Jazz and Beyond, covering all styles that groove

6 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Jazz Fusion, JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo



Details:
Set Theory
Marty Knepp: Drums and Percussion
Mark Cook: Piano
Chris Vadala: Saxophones, Flutes, Clarinet
Steve Zerlin: Bass
Scott Ambush: Bass


This project had its genesis in Scott Holbert's garage/mouthpiece workshop. An informal jam session led to a remarkable symbiosis between myself and Marty Knepp. We seem to think along the same lines rhythmically and we have similar general stylistic tastes. From this first meeting, and subsequent gigs and sessions, these shared interests led to the obvious idea of a recording. I have had a longtime friendship and professional relationship with Chris Vadala. That, plus the fact that he is a superb musician, made him the natural choice for this project.

As a preliminary step, I invited Marty and Chris, along with Steve Zerlin, to perform a recital at Catholic University's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. The result was truly memorable, one of those special moments that obliterates all the lame gigs one is forced to play!

Of course, musicians of this caliber are always extremely busy, so it was quite an effort to find a window wherein we could all gather. We recorded half the session with Steve but unfortunately, he was unavailable for the second session. On a whim, I called my pal Scott Ambush, another remarkable player, just to see if he was off the road from Spyro Gyra and might be willing to come and play. The result was propitious!

Our intent was to record our own material in an acoustic setting. While there is a mixture of styles, the object nevertheless, was to keep things swinging and play everything with something of an "edge." At the same time, we wanted to display the virtuosity of these great musicians. I think you'll enjoy the result.