Modern Acoustic Jazz Quartet

8 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Bebop, JAZZ: Jazz Fusion



Details:
Trippin' with Tripp is trip worth taking

"Tripp Sprague is one eclectic musician. His recording credits include such diverse artists as Todd Rundgren, Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek and Kim Carnes, while he has performed live with everyone from Mose Allison and Smokey Robinson to Kenny Loggins and The Temptations. Local jazz fans know him best for his robust tenor sax work alongside his brother, guitarist Peter Sprague, and in bands led by Jaime Valle, Shep Myers and other area mainstays. And fellow musicians often rely on his audio engineering skills at his home studio in Allied Gardens.

Now 49, Tripp has just completed âWall to Wall,â his long overdue debut album (by comparison, brother Peter has more than a dozen solo albums to his credit). But good things are worth waiting for, and âWall to Wallâ is a very good thing. Featuring bassist Bob Magnusson, pianist Rob Whitlock, drummer Duncan Moore and (on one cut) Peter on guitar, the eight-song release is impressive both for its fine musicianship and for this adroit saxophonist's late-blossoming skills as a composer.

Tripp penned all of the music, which ranges from charged post-bop and luminous ballads to svelte blues and a funk-tinged ditty, aptly titled âHopalong.â In each instance, his writing is assured but never flashy, and strikes a deft balance between emotional depth and technical prowess. It's one of the most enjoyable works by a San Diego jazz artist I've heard in some time, so don't miss his CD release concert Saturday night at the all-ages Dizzy's."

George Varga, San Diego Union Tribune, October 12 2006