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Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge: Within Us
ByThe band's music has some of the brassy punch of conventional big band jazz but uses it with a lighter, more flexible approach. It has a cinematic sweep with layers of brass and reeds creating evocative pictures with Sara Caswell's violin a featured instrument throughout. That shows in "Time of the Ancients," as she leads the entire group's busy Pat Metheny-like traveling motion, as well as taking a careening folk-flavored solo alongside LaRue Nickerson's drawling slide guitar. The swooning emotion of her playing powers the elastic buoyancy of "Sparks Fly" and sets the mood on the dramatic "Apalachicola," a brooding lament about the state of the environment which also features low, bluesy cries from the horns, flinty blues guitar from Corey Christiansen and measured floating drum beats by Danny Gottlieb.
Other members of the ensemble step into the spotlight elsewhere. "American Noir" is an expansive piece of late-night brooding which spotlights Jerald Shynette 's trombone and Tami Danielsson's lonely alto sax. A version of Miles Davis' "Milestones" pops with quick-firing sass and is anchored by a baritone sax line from Matt Vance, straight out of Charles Mingus. The graceful beauty of "The Better Claim" is mostly a showcase for the luminous mixture of Warren Wolf's vibes and Clay Jenkins' trumpet, while the best summation of the band's sound may be the airy but surging weave of "Within Us," built around the dignified piano soloing of Per Danielsson.
The Jazz Surge has a more restrained sound than similar ensembles. Chuck Owen creates quietly powerful compositions and arrangements which build slowly and openly evoke emotion. He is also blessed to have a wonderful band that expresses his ideas in memorable and dramatic fashion. This CD is an excellent introduction to his sound.
Track Listing
Chelsea Shuffle; Trail of the Ancients; American Noir; Milestones; Apalachicola; Sparks Fly; The Better Claim; Within Us (An Invincible Summer).
Personnel
Chuck Owen
composer / conductorFrank Greene
trumpetJay Coble
trumpetMike Iapichino
trumpetClay Jenkins
trumpetTami Danielsson
saxophone, altoSteve Wilson
saxophone, altoRex Wertz
saxophone, tenorMatt Vance
saxophone, baritoneKeith Oshiro
tromboneTom Brantley
tromboneJerald Shynette
tromboneSara Caswell
violinPer Danielsson
pianoLaRue Nickerson
guitarCorey Christiansen
guitarMark Neuenschwander
bass, acousticDanny Gottlieb
drumsBeth Gottlieb
percussionWarren Wolf
vibraphoneAdditional Instrumentation
Chuck Owen: arranger, accordion, hammered dulcimer; Steve Wilson: soprano sax; Jack Wilkins: tenor sax; Jim Hall: trombone; Corey Christiansen: dobro; Beth Gottlieb: djembe (6). Warren Wolf: vibraphone, marimba (1, 7).
Album information
Title: Within Us | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: MAMA Records
Comments
About Chuck Owen
Instrument: Composer / conductor
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