 As
soon as I dropped the needle on this disc, I was immediately taken to
a period in time where music was being played by actual
musicians. Now, I can't be certain if this was the past
or the future, but it hardly seemed possible that in this day
and age of computerized (doctored) music and overly offensive,
underdeveloped artistry being forced down our throats by the so
called "Music Industry" (American Idols...what a
lovely concept), that I would actually have the pleasure of enjoying
something real and human sounding. Well, that is exactly what
happened when the Pete Zimmer Quintet entertained me through my
speakers.
Jazz. This
was swingin’.... and swingin’ hard. These guys, whoever they
were, were obviously at the top of their game. One would
only need ears to hear that in the opening few bars. I was reminded
of the music of some of the pioneers of jazz such as Miles Davis,
Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach and John Coltrane,
among others.
This
is an exciting collection of tunes written mostly by Zimmer himself,
whose sound is deeply rooted in the tradition of this art form. Jazz,
being a traditionally improvised language, can never grow stale
as each conversation is always ever-evolving, ever-changing,
growing deeper and deeper with the passing of time. (Especially when
one can make reference to the melody "The Farmer in
the Dell" in the middle of a light-hearted conversation
about astro-physics!) 
Pete
Zimmer and his group--Michael Rodriguez (Trumpet/Flugelhorn); Joel
Frahm (Tenor Sax); Toru Dodo (Piano) and David Wong (Bass) -- bring
forward a playful and exciting feeling similar to that
of off-roading. Okay, so if you are not an off-roader type, imagine
yourself going for a hike on a well-traveled path in the wilderness
and deciding, in the middle of nowhere, to jump off and start your
own new path. It's kinda like that.
Zimmer takes
control of the wheel on this time-machine, drives us
on a journey into the past and instantly zips us back into the
present towards the future as he remains mindful of
forward-thinking concepts that are both lyrical and rhythmically
challenging to the listener, without ever getting any of us
lost.
Burnin’
Live at the Jazz Standard (Tippin Records, 2006) is a must-have
in your collection and I look forward to more burnin’ music from
the Pete Zimmer Quintet.
Evan
Stone is a drummer based in Los Angeles. He recently released Sticks
and Stone/Vol.1 on Red Jazz. Visit his site at
www.asamandrummeth.com/.
Pete Zimmer’s Quintet will be celebrating the new CD throughout the
summer: In Brooklyn at Night and Day on July 28th
(www.nightanddayrestaurant.com);
in West Orange, NJ at Cecil's Jazz Club on August 11th
(www.cecilsjazzclub.com);
in Philadelphia at Chris Jazz Café on August 18th
(www.chrisjazzcafe.com). |
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Sunday, 07 September 2008
