Wednesday, January 06, 2016

NEW RELEASES: DARREN RAHN - SONIC BOOM; LYMAN WOODARD ORGANIZATION – DON’T STOP THE GROOVE; KEN FOWSER STANDING TALL

DARREN RAHN - SONIC BOOM

Saxophonist Darren Rahn has announced the release of his album, "Sonic Boom," available March 1, 2016 on Woodward Avenue Records!! My new radio single, "D-Luxe," will hit the airwaves in just a few weeks on February 1st. Says Rahn, “This album is the most heartfelt representIon of my musical personality to date and I can't wait to share it with you! It was painstakingly crafted with the greatest care to be a complete musical experience. "Sonic Boom" features world class musicians playing real instruments on songs that come straight from my heart. These are full length songs with actual endings - no fades! The album is designed to play down much like a live set. You will hear a wide variety of my musical influences from jazz to funk, R&B to pop and fusion to gospel. I spent an incredible amount of time creating what I hope will be the most musical and sonically pleasing album to come from my studio thus far. "Sonic Boom" was created from the depths of my heart and forged with the best tools I could get my hands on. The audio was crafted using the finest analog equipment combined with the best digital technology available. Great effort was made to create a collection of music that takes the listener on a journey that is musically, emotionally and sonically compelling. It is my hope that you hear it that way.”

LYMAN WOODARD ORGANIZATION – DON’T STOP THE GROOVE

A killer little set from funky organist Lyman Woodard – an old bandmate of Dennis Coffey, and one of the standout stalwarts of the 70s Detroit jazz funk scene! The set features Lyman working in a live setting – grooving out over some mighty long tracks that blend jazz and soul together, in a style that's a bit like some of the best work on the Groove Merchant label from the mid 70s. Lyman himself plays organ on the set, and the group's a largeish one with some ensemble vocals on a few cuts, but a mostly instrumental sound overall. And if you're worried about the later date of the set, don't be – as Lyman cuts a nice lean groove into the whole set – coming up with a soulful sound that's expanded more than a smaller combo record, yet which also isn't too slick or overproduced! Marcus Belgrave plays trumpet on one track, and titles include "Don't Stop The Groove", "Theme In Search Of A Sports Spectacular", "Down Lowe", and "Djarum". CD features the previously unissued bonus tracks "Ron's Song" and "Kimba".  ~ Dusty Groove


KEN FOWSER STANDING TALL

We last heard tenorist Ken Fowser in the company of vibist Behn Gillece – on a pair of excellent recent albums for the Posi-Tone label – but here he works as the sole leader, and maybe knocks it out of the park even more! All the tunes here are originals by Ken – who continues to be a hell of a writer, and comes up with songs that are bright and bold, yet also filled with deeper lines of feeling too – almost like some of Wayne Shorter's excellent early compositions in the first half of the 60s. Like Shorter in those days, Fowser has a way of working in a deeply soulful mode, but with strong lyrical currents too – echoed nicely here by the trumpet lines of Josh Bruneau, in a quintet that also include Rick Germanson on piano, Paul Gill on bass, and Jason Tiemann on drums. The album's the kind of subtle gem that we've really come to love from Posi-Tone – and titles include "Off The Path", "Mode For Red", "Brick's Tune", "Hanging On", "Head Start", "Filling In The Blanks", and "Timeless".  ~ Dusty Groove


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