Review of "Diary of a Bandstand" - Splendidezine.com
Jazz/film composer Terence Blanchard describes his four-year stint with jazz legend Art Blakey as a liberating experience, the perfect lesson for a young, free-spirited musician trying to find his voice. He says that while the "parents" in his world (academia, jazz purists) told him, "no, no, don't do it that way", grandparent figure Blakey stood back and encouraged him to try everything to figure out his own voice.
Blanchard must have passed this aesthetic on to Darryl Reeves during a lesson (Reeves studied with Blanchard at the University of New Orleans), as Diary of a Bandstand simply asks, "What if?" Though their music is best described as jazz, Reeves and his capable band enjoy toying with the edges of its boundaries and tastefully exploring mutations of the genre -- after adding a few related elements.
Reeves takes a chance, confounding expectations with the straight-up hip-hop opener, "The Return (feat. Gunn Fu)". His version of the style is much more organic than the usual fare, he and his band lean towards The Roots (featuring Chick Corea) by insisting on non-sequenced Rhodes, upright bass and live horns. However, as Professor Gunn Fu, a squirrelly high-pitched character on a par with Madlib's cohort Quasimoto and Kanye West's alter ego, announces the band's mission and interstellar manifesto, you'll adjust your seatbelt and prepare for an interesting ride.
The band immediately shifts to a swinging funk-ish approach for "The Meeting". After the scratchy, vinylized horn intro, the rhythm section explodes into a tricky polyrhythmic web, which they somehow maintain throughout the work. The most intriguing aspect of this texture is fashioned by Rhodes player Robert Glasper; he lets his instrument hover just above the others, syncopating his über-mysterious, almost-missing-the-beat chords in interesting places along the measure. Further upping the tempo (but not compromising performance quality), the band aggressively takes on "Comprehension of Self", showing interplay in league with the hardbop masters. Though the individual parts are impressive, the most remarkable aspect of the piece (and the entirety Diary of a Bandstand) is the robust level of performance. Each solo from these distinctive musical personalities is as moving and extraordinary as the next. They listen to each other's ideas: each of them repeats the previous soloist's tricky gestures, then cleverly flips them and claims ownership. The members all contribute to Reeves's compositions in a way that provides musical contrast, yet never breaks the momentum (the camaraderie of Oliver Nelson's "Yearnin'" and Freddie Hubbard's "Suite Sioux" comes to mind.)
A pair of skits switch up the format. "Interlude (Ready to Start)" is a studio blooper (yes, he says "blooper") of the band groaning and tinkering around; "Remix" demonstrates Reeves's production skills as he samples bits "from the session" and turns them into a mini jazz-hop number ("Wait till y'all see what else I have up my sleeve. This is just a teaser," he guarantees in the liner notes.) These aren't the disc's strongest tracks, but you have to admire Reeves for including this bit of peculiarity -- and awaiting the blast from Jazz Times for doing so.
While the idea of fusing jazz with funk, soul and hip-hop is now familiar ground, you haven't really experienced it until you hear Reeves and company's take. Their execution is precise -- they never stumble over their notes as they explore the limits of their abilities, switching gracefully from meter to meter and bouncing from genre to genre. Reeves shows that he's comfortable with the jazz label, but prefers to move confidently in new directions.
-- Dave Madden
Review of "Diary of a Bandstand" - Jazzreview.com
Review: Fans of bop, fusion, Smooth Jazz, and even Acid will all find something very likeable in this electrifying recording. That's because Diary of a Bandstand runs the gambit, as they say. In order to understand where these guys are going, you must first allow them to take you there. There is nothing according to typical formula here, and there is no road map. This is where I wish we could just call Jazz...Jazz. Not smooth, or contemporary, or anything else. Just Jazz.
With compositions that are both provocative and serene, Darryl Reeves and company remind me of what attracted me to Jazz in the first place. The unexpected, the unfamiliar, and some very accomplished musicianship. The triple somersault, I call it. The point at which dexterity and creativity find common ground. Most importantly, they sound great.
I have to point out artists like Chick Corea, Tony Williams, Harvey Mason, Jaco Pastorius, and Herbie Hancock to put you in the right frame of mind. Back in the 1970's these cats were blazing trails that led to places no one had been before, not even themselves. They made Jazz ladies clutch their purses. They weren't afraid to try things. They did some experimenting, and like most scientists, some projects yielded hard-to-define results. Sometimes, I understood immediately, and sometimes it would hit me later, and I would go, "Hey! I get it!". Always with a smile and a sense of discovery. And that's what Jazz represents, in its truest form. A fearless form of expression.
While listening to Diary of a Bandstand I am reminded of the Black & White films I watched of Thelonious and Coltrane because I was too young to see them in person. Jazz seemed so simple and yet complex. Coltrane in his conservative suit, thin black tie. Monk dancing away from the piano, as if they were two separate beings. Well, of course they were. It's clear that Darryl was taking notes and paying attention to his Jazz predecessors, because certain qualities of both eras mentioned are present in his music. This CD takes me back, but in a Y2K sort of way. Not a throwback recording. Just sharp, clever, and refreshing music, like it used to be. No single phrase or adjective quite describes it, and that's how you know it's really Jazz.
