Pulsating percussion and bossa-nova, driving post bebop swing, tender melodic ballads, and exotic ethno-jazz takes you on an unforgettable jazz mosaic tour with the very best of musical sensibilities.

15 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Bebop, LATIN: Brazilian Jazz



Details:
The reviews are only just beginning to come in as this double cd has just been released. Its touted to be Gregs best yet, but heres what the first couple of buyers in Japan have said about it:

From Kaoru Uchida:

Listening to your play, I had the feeling I was gently floating and drifting
with tide in the middle of the wide open sea. The sound is
both mellow and brilliant, toward which I feel drawn through and through. I
hear so many words through the instruments in the CD. This is the feeling
I've never had. I hear the air breathing through trees whispering lovely and
the howling voices calling me from far away time and space. I wonder if your
sound reads my mind, for it leads me to the place where I can feel happy.
You play what belongs to you and none else. And while I listen to your music
and find something fine, the music belongs to me or I belong to the music. I
cannot write well what I want to tell because of my limited English.

From Mihoko Wada:

I am listening to your CDs everyday.
They are great!! I think its a new sound.
It is exciting and exotic, while some music is warm and gentle.
Each member of the band gives a superb performance.
I also could find various kinds of 'sound' in this CD. (A lot of
percussion appears, too.)
It is fresh for me, and will be 'my daily music' for the time being...

"Guitarist Chako and his band get into a flowing groove right from the start of their double album, powered by the rhythms from the leader's guitar. He plays with clarity, generating a ringing tonality and churning out appealing improvisations. Plenty of space is given for the three horns in this tight sextet, with solos that excel and supplement the flowing current that Chako builds into each tune.

The program includes splashes of the music of Latin America, India, and other world cultures to complement the prevalent American format. Instances of breakaway playing occur in very short spurts, and the tempo changes regularly: Belgrade may switch to tabla and join percussionist DeRose in supplying a spirited beat, or the pace may slow with a romantic ballad, or they may get into their typical swinging mood - a straightahead
mainstream adventure!

The set is performed by a talented ensemble and has a mellow, laid-back
demeanor showcasing Chako's playing, writing, and arranging style." - Cadence Magazine, New York, 2005

"This tight, flowing double CD release is one great, swinging souvenir! The musicians were clearly primed to play, and their feel for the compositions flows into an understated, cool vibe on each and every cut. Especially nice is the balance between strings (guitar and bass), percussion (a wide range) and double horns (trombone and sax or flute or clarinet). Trading around front positions with neat precision, the group works together with ease and energy.
The treatment of each piece has not only balance, but also intelligence and deep feeling. There's a lot of west coast jazz feeling in their hip flow and cool swing. On the right-to-the-point "Voyage Down" and "Wave of Love," the first two tracks on disc one, the crisp up-tempo is clearly one that each member responds to fully. "Winter Solstice," though, changes the tempo and tone slightly, moving into a relaxed groove that ends with a cool percussion and didjeridu duet. The first disc moves further through a reworking of "Love for Sale," a heartfelt vocal number, followed by "April Wind, a pretty melody with neat shifts of rhythm.
The second disk gets off to a swinging start with "It's Only You" and moves through samba, nimble chord changes and a few modal touches. "Josephine" is a lovely, straight-ahead tune, which is followed by the very funky didjeridu and tabla-based number "Dirge for Didge" that is one of the highlights, along with "Josephine" of the second disc. Everyone gets time along the way for solos, with percussion on "7-Up" especially intricate and the guitar solo on "Takachan" neatly and lyrically stated. "Where We Find Ourselves" is clearly in a very good place indeed. " - Michael Pronko, Jazznin Magazine, Japan Oct/Nov 2005