| Jazz |
A very uplifting EP! Jason Arkins is a saxophonist and composer from Miami who already stands out for his remarkable saxophone sound and excellent skills as a composer and arranger – the kind of musician we love on Bayou Blue Radio. As a result, an EP leaves us wanting more, as we feel so good listening to this album. If you enjoy jazz fusion, this is right up your alley. The youthfulness of this musician is surprising when you hear his complete mastery of this art. This EP is nothing like a debut album; Jason Arkins sets the bar very high. The group already shows great cohesion, comprised of Jason Arkins – Saxophone/Compositions, Beau Cornelius – Piano/Keyboards, Leo Folsom – Synths/Keyboards, Mike Ramos – Bass, Jack Dratch – Drums.
If you like bands such as Yellowjackets, Weather Report, Sixun, etc., Jason Arkins and his musicians are the heirs to these kinds of musicians. They even manage to bring a new twist to the genre with a slightly more rock ambiance and crisper rhythms. The track “The Higher Road” is a pure marvel. The arrangement of the tracks on this EP is remarkable, and ending with the title “A Squeege Situation” is meant to leave you wanting more (from my point of view). Five tracks are short, way too short when the talent is so evident, bold, and well-grounded!
I hope this group starts touring the USA so we can see and hear them live. They are a golden find for jazz festivals. The compositions on this album are all original, and with about ten tracks of this quality, one can easily imagine the result on stage. Mastering compositions and arrangements is already an art in itself, and the very high quality of interpretation is another. Jason Arkins masters both, and you will hear the result tomorrow on Bayou Blue Radio, which, with the editorial team of Paris Move, has placed this EP in the “Essentials” stack.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, December 6th 2023
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