Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mike Holober: Canyon

177

Mike Holober: Canyon

Mike Holober: Canyon
Mike Holober, pianist and composer of most of these songs, is the nominal leader of this combo. However, the bulk of the melody chores are handed to saxophonist Tim Ries. Herein lies the difference. Ries, a veteran New York session player and recording artist with three releases under his own name, plays both soprano and tenor sax. On soprano, he plays with a more metallic sound that takes away from the melody; his approach on tenor is much in the style of Michael Brecker. Ries' work is more impressive on the ballads "Ansel's Easel" and "Spin," while his soprano for "Roc and A Soft Place" makes the most of Holober's tune. The up-tempo compositions do not seem memorable, notably when they feature the soprano sax. I also suspect that Ries was at least partially double-tracking since I can hear two horns played simultaneously.

Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel comes from an early-'90s fusion background and most clearly resembles Kurt Rosenwinkel or a younger John Scofield in style. He articulates cleanly and produces some lengthy solos notably on "Same Time, Same Place." Holober plays well enough and acquits himself nicely on solos. Bassist Scott Colley and especially drummer Brian Blade are a pleasure to listen to. The album closes with two standards. "You and the Night and the Music" is taken up-tempo and does not convey much of the standard's melody line. By contrast, "Stardust," taken as a ballad, is given a tasteful reading.

Mike Holober is a New York pianist-composer who spent some time with Nick Brignola's group in that capacity. He is clearly influenced by modal pianists like Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock. This album was produced by Fred Hersch, one of today's most noted interpreters of Evans, and the liner notes penned by Jim McNeeley, another not-too-shabby pianist.

Track Listing

Canyon, Ansel's Easel, Heart of the Matter, Same Time, Same Place, Roc and a Soft Place, Spin, In So Many Words, You and the Night and the Music, Stardust

Personnel

Album information

Title: Canyon | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Sons of Sound

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.