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Alex Goodman: Second Act
By"Losing Cool" begins with a solo guitar introduction before introducing the wordless vocals of Felicity WIlliams and Alex Samaras . Marantz also gets a lyrical saxophone spotlight. "Empty" introduces a rock feel (Ladin on Rhodes electric piano, Macbride powering through on drums), while Goodman's overdriven entrance really signals an unexpected, exciting move into fusion territory. But there's also a spirited dialog with Marantz's saxophone that grounds the piece with a jazz feel. "Apprehension" is another piece that benefits from the vocalists, sending an already melodic theme into memorable territory reminiscent of Chick Corea's Return to Forever (the Latin version, with Flora Purim, Airto Moreira and Joe Farrell).
Second Act successfully combines contemporary jazz sounds with a bebop foundation: memorable tunes that spark rich, exciting group interaction. This is a great band. I hope they stick together for a third act.
Track Listing
1. Questions 2. The First Break 3. Departure 4. Losing Cool Introduction 5. Losing Cool 6. Empty 7. Heightened 8. Sharon 9. Welcome to New York 10. Apprehension 11. Acrobat
Personnel
Alex Goodman
guitarAlex Goodman: guitar; Matt Marantz: saxophone, EWI; Eden Ladin: piano, Rhodes, Lowery; Rick Rosato: bass; Jimmy Macbride: drums; Felicity Williams: vocals (5-8, 10, 11); Alex Samaras:vocals (5-8, 10, 11).
Album information
Title: Second Act | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Lyte Records
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