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Paul Romaine
Convergence: Reckless Meter
by Pierre Giroux
Colorado has long nurtured a quietly serious jazz scene, and Reckless Meter makes a compelling case that Convergence ranks among its most seasoned examples. This is not a band formed for convenience or novelty; it is an ensemble built through years of shared bandstands, rehearsals, and the kind of musical debates that foster trust. Pianist Eric Gunnison, trumpeter Greg Gisbert, saxophonist John Gunther, trombonist Mark Patterson, bassist Mark Simon, and drummer Paul Romaine perform here with the relaxed authority of ...
Continue ReadingTed Piltzecker: Peace Vibes
by Jack Bowers
With the world desperately in need of more Peace Vibes in these times of seemingly endless strife and division, vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker is happy to oblige, putting his Colorado-based “quartet" to work on the problem via a series of bright and handsome themes whose gracefulness and charm are designed to calm even the most savage beast. The word quartet is placed between quotation marks because Piltzecker leads a quintet on at least two tracks and perhaps others; ...
Continue ReadingDave Hanson: Blues Sky
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Dave Hanson opens his Blue Sky with a joyful barnburner, “Two Masters," a tip of the hat to Bill Evans and Chick Corea, two of the biggest names in piano jazz. Hanson is probably best known for his work as composer-arranger and co-leader of Denver's H2 Big Band, but he pares things down on his Blues Sky album release, thanks in part to a weeklong artist-in-residence gig at Denver's Dazzle Jazz club, which allowed him to shape his sound ...
Continue ReadingBrad Goode: Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer
by Jack Bowers
"Polytonal," according to Webster's, denotes “the simultaneous use of two or more musical keys." Denver-based trumpeter and educator Brad Goode makes full use of that technique on The Snake Charmer, the debut recording by Goode's well-named Polytonal Big Band. When all has been written and played, two things are clear: first, Goode is a world-class big-band composer-arranger and master of his horn; and second, polytonality is simply a fresh approach to the music, one that in no way interferes with ...
Continue ReadingBrad Goode: Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer
by Neil Tesser
I try to avoid hyperbole. I'm not all that comfortable out on a limb. But I'll still wager you've never come across a big-band album like this. Perhaps you've heard orchestras that use dissonance and unexpected note clusters as their operating system. Maybe you've encountered soloists who ply their playing with extended technique and postmodern pastiche, vividly escaping the gravitational pull of conventional composition. But I can't think of an album that combines these elements with the electric ...
Continue ReadingTed Piltzecker: Vibes on a Breath
by Jack Bowers
Even though Ted Piltzecker is a splendid vibraphonist and ushers a group of Colorado's leading jazz musicians through its paces on Vibes on a Breath, it is his sparkling arrangements that carry the day on this delightful new album. Several members of Piltzecker's septet double, and he makes the most of that versatility, writing charts that bring to the fore John Gunther's bass clarinet, Wil Swindler's baritone sax and (on the closing number) Judith Leclair's bassoon and Javier Diaz's percussion. ...
Continue ReadingDave Askren/Jeff Benedict: Denver Sessions
by Jack Bowers
There are times when a little extra effort goes a long way. To record the Denver Sessions, guitarist Dave Askren and saxophonist Jeff Benedict flew from the Los Angeles area, vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker from New York City to team with the Mile High city's Patrick McDevitt (bass) and Paul Romaine (drums) for Askren and Benedict's twelfth album together and fourth as co-leaders. Was it worth the trip? In one listener's opinion, first-class tickets, no matter the price, would be cheap ...
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Music
Landó Bear
From: Peace VibesBy Paul Romaine
Two Masters
From: Blues SkyBy Paul Romaine
Goose Chase
From: Polytonal Big Band: The Snake...By Paul Romaine
If I Only Had a Brain
From: Vibes on a BreathBy Paul Romaine
Jackie's Idea
From: Denver SessionsBy Paul Romaine
Voss Is Boss
From: Two Cigarettes In the DarkBy Paul Romaine
