers in ...
read moreMike Downes: Root Structure
by Dan Bilawsky
Bassist Mike Downes likes to explore what rests at the heart of an idea and what makes things tick. That's essentially the notion that waters the roots of Root Structure. It's a thought process that gives Downes grounding while also freeing him from the constraints of a more rigid conceptual frame. The three numbers that open up this program couldn't be more different. First there's the gamboling “Momentum," a buoyant thriller in three with sharp-witted interplay and ...
read moreMike Downes: In the Current
by Jack Bowers
In the Current, the fifth recording as leader by Canadian bassist Mike Downes--who doubles as composer / arranger--is the second (in a row) with an aqueous theme and the first performed by his “little big band," the Parallel Streams Ensemble. Downes' album Ripple Effect, recorded with his trio and special guest guitarist Ted Quinlan, earned a 2014 Juno Award as Canada's Best Traditional Jazz Album of the Year. The centerpiece of Downes' latest enterprise is the In ...
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