The JC Group Giveaway/Review - Chris Washburne - Paradise in Trouble

[Lois Gilbert]

As promised for the month of July, we have 2 very different CDs to give you a chance to review.

Thanks to Jazzheads Records and Chris Washburne - we have 10 copies of Chris Washburne and the S.Y.O.T.O.S. Band's new one Paradise in Trouble

Let me tell you a little about the CD - This is Latin jazz trombonist Chris Washburne's 3rd CD with his band S.Y.O.T.O.S. and it's a killer! It's official release today so I don't have any reviews, I can just tell you my opinion and I love it.

Chris Washburne - trombone, percussion
John Walsh - trumpet, flugelhorn
Ole Mathisen - tenor and soprano saxophone
Barry Olsen - piano, keyboards
Leo Traversa - bass
Vince Cherico - drums
Wilson "Chembo" Corniel - percussion

Special Guests:
Bobby Sanabria - percussion
Renato Thoms - bongos, percussion
Valerie Dee Naranjo - gyil, djembe, kpanlogo
Bernard Woma - gyil
Ruth Sergel - hand claps, bells
Roberto Jose Sanabria - hand claps
Gary Dallaire - hand claps

Produced by Randy Klein and Chris Washburne

Courtesy of Jazzheads Records, we have 10 copies to the first 10 folks who email me at lois@jazzcorner.com and provide with your screen name, real name, address and telephone #. Please put in the subject Chris Washburne CD

Please only enter if you like Latin, Latin Jazz and World music. Oh, and you must have full use of your body because I guarantee you'll be shakin' it around after you give it a listen.

[Lois Gilbert]

1.jazzy mary
Brooklyn, NY

2.Ormsbop
Medway,MA

3. Squaredancecalling Steve
Healdsburg, CA

4. John B
Medfield, MA 02052

5.Mike Schwartz
San Jose, CA

6. Kevin Bresnahan
Atkinson, NH

7. Chazro
Lawrenceville, GA

8. Zemry
Mansfield, La

9. Tanager
Durham, NC

10. Gentle Giant
Melrose, MA

[Peterdubya]

I got the CD 2 days ago. I've listened to it once, and i really like it. It is cool 'Latin' stuff with interesting solos and rhythms.
i have not listened enuf to say much more than that right now, but will put it on again today.

[shrugs]

will there really be actual reviews by all recipients this time around?

[Gentle Giant]

Got mine yesterday, and I'm on the job. I'm relistening to Nuyorican Nights first as a frame of reference, but I'll have my review soon.

[Tanager]

I got mine yesterday as well. Started to listen yesterday evening, but will give it a more detailed listen in the next day or two.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I got mine yesterday and spun it once already... man, I love this stuff! I have to spin it a bit more before giving my impressions and as I have tickets to see Eric Alexander this evening, I'll probably wait until later this week. So far, so good.

Later,
Kevin

[jazzy mary]

I got mine but haven't had a chance to listen yet. Kevin, say "hi" to Eric and Joe for me. I haven't seen those guys in such a long time!! Tell them I miss them!

[Gentle Giant]

I'm ready to post my review. Shall I do it here or start a new thread? Tell you what, I'll do it here and Lois, you can move it if you wish.


Washburne's 1999 CD, Nuyorican Nights, is a great CD. I haven't heard the second SYOTOS CD, The Other Side. Paradise in Trouble is the group's latest. Therefore, I'm not sure if PIT represents a quantum stylistic leap or just another evolutionary step, but the quick summary is that it's very rich and exciting. It's a better-quality recording than NN, but I can't say it's a "better" piece of music overall. It's simply another great work by a great band.

Part of what makes me say this is that NN had a real jazz feel that has largely been lost, in favor of a more downtown, college-radio feel. NN was much freer rhythmically. Sure, it was Latin but the band was rarely locked into a strict Latin groove; rather, it was much more jazzy with added percussion and the front line horns (which are nicely out of unison, unlike a lot of strictly Latin horns).

PIT, on the other hand, keeps the rhythm in the pocket. It's solid and deep, but it sometimes seems too locked in. The band is largely the same, with the exception of the bass. The pleasantly ubiquitous Harvie Swartz is gone (still leading his own Latin band, Eye Contact?), replaced by Leo Traversa, who appeared on Don Byron's recent Latin excursion, You Are #6. Happily, Traversa is higher in the mix than Swartz was on NN, and his contributions are exceptional.

Going largely track by track, the first tune, Money Is the Future Tense, lets you know right away that this is a different brand of SYOTOS. African percussion against a dance rhythm, a trumpet solo by John Walsh that sounds processed electronically. There's also a vamp about halfway through that's very reminisicent of a Willie Bobo tune.

She's Dirty As a Boy has such a strong melody it seems like it should have words. Walsh lays down a pulsing solo that shows his range.

Anodyne of Muddledom slows down the tempo and features probably the most classic Latin rhythm on the album. As such, it actually comes off as unremarkable.

Whatever You Want From Me is one of two compositions by pianist Barry Olsen. This one opens with a sultry groove and features electric piano, a strong bass line, and a section at the end where Washburne on trombone, Ole Mathison on sax, and Walsh on trumpet trade licks with increasing intensity.

The next few tracks are shorter and tend to fly by. The title track is a funk tune; Your Inside Out (should be You're), the other Olsen tune, features a Zimbabwean rhythm and cool soprano sax work by Ole; John Walsh contributes an uptempo Latin tune; and Willie Colon's Jazzy is given a fairly straight reading.

The album ends on a up note with the Ole-composed Dr. Syo. This tune has a vaguely spy score feel which shifts into a nice worldbeat groove with percussion solo. A remix of the first cut ends the album (similar to Bryon's You Are #6, which also ends with a remixed track).

Overall, this is a very solid album. Personally, I like the jazzier rhythms of the first album, but this is a great party album and a rich recording. Two thumbs up!

[Gentle Giant]

What's everybody waiting for? I played the CD again in the car on the way to Portland, Maine this weekend and we were bopping like mad down the highway. Definitely earned a spot in the regular rotation for road trips.

[John B]

my copy just arrived this weekend. I had time to spin it once, but couldn't pay as much attention as I would have liked. Review will be up by the end of the week.

[jazzy mary]

I just listened to mine once as I was driving in Pennsylvania this weekend. I agree w/ GG a definite road trip classsic. I will have my review before Aug. 1 but, obviously, I ned ot listen to it a few more times to give a thorough review.

[Chazro]

Wazzup All!

Just got back from Miami and the disc was waiting for me, thanks Lois! 1st impression is that I'm very impressed but I'll be posting a detailed review soon. When it rains it pours, in the last 2 weeks I've gotten recordings by:

Jerry Gonzalez
Chano Dominguez
Michael Phillip Mossman
John Calloway
Rumbantela (feat. Humberto Ramirez)
Eddie Palmieri
Oscar Stagnaro
LP Rumba Ensemble

So much Great stuff!!

VAYA!!!

[ormsbop]

Unlike Gentle Giant, this was my first encounter with the SYOTOS band and Chris Washburne so I wasn't sure what to expect. While the music on “Paradise in Trouble” is grounded in Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz harmony, the band also tastefully utilizes elements taken from other American popular genres - funk, r&b, soul, even hints of hip-hop. The first track "Money is the Future Tense" is reprised at the end in a "remix" version with a repetitive techno-type beat. None of the tracks reach 7 minutes in length so it does seem to fly by quickly. Clearly this CD was not intended for prolonged navel gazing, but to be cranked up loud and danced to. And why not? Dance is the very heart of Latin rhythm. Used to be of jazz too.

To be sure, the tunes are tightly arranged and fairly short, but there is real jazz soloing here with enough harmonic interest to keep it from “smooth” radio playlists. Even the catchy, singable r&b influenced “Whatever You Want from Me” (I believe this is the tune GG was referring to needing words) has some “outside”playing over the riff at the end. I particularly liked “Nuyorican Son”, “On Whatever Day of the Week”, and “Jazzy” which are almost straight-up Salsa. The latter being a fitting arrangement of the classic Willie Colon tune complete with a two trombone attack. It’s unclear from the liner notes whether the second ‘bone is Washburn or keyboardist Barry Olsen who is credited with trombone also.

I also really dug Traversa's electric bass playing - tasteful use of slap and other funky techniques without detracting from the tumbao. GG: I assume Swartz played the upright on the previous albums?

I thought Paradise in Trouble was a fun, enjoyable CD and taken for what it is, I would recommend it to neophytes as well as veteran listeners.

****
I'd rate it four stars (out of five)

[Tanager]

Okay, here's my (probably pretty mediocre) effort at a review:

Having never heard Chris Washburne or the SYOTOS Band, I was not entirely sure what to expect. So before listening to the CD, I picked a couple of other disks to try and give myself some points of comparison. Having read that Washburne's work was typically Latin-flavored with a funk influence, I chose Pancho Sanchez' Latin Spirits and Jane Bunnett's Spirits of Havana. Spirits fuses Afro-Cuban jazz with a hefty dose of funky New Orleans, while Bunnett's disk is, to my mind, one of the best Afro-Cuban efforts by a North American bandleader in the last decade or two, so these seemed like reasonable starting points. After giving each of these a preparatory listen, I was ready to tackle Washburne's work.

The CD starts off with the languidly noirish "Money is the Future Tense," and two things are readily apparent: the SYOTOS Band can stoke a good, taught groove, and Washburne, despite top billing, is plenty willing to give everyone copious solo space. The first track features some tasty, concise playing from both Ole Mathisen on tenor sax and Washburne, ending in a crescendo of intensity. So far, pretty damned good stuff.

From the second track on, the Latin influence is much more apparent - "She's Dirty as a Boy" features a driving piano riff pushing the horns along, and John Walsh steps up and blows some meaty trumpet. Other highlights are "Paradise in Trouble," with some outstanding (and very tight) unison horn work (pretty much a sine qua non for any good Latin band, admittedly) and a nifty (and quite catchy) melody statement on tenor sax interwoven around it; "Your Inside Out" slows the tempo down without losing much in the way of energy, and Mathison does some excellent work on soprano sax; and "Anodyne of Muddledom" (whatever that's supposed to mean), another catchy medium-tempo tune.

There was only one track that I think genuinely weak, that being piano/keyboardist Barry Olsen's "Whatever You Want From Me," which dispenses with the Latin feel in favor of a more urban funk approach. While all the tracks qualify as "funky" to some degree or another, thanks largely to Leo Traversa's excellent work on electric bass, this track lacks both the fire and spicy flavors of the rest of this otherwise strong set.

The playing throughout is strong. In addition to the aforementioned horn players and Traversa, Olsen's keyboard work is good without being obtrusive, and Vince Cherico and Wilson "Chembo" Corniel stoke the groove mightily on drums and congas/percussion, respectively.

Compared to the Sanchez and Bunnett disks with which I started, Paradise in Trouble is more overtly funky than Sanchez, which, while a largely toe-tapping and thoroughly enjoyable set itself, also features lushly romantic vocal work and a darkly intense cover of Wayne Shorter's "Juju" - neither of these descriptions in any way applies to Paradise. The Bunnett is also more of a traditionalist effort due both to the material and the presence of a large cadre of Havana-based musicians, whereas Paradise, again, is a much brighter, bouncier work - it's Latin jazz for a late night party when folks get their second wind (and find that extra case of tequila the host had stashed), not music for the romantic twilight as things slow down.

I enjoyed this disk thoroughly - it's a great example of "party jazz," something to put on to convince people that yes, jazz can be fun. Lots of fun.

4.5 stars of 5

[jazzy mary]

Oh my God, this review is due today! I've been swamped at work. Ok, I'll take off what I'm playing now "Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces and put on Chris' cd.

[ormsbop]

Originally posted by shrugs
will there really be actual reviews by all recipients this time around?

Good question.

[Lois Gilbert]

Yeah folks, we all agreed on the deadline....
so where are your reviews?

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

My CD arrived late, after some of these reviews were already posted. There's no need for anybody to get huffy about these deadlines -- it's not like we're actually going to press. Thank Heavens!

°°°°°°°°°°°°

This is a very enjoyable CD by a band I hadn't heard before.

Since nobody else has told the absolutely remarkable story of the origin of the band's name, I will pass it along, from Chris' web site:

>>The group's name refers to a time in 1992 when Washburne was diagnosed with severe nerve cancer and told that he had only a 50-50 chance of surviving an operation but no chance whatsoever of ever playing the trombone again. He insisted that before going into the hospital he play one more gig. After the show, he turned to his bandmates and said S.Y.O.T.O.S. "see you on the other side." Washburne survived the operation but was left with severe nerve loss and damage to one side of his face. Proving the experts wrong, he managed to re-master his instrument and become an even better player.<<


°°°°°°°°°
This is a tight, bright, upbeat album of modern Latin jazz. The percussion section is a mighty fortress; so although the band is frequently off exploring atonalities, unusual tone colors, and influences not usually associated with Latin jazz, the percussionists keep the sound powerfully propelled by a traditional, danceable rhythm.

Washburne is an ethnomusicologist as well as a musician, and he has something of an anthologist's approach to the music, keeping the pulse of the record moving by varying the dance form at the heart of each piece almost with every cut. He also incorporates African rhythms and instrumentation into a couple of the cuts, two of my favorites on the album. And, as other reviewers here have mentioned, there's more than a little funk in this album.

The album kicks off with the relaxed but irresistibly driving 'Money Is The Future Tense,' a big band brass sound over that mighty rhythm section. 'She's Dirty As A Boy' features some fine playing by Washburne and Walsh over a hypnotic Cuban son.

While GG found "Anodyne of Muddledom" the weakest cut on the album, I thought it was one of the very best, a teasingly slow cha cha, with some cool dissonant voicings that I liked a lot.

"Nuyorican Son" is a very engaging composition Washburne wrote for Bobby Sanabria's last album, featuring fine solos by Washburne and Olsen on piano.

As I mentioned earlier, two of my favorite tracks draw from African music -- "Your Inside Out", which is based on a 9-beat Zimbabwean groove that I found charming, and "Dr. Syo," which is a JamesBondean type melody played on the African gyil.

In tunes like "Whatever You Want From Me" and the title cut, Washburne explores the borderline territories and commonalities between Latin jazz and funk and hip-hop, two other modern popular dance music forms. In fact, the album as a whole is (to quote the liner notes on the remixed track) "a mixture of ancient and contemporary calls to the dance floor." And amen to that!

4 Stars out of 5.

[Mike Schwartz]

As i was plating the CD on my radio program a few minutes ago, realized I hadn't posted a review. Sorry Lois...will do it sometime today.

Let's just say for starters that it's SLAMMIN'!!

[John B]

apologies for the delay in getting my review posted. I intended to have it ready a few days back but, due to a family emergency, had to postpone. I will have it posted by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest.

[Chazro]

Wazzup All!

Sometimes the gringos get it right!!

Being a hard-core Latin jazz enthusiast I must admit to having strong preferences regarding the artists I choose to listen to, I'll try to explain. There's a veritable universe of Latin music history that encompasses Latino countries world-wide. An accomplished Latin Jazz musician, while always moving forward pushing the envelope, never forgets what came before. Of course this is done in all Jazz but there's truly a vast soundscape from which to draw from within the Latin music genre. When listening to Paquito D'Rivera, for instance, you'll hear an artist that is in a constant state of evolvement and yet plays with an historically encyclopedic point of reference. I have a Tito Puente record that features Phil Woods on a few cuts. When Phil plays within the context of the Latin framework he plays his ass off but it's totally lacking the latino historic subtext. Remember, I'm referring to MY preferences here and I lean towards authenticity in my Latin Jazz. McCoy Tyner, Roy Hargrove, and David Murray, to use 3 examples that spring to mind, have all recorded Latin jazz albums that totally suck IMO. Having made this point allow me to say that SOMETIMES the gringos get it right! A short list of GTGIR (Gringos that get it right!) would include:

Cal Tjader
Herbie Mann
Larry Willis
Barry Rogers
Mark Walker
Wayne Wallace

...and a host of others but I hope you understand my point by now. We can add Chris Washburne to this list. One prerequisite for GTGIR's is that they pay some serious dues within the Latin Music genre. To quote Bobby Sanabria; " Chris recieved his doctorate in ethnomusicology but he's also one of the top trombonists in the world of NYC Salsa". This coming from one of the giants of Latin jazz speaks volumes about the dues Chris has paid!

One of the things I love most about Latin music is that while being rhythmically complex and challenging to play, it grooves so hard and is actually FUN to listen to, gasp!, you can actually DANCE to it if you feel so inclined. This record is a blast! I won't break it down tune by tune, that's been done already. Let me just say that while you're shaking your booty there's some historically authentic jammin' goin' on here!! The good doctor draws from a wealth of different rhythms and instumentation that reflect his knowledge and intelligence. The band's made up of excellent players and having Maestro Sanabria along for the ride on the whole disc doesn't hurt either. One of the things I look for when listening to Latin Jazz is that it satisfys the mind AND the body. You can get lost in the groove if you want or you can listen intently to the density of the musical content, I do both!! So while it's easy to say this is a "party" record, I feel it stands up well to repeated in-depth listenings.

...but don't get me wrong, THIS band begs to be seen live and this Nuyorican intends to do just that!!

Thanks lois!! VAYA!!!

[John B]

I've spun this disc four or five times since it arrived and have been digging it more with each listen. One of the things I really dig about this disc is the seamless way all of the different genres being attempted blend together. Anytime a group is mixing jazz, latin, funk, r&b, etc...there is a danger of "forcing" funk in the middle of a jazz tune, just for the sake of having the "funk." In this case everything flows together seemlessly. From track one on to the final remix version (which also fits perfectly with the rest of the album) this disc is one great groove. As someone stated before, this would be a perfect disc to throw on at a party and show people that, yes, intelligent jazz can still be fun. A LOT of fun.

The best recommendation that I can give is that this disc is going to prompt me to check out the other two SYOTOS discs as well as recommend this disc to a few people I know who would really dig it. I have no idea how many "stars" I would give it but this disc is HIGHLY recommended.

[jazzy mary]

Hi Lois, I won't be able to get my review in today unless I do a very unthoughtful one. I've listened to the cd at least 4 or 5 times, most recently this weekend while I totally scrubbed my bathroom, it certainly made cleaning my sink go faster!! But I haven't sat down and listened to it with pen and paper which is what I need to do to really review it. I can give you my "first impressions" and all that. Would that be ok, or would you rather have me wait and do a real review? I wouldn't be able to do that until next week as I 'll be out of town all week. Please advise.

[Chazro]

Wazzup Lois!

Am I wrong or is the 1st time one of the "giveaways" has been so unanimously praised!? Now the question is; how do we get more people to give it a listen? Perhaps if this thread was moved over to 'speakout' more people might read it.

Hey Lo, I'm curious, the liner notes refer to how the band plays pretty regularly in NYC, have YOU seen 'em? If so, don't be shy, share the experience!

[Lois Gilbert]

So we're waiting to hear from Kevin, Mike and Jazzy with more elaborate reviews, right.

Th answer your question, Chaz - since we started this we've done Chico Hamilton's latest (which did not generally fair well) with the group of reviewers - although elsewhere the reviews were generally much better) and we did Nancy Harrow - Winter Dreams which is still up in Record Reviews (Chico was on the old board and in the archives)

I have a good one coming up... as soon as we finish up Chris'

[Mike Schwartz]

Here goes, finally...got the CD rather late in the process, heavy hours at the day gig, and a ton of listening to do for radio projects, ALL valid excuses;-))

Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band "Paradise In Trouble" comes down to the word FEEL.

This is a feel good, sounds good, foot tapping, booty shakin', big smile on your face, infectious, super fun CD!

And did I mention it has a great FEEL to it...it seamlessly incorperates, any number of rhythms, sometimes a steady demonstaration like the Cha-Cha based "She's Dirty As A Boy"
or the opener "Money Is The Future Tense" among other tracks presented that make the band's FEEL [there's that word again] like some 'morphed' combination of any number of favorite Latin jazz bands, places in Africa, PLUS+ terrific nuance throughout that hints James Brown showmanship, and the best R&B,Soul, Funk, Blues,Reggae to boot! There's even "Your Inside Out" that sounds to me like a Scottish or Irish folk tune that went to the Carribean to have some fun!

Did I leave anything out, the SYOTOS band sure doesn't?

But no mistake about it, this is is a Latin Jazz band!
First & formost cudos to Mr. Washburn, stepping up to the plate as a lead trombonist in this type of format reminding one of Barry Rogers, not that he plays like Rogers, just his presence, stepping forward, out front powerfully and with conviction.

Other notable individuals on the CD, a wonderful lead trumpet job by John Walsh. He's the lone trumpeter on the date but takes on the responsibilities of an entire section and pulls it off extremely well.

Vince Cherico cuts a fantastic session on traps!
With an amazing percusssion section lead by Bobby Sabnabria, it would be easy for a drummer to chill and blend into the mix, but Vince comes out crackin' from start to finish with a sizable contribution to the overall FEEL of the recording.

Leo Traversa's bass the formidable glue on this entire project...period, in fact there's isn't one weak performance on the entire CD.

If I were to nitpick, after repeated listenings, there are a couple of horn section overdubs to make the band sound larger, that didn't go all that well in small doses, sounding to me as much as a technical mix & cut issue as anything.

I've played this one on my radio program ever since I got it!

Include the SYOTOS Band to my list of favorite Latin jazz bands.
This is the kind of album that warrants playing the entire thing every time the case is opened up,which in my case has been 5 or 6 times so far, including right now as I type this review.


Why 5 or 6 times all the way through?
Maybe it has something to do with the FEEL...

[Lois Gilbert]

Kevin and Jazzy please give us your reviews.

thanks Lois

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Please pardon my "review" style... I don't get technical, I just talk about what I hear. I hope it helps a reader understand my feelings.

Well, here goes...

Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band

Paradise In Trouble

Christmas, 1999 was starting out to be my worst one ever. The year before, IBM had moved me and my family to Fishkill, NY, only to decide a mere 8 months later, to transfer me back to Massachusetts. My house was a shambles, having just moved it all, lock-stock-and-barrel back to New Hampshire… I had just left 8 months earlier. My job was unsteady. My kids were a mess after jerking their emotions all over the map with the sudden moves. Things weren’t looking too good.

Then something magical happened: I won a contest! I don’t think I’d ever won much of anything before… at least that I could remember. Incredibly enough, the prize was incredible for a Jazz nut like me: over 50 Jazz CDs!! Maybe my luck was changing.

CDs poured into my mailbox for weeks. My wife knew she didn’t have a prayer topping this Xmas present. In fact, I don’t think she even tried. My daughters couldn’t believe it when I came in with the mail and had all these CD packages. It was fun.

But with all these CDs came the daunting task of listening to all of them. They were all over the Jazz spectrum too. There were vocalists, something I rarely listened to. There were smooth Jazz discs. There were Latin Jazz discs… solo guitar… sax and piano duets… a Christmas disc. There was so much I was overwhelmed.

Out of all of these discs, there emerged a clear favorite, one that I played a lot. It seemed to lift me up at a time when I needed it. I clearly remember reading the liner notes to this disc, “Nuyorican Nights”, because they told the story of the leader, a trombone player named Chris Washburne, who kicked cancer! He was told he would never play and here he was, making CDs. I thought to myself, this guy faced debilitating cancer and here I am worrying about a house move? A job? My priorities changed a little.

Maybe it was the cancer that affected Washburne in a way that he makes such uplifting music. I can’t say. I just know that this CD moved me like no other at the time. Whenever I found it on a shelf in a store, I’d pull it out and tell whoever was with me, “You got to get this, it’s awesome stuff”.

When I saw his second CD (“The Other Side”) in the bins a few years later, I had to get it. One play and it was in the rotation. Keep ‘em coming, Chris.

Which brings me to this, the Syotos band’s 3rd CD, “Paradise In Trouble”. Same band… this should be good…

The disc opens with “Money is the Future Tense”. The beat is an unusual mix of African rhythms with some good old fashioned funk. The horns remind me of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters for some reason… maybe it’s because I’ve been spinning them so much lately. Heck, even the keyboards got that “funk”. Ole Mathisen’s sax solo is powered to the front… great sound on this disc. I think one of the reasons I dig Washburne so much is that he gets that “dirty” trombone sound sometimes (like he does during his solo). This tune caught me off guard. I was expecting some smokin’ Latin Jazz. While not what I expected, still a great tune. As expected, the feet were moving within seconds of hitting “play”. That’s what you get with the Soyotos band.

