| Jazz |
When the Mack Avenue label sent me this album, I couldn’t resist immediately listening to it from one of my favorite bassists. And from the first track, the atmosphere lived up to the anticipation of this album, which will be released on July 28th and will certainly make waves until 2024. Apart from the excellence of the compositions, arrangements, and performances, Brian Bromberg covers a wide range of jazz styles in this album, including smooth jazz. He is accompanied by very solid musicians: Lenny Castro, Ray Fuller, Grant Geissman, Tony Guerrero, Everette Harp, Nick Lane, Gary Meek, Tony Moore, Andrew Neu, Michael Paulo, Lin Rountree, Michael Stever, Joel Taylor, Tom Zink, on a music filled with rhythms and sunshine.
A brass imprint that resonates like the glorious days of Miles Davis, with contemporary sounds and very danceable music, borrowing elements here and there from funk and R&B. Brian Bromberg is comfortable with all musical styles, which he uses and abuses to our greatest pleasure, slapping his bass in every direction, and we love it!
Here’s what Brian Bromberg says about this new album: “After going through this dreadful Covid-19 period, I just finished a new album that will be released this summer, and I’m very excited about it! I think the title will be “The Magic of Moonlight”. It was exhausting to do as I had no energy at all. I would literally fall asleep while recording with my bass in my lap. I just couldn’t stay awake, it was crazy. I love the music on this new album. It is all original, as well as two co-writes with my nephew Zach. It’s a very melodic contemporary jazz/groove project. I wrote the whole record in less than two weeks, crazy. The music just came out and wrote itself, kind of saved me in a way with what I was going through.”
And it is true that the result is extraordinary, perfectly balanced in terms of tracks, a music that flows naturally like the stream of a small river in summer, to be listened to in the shade of trees, why not? It is worth noting that the second track of the album, “Nico’s Groove,” is dedicated to guitarist Nick Colionne, who passed away in 2022. It’s not surprising for this musician who is as generous and sentimental as his music. If you thought you knew everything about Brian Bromberg’s music, this album will surprise you. As always, the bassist shakes up his habits and comfort zones to seize other possibilities of creation, ultimately making music that is remarkably effective for the stage, with an energy that can rival bands like Tower Of Power, Richie Love, or even Earth Wind & Fire.
For the Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-Move publications, it is undoubtedly an “Essential” album that you will never part with.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, July 19th 2023
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