Miles Donahue/WCS

Miles Donahue/WCS

Jul 1, 2017

Interview done by

Simon Sargsyan

Click here to read the full interview

 

Just Passing Through

O’s Notes: Saxophonist, composer and producer Miles Donahue presents a fine contemporary jazz set with Just Passing Through. Bassist Joe Santerre gets in the mix on “Living Room Blues” before Donahue soothes us on song “Killing Me Softly”, the lone cover. Guest Mike Stern (g) adds fusion elements to “7-9-65” and the funky “Railroaded”. We also enjoyed the cool vibe of “Donny’s Groove” and “A Man of Few Words”.
D. Oscar  Groomes 
Just Passing Thru is the latest music album by Miles Donahue. The songs feature Miles Donahue on saxophones, trumpet, and keyboards; Joe Santerre on electric bass; Larry Finn on drums; Ricardo Monzon on percussion; Alain Mallet on keyboards; with Mike Stern on guitar. The result is a versatile fusion that crosses boundaries of style and substance, from jazz to rhythm & blues to elements of rock and soul, and more. A captivating original treasury, Just Passing Thru is highly recommended. The tracks are “hear My Words”, “Living Room Blues”, “Killing Me Softly”, “Just Passing Thru”, “Donny’s Groove”, “A Man of Few Words”, “7/9/65”, “Railroaded”, and “Ireland”.

 

 

 

 

Review by Leonid Auskern from Jazz Square

 

A Welcome Guest

On Just Passing Thru

Miles Donahue makes himself comfortable

Miles Donahue’s latest album, coming on the heels of The Bug (Whaling City Sound, 2017), Just Passing Thru is large in scope and beautiful in execution. The absurdly talented player, vibrant on both tenor and soprano saxes, trumpet, and keyboard, shows just how broad his musical wingspan is. It certainly helps that he has an amazing crew behind him. Joe Santerre provides power grooves on electric bass as does Larry Finn on drums. They are joined by percussionist Ricardo Monzon, keyboard player Alain Mallet, and a handful of tracks featuring guitarist Mike Stern. With a vision that includes Crusaders’ style R&B, Weather Report fusion, and lovely, soulful turns, Donahue is masterly and versatile.

From song to song, there are wide swings of style and substance, from moments of tenderness, passages of grandeur, and fistfuls of exhilarating, technical wonder. The opening “Hear My Words” kicks off with an ingenious, shuffling melody that settles into a samba, and then finishes with a little funk. “Living Room Blues” swings with verve and passion, showcasing Santerre’s powerful bass. “A Man of a Few Words” opens with an introspective statement that morphs into alto soulfulness, buoyed by Mallet’s beautiful electric piano. “Railroaded” has a funk foundation to go along with its zesty ensemble playing. Joining that performance is none other than Mike Stern, one of the great voices in jazz guitar, and his solo here is proof of that. And then there’s the surprising “Ireland,” a nod to Donahue’s ancestral homeland that is both respectful and anthemic, in the way a rock song is anthemic. Talk about unexpected!

Throughout Donahue’s lovely Whaling City Sound recording, he never fails to challenge convention. In many, often subtle ways, he ventures out on the unexpected limb rather than the sturdy one that’s already been tried. His adventurousness is gratifying. Donahue finds a myriad of ways to reward his listeners and we are grateful for that. It may or may not be a fact that jazz musicians age with grace and class. In Miles Donahue’s case, the concept bears out. It is a joy to follow his risky explorations, as he makes his way through a labyrinth of unexpected turns. More than simply Just Passing Thru, Donahue is staying a while, long enough to leave a permanent impression on today’s jazz landscape.

Pre-order on Amazon

LA Jazz Scene Review of John Stein’s Color Tones

LA Jazz Scene Review of John Stein’s Color Tones

Mar 8, 2017

This appears in the March issue of the Los Angeles Jazz Scene under CD Reviews:
John Stein
Color Tones
(Whaling City Sound)
Guitarist John Stein’s Color Tones can be thought of as modern cool jazz. His quietly inventive playing at times recalls Jim Hall although he has his own musical personality. Trumpeter Phil Grenadier’s tone is not that far from Chet Baker’s. Fernando Brandao on flute, alto flute and bass flute is a very fluent soloist who adds a great deal to the color of the ensembles. Bassist John Lockwood and drummer Ze Eduardo Nazario swing hard but at a low volume. Every musician makes perfect use of space and every note counts.
But beyond the musicianship and the fine playing are the compositions. John Stein contributed all but one of the 11 selections (a faster-than-usual version of “Angel Eyes”). A fine songwriter, Stein’s tunes have excellent melodies, set moods, employ catchy basslines and rhythms, and inspire the musicians. “The Commons” could easily become a standard in the future, “New Shoes” is likable and playful, “Five Weeks” is a medium tempo blues and “Jo Ann” is a warm ballad. Even the heated and fairly free “Neck Road” has a relaxed feel to it. Adi Yeshaya’s arrangements for three of the pieces add harmonies to the themes and set up the solos well.
John Stein’s Color Tones is melodic, concise (none of the pieces exceed 6:14 in length) and quite enjoyable. This fine example of cool jazz for the 21st century is easily recommended and available from www.whalingcitysound.com.
Scott Yanow
Color Tones is available for purchase here.
O’s Place Jazz Newsletter dubs Summer Breeze as “a memorable and well-balanced set”

O’s Place Jazz Newsletter dubs Summer Breeze as “a memorable and well-balanced set”

Feb 15, 2017

Oscar from O’s Place Jazz Newsletter has reviewed Greg Murphy’s Summer Breeze as follows:
“This is an upbeat jovial set with pianist Greg Murphy leading the charge backed by bassist Eric Wheeler and Kush Abadey on drums. Malou Beauvoir provides vocals on “Sophisticated Lady” with a strong solo from trumpeter Josh Evans. She also sings the R&B infused “A Reason To Smile” with brass accompaniment by Jay Rodriguez (sax) and Corey Wilcox (tb) along with the classic title track. Evans mesmerizes us on “Fall” making Summer Breeze a memorable and well-balanced set.”

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