Kudos to keyboardist, Robert Glasper and Drummer, Lumark Gulley (who would make Tony Williams proud), and of course, Darryl Reeves for quarterbacking the whole thing and letting go with musicians he clearly trusts.
Recommended for anyone looking to take a break from the same old schmoove (spelling intentional).
Reviewed by: John
Marcus
Review of "Diary of a Bandstand"
- Lifeandsoulpromotions.co.uk
Expressive jazz instrumental album of mainly own compositions except for a Gregory Tardy and a Patrice Rushen track. I particularly like The Meetinginspired largely by Joe Henderson. Great instrumentation and strength, which hangs together well especially the piano, rhodes interchanges. Great trumpet solo over pounding accelerated jazz bass on Purpose.
I’m probably not the best person to review this, I can and do appreciate it but it’s very much mood music for me rather than an area of particular expertise. I can feel however where it’s coming from and get the backdrop and reasoming behind each track After the gig isvery much ‘after the gig’ for example, asing the way through the night after evryone bar the musicians have gone home!Remix is an interesting concept, particularly for free form jazz. Though very short it does have a different feel to it.
Review of "Diary of a Bandstand" - Offbeat Magazine
It's immediately apparent that saxophonist Darryl Reeves intends to lay down a somewhat different vibe here than on his 2002 straight-up, hardcore jazz album, The Activator. Electronic playfulness intros the CD with high-pitched, extraterrestrial voices backed by a funky beat welcoming listeners to the bandstand. The music makes a sudden jump into some impressive ensemble work on Reeves' "The Meeting," a tribute to the late great Joe Henderson and one of six of the leader's originals. Reeves digs in on alto with his signature determination and Quamon Fowler's rich tenor provides equal parts contrast and compliment as he takes center stage. In these lean times it's not too often two saxophones plus trumpet hold down the front line and this configuration of horns and musicians provides exciting interchanges. Lumark Gulley is again behind the drums putting a creative touch on the appreciated selection from Greg Tardy, "Mr. Hurt." Trumpeter Russell Gunn lives up to his name, blasting this tune as well as the revisit to "Comprehension of Self," which was featured-at a slower pace-on The Activator. A strong composition, it works equally well at either rhythm. Here, Robert Glasper moves away from the Rhodes, which occupies most of the album, to the piano. The constant presence of the electric keyboard marks the greatest difference between Diary of a Bandstand and Reeves' previous disc. To me it often tonally overwhelms and smoothes out otherwise fine tunes. This time out, Edwin Livingston gets electric bass duties, while Rodney Jordan handles the upright-both provide tasty support. Including almost a minute of the guys messing around in the studio might have been fun for them and perhaps amusing for the first listen but then… Reeves and company are at their best when they hit hard and fly high as they most often do.
-Geraldine Wyckoff
Press Release - Diary of a Bandstand
CONTINUUM MUSIC
TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM BY ACCLAIMED SAXOPHONIST AND
PRODUCER, DARRYL REEVES, ENTITLED DIARY OF A BANDSTAND, SEPTEMBER 2ND,
2004.
BATON ROUGE, LA
- Continuum Music is pleased to announce the September 2nd release of
Diary of a Bandstand- a new album by alto saxophonist and producer Darryl
Reeves. Diary of a
Bandstand is a venture in jazz with an interesting twist that infuses
elements of hip-hop, funk and
soul. The 24-year old takes on an ambitious role, displaying his compositional
skills as well as his
ability in hip-hop production.
Growing up in Miami,
FL, Darryl Reeves was initially attracted to jazz through hip-hop music.
When he found the source of the jazz samples in hip-hop, it prompted
him to delve deeper into
jazz. He attended Jackson State University on a full scholarship, where
he studied music
education. Upon graduating, he moved two and a half hours down the road
to New Orleans, LA. He
completed a Master’s degree at the University of New Orleans where
he studied with Terence
Blanchard. “Darryl Reeves is one of the innovative, bright, shining
stars who is about to burst
onto the jazz scene with an energy and direction that is very unique,”
said Blanchard of Reeves.
While in school, Reeves released “The Activator,” a self-produced
album that was featured by
JazzSouth, a radio program produced by the Southern Arts Federation.
Diary of a Bandstand
features a reunion of former JSU students including two-time Grammy
nominated Russell Gunn, bassist Rodney Jordan and drummer Lumark Gulley
( who all attended
the school several years before Reeves). Also featured is critically
acclaimed keyboardist Robert
Glasper (Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, Bilal), labelmate saxophonist
Quamon Fowler and
bassist Edwin Livingston (Los Hombres Calientes). The album features
seven original
compositions as well as “Mr.Hurt” by tenor saxophonist Gregory
Tardy and “Before the Dawn,” a
soul ballad by Patrice Rushen. Many have already begun to spread news
about the album,
including Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, drummer of The Roots.
“The Patrice jawn is
craaaaaaaaaazy . . . yaaaaaow! ” Thompson said of Reeves’
arrangement.
CONTINUUM MUSIC
is a grass-roots label with a primary, but not exclusive towards jazz.
Initially
formed as a club to promote jazz awareness on Southern University’s
campus, the club evolved
into a full-fledged record label. Started by musicians John Gray and
Quamon Fowler, Continuum
Music is committed to delivering promising new artists to today’s
music scene.
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