Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » John Lang: Now Ear This

7

John Lang: Now Ear This

By

View read count
John Lang: Now Ear This
For what it is, bassist John Lang's fourth album, Now Ear This, is quite well done. For jazz fans, the dilemma lies there, precisely in what it is—a series of eleven rock/fusion themes, nine written by Lang, which would be right at home on a smooth jazz/easy listening radio station, for example, but whose jazz content would earn them no more than a tenuous place on any playlist beyond that. Tempos are more or less proximate, as is the steady and insistent backbeat. There is some improvisation but none that rises above the level of ordinary, aside perhaps from a handful of engaging licks by trumpeter Dan Blankinship and tenor saxophonist Tim Armacost, and animated solos by all hands on the album's lone flat-out swinger, "Sis Boom Bah."

The album was recorded in two "sessions," with five songs performed by a quartet, six by an octet. Armacost is on the octet's front line with Blankinship, alto Ken Gioffre and trombonist Matthew MacDonald, and a rhythm section comprised of Lang, guitarist Jay Azzolina, pianist Gary Fisher and drummer John Romagnoli. Within the quartet, Lang's partners are pianist Matthew Sheens, guitarist Avi Rothbard and drummer Mike Campenni. As noted, Lang wrote every number save Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman" and Wes Montgomery's "Four on Six."

Lang's funky opener, "The Town of Tiny Rooms," performed by the quartet, sets the mood, leading to a second quartet number, "Scarborough Cha," before the octet enters on the swarthy "Triolation" and relatively sunny "Without Doubt." The quartet returns on "Addendum," then makes way for the octet on "Four on Six," "Well Done" and "The Night Watch." The swinging "Sis Boom Bah" precedes the earnest finale, "Won by One," whose introductory vocal—if one can call it that—is offered by one Milo Lang, presumably John Lang's (pre-school?) son. Welcome to show biz, kid. You've made your debut on an album that has no doubt reached its goal. It remains for the listener to decide whether that goal has enough jazz content to warrant more than a passing glance.

Track Listing

The Town of Tiny Rooms; Scarborough Cha; Trioation; Without Doubt; Addendum; Pusherman; On^ (Four on Six); Well Done; The Night Watch; Sis Boom Bah; Won by One.

Personnel

Additional Instrumentation

Session 1: Avi Rothbard: guitar; Matthew Sheens: piano; John Lang: bass; Mike Campenni: drums. Session 2: Dan Blankinship: trumpet; Ken Gioffre: alto sax; Tim Armacost: tenor sax; Matthew MacDonald: trombone; Jay Azzolina: guitar; Gary Fisher: piano; John Lang: bass; John Romagnoli: drums. Over-dub crew—Lang: keyboards; Romagnoli: percussion; Jason DeBord: Hammond organ; Milo Lang: vocal (11).

Album information

Title: Now Ear This | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



John Lang Concerts


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.