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Joe Syrian: Secret Message

by Richard J Salvucci
A title like Secret Message does make a listener wonder what it might be. Is it deeply subversive, like the Zimmerman Telegram, or apocalyptic, like Fatima? Of course, as someone is reputed to have said, 'Sometimes, a cigar is just a smoke.' So it is possible to over-interpret a title, which may, in the final analysis, simply be a title. Joe Syrian is a Detroit-based drummer, a city that can claim Brian Blade, J. C. Heard, ...
Continue ReadingJoe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet: Secret Message

by Jack Bowers
No fuss, no frills here, simply forty-seven or so minutes of generally bright and engaging straight-ahead jazz, stylishly performed by drummer Joe Syrian's admirable Detroit-based octet. This is music the group plays often, blending standards from the Great American Songbook with more recent themes by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Leon Russell and others. The congenial session opens with a pair of well-traveled standards--"Bye Bye Blackbird," and Star Eyes"--and closes with two more- -"Night and ...
Continue ReadingTim Ries With Randy Brecker at Drom

by Peter Jurew
Tim Ries with Randy BreckerDromNew York, NYJune 21, 2017 Saxophonist Tim Ries has made a name for himself internationally as a jazz educator and composer, leader and sideman. A master of tenor and soprano saxophones, since 2007, he's also known for playing in the Rolling Stones's horn section on several world tours. Those side gigs led to two well-received albums of Ries- arranged Stones material performed by jazz ensembles that have included Mick Jagger, Keith ...
Continue ReadingMike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra: Quake

by Elliott Simon
Duke Ellington's legacy is alive and well with pianist Mike Holober and The Gotham Jazz Orchestra. Holober makes use of the increased musical scope that 17 pieces give him to weave compositional strength within a sound that sways more than swings. Some of the finest jazzers New York City has to offer join Holober for this session. Their individual talents are certainly showcased but the strength of this release is how Holober fits them all together to ...
Continue ReadingTim Ries: Stones World: Rolling Stones Project II

by Mark F. Turner
Jazz saxophonist Tim Ries presents a global travelogue of The Rolling Stones' classics. A continuation from 2005's The Rolling Stones Project (Concord Music Group, 2005), the two CD release, Stones World now crosses international borders (Africa, Brazil, India, Japan, New York, Portugal, and other locales) with the cooperation of indigenous musicians who share an appreciation for the iconic British rock group.
These re-Stoned gems are truly eclectic. The Stones's essence is faithfully retained within the varied cultural signature--the ... Continue ReadingMike Holober: Wish List

by Michael P. Gladstone
Wish List is pianist/composer/bandleader Mike Holober's third album, in addition to appearances in the piano chair for the Pete McGuiness Jazz Orchestra, the Jason Rigby Quartet, the Pete McCann Quintet and the Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra. Holober is a New York-based pianist who previously had worked with Nick Brignola's group and whose style has been influenced by such modal pianists as Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock.His first album, Canyon (Sons of Sound, 2003), was produced by another modal ...
Continue ReadingMike Holober: Wish List

by David Miller
The great thing about jazz is that you may think you know a lot about a lot, but in reality you don't know jack. It seems every time I pop in a new record, I learn about a new artist I've never heard before. In listening to Mike Holober's Wish List, I was lucky enough to learn about three: Holober, Tim Ries, and Wolfgang Muthspiel. Wish List is simple enough. It's a straight-ahead recording, with a track ...
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