Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » University of North Texas: (Counter-Part) Chamber Jazz, Vol. 1

191

University of North Texas: (Counter-Part) Chamber Jazz, Vol. 1

By

View read count
University of North Texas: (Counter-Part) Chamber Jazz, Vol. 1
When one thinks of Jazz at the University of North Texas, it's usually in connection with one or more of UNT's exemplary big bands, which have been winning awards and earning applause for nearly half a century. But there's much more to the school's Jazz Studies program than synchronous reeds and shouting brass, as this largely engaging album of chamber jazz affirms.

The four groups represented here range from trio to sextet, all supervised by UNT professor Stefan Karlsson, a superb pianist in his own right who succeeded Dan Haerle as director of the UNT Jazz Combo program. Eight of the ten selections were written by members of the various groups (the others are Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance and George Gershwin's "I Loves You, Porgy ). Two of the best are Korean pianist Ji-Young Lee's "I Wish I Could Remember and "AWJ, performed by a sextet that includes Lee, guitarist Paul Orbell, saxophonists Brian Donohoe and Clay Pritchard, bassist Danny Stone and drummer Kevin Congleton.

Also of more than passing interest are the lyrical "Cube, by bassist Daniel Foose, and guitarist Chris McQueen's spirited "Reverend. Foose, pianist Matt Lawless and drummer Jon Deitemeyer perform "Cube, Deitemyer's "Everything in Life Should Be This Easy and "Porgy (on which Lawless plays superbly), McQueen, Foose and drummer Chris Hill "Reverend and another of McQueen's compositions, "Blossoming. The quartet of tenor Murray James Morrison, pianist/organist Jangeun Bae, bassist Michael League and drummer Ross Pederson assumes a funkier groove on "Freedom Jazz Dance, League's "Hot and Bothered and Bae's "It Is Too Good to Be True.

This is the first recording by the Jazz Combos, and it's always good to uncover another facet of UNT's splendid Jazz Studies program, especially when it is as interesting and well-played as this one.

Track Listing

I Wish I Could Remember; Everything in Life Should Be This Easy; Blossoming; Hot and Bothered; Reverend; Cube; Freedom Jazz Dance; AWJ; I Loves You, Porgy; It Is Too Good to Be True (71:56).

Personnel

Tracks 1, 8 ?" Brian Donohoe, alto, soprano sax; Clay Pritchard, tenor sax; Paul Orbell, guitar; Ji-Young Lee, piano; Danny Stone, bass; Kevin Congleton, drums. Tracks 3, 5 ?" Chris McQueen, guitar; Daniel Foose, bass; Chris Hill, drums. Tracks 2, 6, 9 ?" Matt Lawless, piano; Daniel Foose, bass; Jon Deitemyer, drums. Tracks 4, 7, 10 ?" Murray James Morrison, tenor sax; Jangeun Bae, keyboard; Michael League, bass; Ross Pederson, drums.

Album information

Title: (Counter-Part) Chamber Jazz, Vol. 1 | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: North Texas Jazz

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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

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.