MP3 Reggie Nicholson Brass Concept - Surreal Feel

A brilliant blend of percussion and brass with improvisational virtuosity.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (49:52) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Avant-Garde Jazz, JAZZ: New Orleans Brass Band



Details:
Featuring Joseph Daley on tuba, Vincent Chancey on French horn, James Zollar on trumpet, Curtis Fowlkes on trombone and Reggie Nicholson on drums, vibes and compositions. This is downtown drum wiz & ace composer, Reggie Nicholson's fourth disc for the Abstract label and each one has presented a different concept. For his latest endeavor, Reggie has organized a fine all-star brass quartet. Each of these men has a long resume of collaborations: Joe Daley (Sam Rivers & Jayne Cortez ), Vincent Chancey (Sun Ra & Carla Bley), James Zollar (Marty Ehrlich & Hugh Ragin) Curtis Fowlkes (Lounge Lizards & Jazz Passengers).
"Celestials" swirls open with a few layers of inter-connected horn parts. Although the tuba often has the bass role, the other horns switch off and play around one another in a complex web. Reggie's drums are often at the center, occasionally taking fine melodic/rhythmic solos that extend the lines that the horns are playing. A few of these pieces are solo efforts for the tuba and vibes and add a more contemplative interlude to the flow of pieces. "Internal" is a series of duos with sections of colorful ensemble harmonies. The title piece, "Surreal Feel" has some nice, majestic ensemble writing for the horns a few short, inspired solos. Throughout this disc Reggie has done a great job of providing superb arrangements for the four horns, each ensemble piece radiates with warmth and thoughtful charts. "Morning Breeze" features a few layers of melancholy brass with poignant, skeletal vibes as subtle punctuation. The quintet gets down to a funky groove on "I Should Have Left Well Enough Alone" with a few spirited solos from the trombone and trumpet. The final piece, "Looking Forward" features some superb mallet work from Reggie with more fine solos from everyone else. 'Surreal Feel' is thoughtfully conceived and consistently well-played with a warm, glowing sound that feels just right. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery