Swing Set quintet
Blue York
© 2002 SwingSet Group, Inc (783707536026)
CD OUT OF STOCK for re-production. Expect long delays.
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Traditional based jazz quintet rooted in blues and swing with an uncluttered style of jazz that pays homage to Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter.
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With "Blue York," SwingSet pondered its move to New York and the angst of being geographically apart from each other. We had spent so much time playing together(in Jax,Fl) that the thought of moving to New York was disturbing. We had known, from early on, after a short period of time, that we worked well together. So when Milan and I moved to New York in 1995, Vince moved the following year. Greg and Roy moved to New York in 2001.
"It's This or That" is about making changes that shape your life, making a decision and not looking back. After seven years, we are all here safe and sound. Some of the dedication to continue to work as a group is based in the "Nucleus" of the group; Roy, Milan and I. In 1994, we asked Greg and Vince to join us in our pursuit of defining the art of jazz.
Our musical personalities are so much a like that during the period we were not performing together, our musical conception remains intact. Compositionally, we all admire Monk because his melodies are catchy and blues driven. "Like Monk" is written with the reverence for the composer in this particular way of being traditional and futuristic at the same time. And Maher, the owner of Cleopatra's, is a big fan of Monk, as well. He would play Monk tunes at the end of most jam sessions. He always had a smile on his face while listening to Monk. I love him for that because Monk does the same for us. We also like to play compositions by Wayne Shorter. "Night Dreamer" works well with the instrumentation of trombone and sax. The melody lends itself to allowing the horns to show off their individuality while showing off the knowledge of chord changes.
Sucre'(sugar) is a composition written to describe the sweetness of a woman. Vince and Milan's intonation are near
perfect in this arrangement. The last song Monk's "Let's Call This," features a guest appearance by Marsalis recorded
live at Cleo's. We first me Marsalis in 1994, when he brought his band to Jacksonville, Fl. After the concert I asked if he would come by the Omni Hotel to sit in with us. He did, and we played all night long. Although, at the time, we were just learning how to play jazz, he encouraged us to stick together and shed. That night inspired us to keep playing together. Marsalis is known for nurturing talent with encouraging words, his influence is felt just as a result of playing with him.
These selections are a reference point for SwingSet. They look back at what has happened even as they are looking forward, reinterpreting in our own voices what we're seeing now. This documentation is for those of you who weren't there on those two nights and for those of you who were, who wouldn't mind hearing us say it again.
-Robert Rucker
reviews
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Music To My Ears
author: Gregory RossI had the opportunity to see this group of talented players perform at a Brownstone poetry reading in Harlem many years ago. Hattie Gossett, the former wife of Academy Award winning actor Lou Gossett had written a new book of poetry and was promoting it. It was at her suggestion that the Swing Set Quintet be musical guest at that event. At the time I was entertainment writer for the New York Amsterdam news. The group were selling a demo CD and I made a purchase. After seeing the performance and going home and listening to the CD I knew that the group was headed toward success. And why not? They deserve it. As a pianist of over 40 years I know the elements of good music. These guys got what it takes and having Wynton Marsalis as special guest on your CD adds tremendously. Great physical reaction here. Love the music guys. Keep it flowing. When you coming to California?
Superb!!!
author: peter beckfordHave'nt bought this cd yet as it is out of stock at the moment.Checked out the sample tracks and these cats are BAD!!.This is a CD for all jazzers out there.Hope the cd will be available soon this is one for the collection.
Blues and Swing in their blood
author: ToddI had a chance to see them live in New York at a jazz venue in Harlem. Not only was the bad great, but they were incredibly friendly. Introduce myself as the winner of the flavorpill contest and not only did they give me the Cd, but offered to autograph it by the whole band. All and all, a great experience.
Wynton Marsalis "special guest"
author: Theodore CanelliA good jazz band is hard to find these days....especially playing in a traditional format like this. I found that these guys are worth a good listen. And it doesn't hurt when they have one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of our time "Wynton Marsalis" appear as a special guest on these recordings. That to me in itself says a lot about the musicianship of this group.