The second track gets back to what I was expecting: swingin’ Latin Jazz! What a weird title. “She’s Dirty as a Boy”?? No idea. The head has a sort Horace Silver feel. I’m digging it. My head is shakin’ by the middle of this tune. John Walsh’s trumpet solo shows his blowing ability is top notch. I imagine this tune is great cranked up.

Track three brings up “Anodyne of Muddledom”. What is this, some kind of “Lord of the Rings” title? Maybe it’s a new Harry Potter locale? The liners say that Muddledom is a noun meaning “state where one is unable to think clearly” and that an anodyne is “a medication such as aspirin or codeine that relieves pain”. For some reason the intro to this tune makes me think of sad clowns… like that Ernie Kovacs skit. I keep expecting to hear that “pop” when that one clown gets hit. This tune slows things down… I prefer this band cookin’ but I guess every disc needs a medium tempo tune tossed in there every now and then to mix it up. Nice piano solo by Barry Olsen. All that “dirt” is gone from Washburne’s ‘bone in this tune.

Track four, Nuyorican Son, gets the foot tappin’ again at a faster pace. The percussion… man, these guys are so tight. Even the off-beat accents are dead-on. I really dig the piano solo on this tune. They trade fours very nicely… are they really fours?? Who counts?

The bring it back down a notch on the fifth track, “Whatever You Want From Me”. Kinda “smooth” sounding. Maybe they’re shooting for some Smooth-ey Jazz radio airplay? This would fit there. Even that run down the chimes… how do you describe it… you know, where the percussionist drags a stick along the whole string of chimes from high to low? Sounds like David Sanborn goes Latin to me. Washburne, Mathisen and Walsh blare a couple of choruses near the end to bring it up a notch but it still isn’t my favorite track.

The title track sits at number 6, smack dab in the middle. Back to “funky”. Love it! The sax squalkin’ like a duck, Washburne pumpin’ away. Fun stuff. Sounds a bit like Dave Holland’s quintet on one of their faster numbers… minus the vibes, of course. BTW, Washburne has that “dirt” back. I really do dig the bone players when they do that “bwapppptt” stuff. Some great percussion… take it out! Too short! I dig this track.

“Your Inside Out” (track 7), is a loping tune. You can almost get a joggers beat from this one. This would be a good tune in your headphones for a run. There’s some find of “steel drum” sound going on that I can’t place -maybe the keyboard in some weird setting? Maybe it’s that gyil thing? Although not as smooth as “Whatever You Want from Me”, this could also be called “smooth” if only for the soprano sax over the smooth percussion. More like Paul Winter soprano than Kenny G, though.

I’d love to hear the story of the 8th track’s title: “On Whatever Day of the Week Saturday Happens To Fall”. The liners say it’s a commentary on shifting schedules in a musician’s life. Sounds to me like something a dumb blonde would say. This tune sounds like something straight out of Tito Puente. Salsa Jazz. Arrribaaa! This band gets me smiling on these tunes.

“Jazzy”, track 9, is… well, “Jazzy”. Certainly it is Jazzy in a latin way. Washburne overdubs himself on this for some reason. I would think he could’ve just had Walsh use his flugelhorn for the same effect. What tune do they quote near the end? Is it a Glenn Miller tune?

“Dr Syo” has an unusual buzzing instrument in it… must be that gyil that I heard in track 7. I like it. This tune seems like a bit of a percussionist’s tune. They get some good stuff going here. Mathisen’s short solo is about as wild as they get. Sounds like the Syotos band wanted to swing it wide on this track.

The last track is a remix of the opening tune, “Money is the Future Tense”. Yuck. Don’t dig this one much at all. I could see where this would get playing time on a dance floor. Sounds like something from a trance CD. Oh well, it is on the end, so there’s always the stop button.

This is an excellent CD. Once again, I can pull this off shelf in a store and talk it up to a “browser”, just as I’ve done with Washburne’s first two CDs. He doesn’t disappoint. Paradise may be in trouble, but the Soyotos band is there to make it move!

[jazzy mary]

Beautiful review, Kevin. Uh, oh now that just leaves me1 I'm freaking out because I am so busy this week. I was playing the cd and taking notes on Thurs. when the blakout came. Honest! And I left without taking it. I hope I can do it this week.