Saturday, February 20, 2010

NY AG by the Rob Garcia 4


In case there are any anxious and irritated music industry executives reading this blog, here's how it works.  I am in my kitchen, cleaning up the mess I made cooking burritos.  I boiled the beef chuck in a crock pot for about six hours, then shredded and fried it, then reconstituted it with the bullion from the crock...  Well, never mind that.  Lots of pots and pans to load into the Kitchen Aid.  I dock my iPod and listen to Ken Laster's most recent In the Groove podcast. 

Then the piano starts, followed by a drum solo.  I am half listening, half scraping.  My beagle is very interested in what I am doing.  Then the horns and piano come back in.  It does that avant garde thing to me.  I start dancing in the kitchen like the Frankenstein monster trying to take his first steps.  Picture the monster with an aluminum bowl in one hand and a scouring pad in the the other, with a dog at his feet.  The horn has me in its possession. 

I keep listening and cleaning until Ken comes on and identifies the album.  It is Perennial, by the Rob Garcia 4.  As soon as I have that bit of information, I walk briskly and un-Frankenstein-like to my study.  I sit down and purchase the album.  That, dear record company executive, is how this works. 

Perennial is very fine jazz.  Garcia plays drums.  Noah Preminger's tenor is pied piper mesmerizing.  Dan Tepfer's piano is exquisite.  Chris Lightcap plays a fine bass.  Jazz is alive in New York.  Keep it alive by buying this record.  Here is a cut:
Perennial

2 comments:

  1. Hey! I was at that show at the Iridium. You can hear me cry out Yeah! from the audience at the end.

    I concur, Perennial by RG4 is a fine fine album. These musicians along with several others (Ben Monder g, Ted Poor d, Russ Johnson trp) comprise a group of Brooklyn based musicians that I believe are the future of jazz music. If you like this CD, I'd also recommend you listen to Noah Preminger's Dry Bridge Road (not available in eMusic, so you have to pay full boat at iTunes or amazon... but worth it).

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  2. Ken:

    Why am I not surprised you made it onto that clip? Once I went back and listened, your voice is unmistakable.

    I am going to be keeping an ear out for this group.

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