Bebop Jazz

7 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Bebop, JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo



Details:
WINNER OF THE BLUE CHIP JAZZ AWARD AS ONE OF THE TOP JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2006 BY NOTED JAZZ CRITIC HERB WONG

With a program of original compositions, guitarist David Eastlee
forges straight-ahead through this delightful album.

His velvet-smooth melodies run pure and lyrical as his sextet provides
a cohesive voice steeped in tradition and bound together by graceful motion.

While Eastlee's compositions are fresh and original,
they maintain a traditional flavor.

And no wonder. With Eastlee on this session are tenor saxophonist Sam Most,
trumpeter Jack Coan, pianist Frank Strazzeri, double bassist Harvey Newmark
and drummer Nick Martinis.

Together, They give the guitarist a vote of confidence.
This band has had a long stint at Mr B's in Burbank which explains
the comfortable sound that they've developed over time.

Eastlee's title track, "Forward Motion" stands out
as the hottest item on the program, featuring his fluid guitar
in a fast-paced romp that sizzles.

The sparks that Most gets from his tenor and the driving rhythmic flair
that Martinis pumps into the action provide a cool exuberance.
For the most part, Eastlee's program swings with an unruffled assurance
that puts each member of the sextet to work in jovial spirits.

Jim Santella
L.A. Jazz Scene Magazine


FORWARD MOTION is an intriguing mixture. Guitarist Eastlee was new to me,
someone with a fine, even taciturn approach to the instrument.

His tone is genuinely mellow, and he never overwhelms the listener
with displays of fretboard-climbing gymnastics.

His thoughtful, swinging approach is reminiscent, at turns,
of Herb Ellis-not a bad echo to leave in the listener's ear.

Here he has chosen to surround himself with veterans,
Sam Most and Frank Strazzeri among them, and the sextet has a gentle
propulsive swell that makes this CD's, title particularly apt.

Coan and Most (here a particularly fetching tenor soloist) are concise and on target, and the ensembles have a particular snap that seems the hallmark of veteran players. The notes point out that five of the musicians-excepting Strazzeri-have gigged together, and the comfortable ensemble playing is the rewarding result.

Echos of Lester Young and West Coast cool filter through the group's playing, but it is no repertory project but a series of lively explorations,
well worth seeking out.

Michael Steinman
Cadence Magazine