JAM:April/May 2007 Issue: For the Record

Logan Richardson
Cerebral Flow
Fresh Sound New Talent 278

Personnel: Logan Richardson, alto and soprano saxophones; Mike Pinto, vibraphone; Mike Moreno, guitar; Matthew Brewer, bass; Nasheet Waits (tracks 1,4,5,6,10) and Thomas Crane (other tracks), drums.

Tracks: Turning Maze; Cerebral Flow; Urban Folk Song; Animated Concept of Being; Urban Folk Song; Like Water; Release; Our Life Together; Free the Blues; In the Wall.

Recorded May 23, 2006 at Mike Sim Studio, Brooklyn , New York . Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Mike Sim.

It has seemed that saxophonist Logan Richardson has been ready for this for some time. But each return trip from New York City by Logan revealed a more mature musician than the one we heard the previous trip. This debut leader recording shows that Logan 's patience was the proper course.

Richardson 's playing has never been “safe”, and it's not here, either. First, you have the instrumentation, using guitar and vibraphone as chording and additional solo instruments rather than a piano. Second, there are no straight ahead forms here in Richardson 's all-original program. Third, he sets up some fierce simultaneous blowing between himself and his band mates; there seems to always be multiple interesting things going on to keep your attention.

The opener “Turning Maze” begins with Logan unaccompanied, continuing with a riff that is picked up by the rest of the group, serving as a base for Richardson 's solo. “Cerebral Flow”, the title track, features some interesting exchanges between the leader and Moreno before closing with the great sound of the theme played in unison by the leader and Pinto on vibes. Crane's heat behind Richardson's and Pinto's simultaneous solo on “Urban Folk Song” made me want to stand and cheer. There is a LOT going on here, and somehow it stays under control. With the horn, aggressive drums, and vibes, this has a sound not unlike Ralph Peterson's Fo'tet from a few years back.

“Animated Concept of Being” is a teaser, fooling you into thinking it's a ballad, then having Pinto's chords support some interplay between Richardson and the agitated Waits, before easing back again… but wait! More Waits and Richardson and Pinto fire before a tender close. “Urban Folk Song” returns with some of Richardson 's most lyrical work on the session. The intensity from Waits increases during Pinto's solo statement, and even more so as Richardson takes over.

Waits opens “Like Water”, before Logan enters for some intense drum/alto toe-to-toe blowing. Listen to Brewer's bass on “Release”, that floor so critical to pianoless jams. Oh, the floor is so Richardson and Pinto can weave magic together. “Our Life Together”, a pretty ballad with a Brewer solo feature over Pinto's comping vibes (I've loved this sound since Bobby Hutcherson's work on Jackie McLean's Blue Note recordings), followed by solos by Richardson and Pinto.

“Free the Blues” is another alto/drum duet, this time with Thomas Crane. “In the Wall” closes the show with the heat more on simmer, with Moreno getting his most extensive solo space.

There is much to be impressed with in this debut disk from one of Kansas City 's maturing young talents.

—Roger Atkinson

The McFadden Brothers
Chapter 1
GLRM Records MB010107

Personnel: Lonnie McFadden, vocals, trumpet, and tap dance; Ronald McFadden, vocals, saxophone, and tap dance; Mark Lowrey, piano; Tony LaPuma, bass; Donivan Bailey, drums.

Tracks: Once In a Lifetime; Groovy People; Birth of the Blues; You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You; Bebop Medley; Mona Lisa; Hello Dolly; I Want to Be Where You Are; Cloudy Day; On a Clear Day; Mr. Bojangles; Tap Jam.

Recorded at Sound Trek, Kansas City , Missouri . Engineer, Ron Ubel. Mixed at The Digital Edge, Kansas City , Missouri , by Steve Phillips, Ronald and Lonnie McFadden. Mastered by Steve Phillips.

You'd be hard pressed to find better entertainment than what you consistently get with The McFadden Brothers. Their performances stress their versatility as vocalists, instrumentalists, and dancers; it is indeed a throwback to quality performers from a prior era.

Chapter 1 is consistent with The McFadden approach to the business. Right from the introductory first track, “Once In a Lifetime”, we have the brothers singing as if Sammy Davis, Jr. was still with us. They follow with another vocal, “Groovy People”, right out of the Lou Rawls songbook, from the pens of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The brothers do a dance chorus on “Birth of the Blues”. Everybody has sung “Nobody”, and Ronald and Lonnie finally grab their horns for a spirited pair of choruses here. The “Bebop Medley” opens with Bailey's drums before they hit some of Bird's best blues lines. Ronald flies on his solo, with Mark Lowrey feeding the chords. They then continue the medley with some vocals: “How High the Moon”, “Perdido”, and “Lover”.

Actually, the rhythm section handles the variety as well as the leaders, flowing easy between the standard pop, classic soul, and jazz tunes. Lowrey and Bailey's exchanges at the end of the medley are indicative of their jazz chops.

“Mona Lisa” is the first ballad in the set, and Lowrey proves to be an expert accompanist to the vocals. “Hello Dolly” is their Louis Armstrong tribute. The Jackson 5 hit “I Wanna Be Where You Are” is transformed into a NASCAR-paced bop tune. “Cloudy Day” is another nice (albeit unfamiliar to me) ballad, ironically followed by the later day pop standard “On a Clear Day”. “Mr. Bojangles” always receives the royal treatment from the McFadden's, and this is no exception. “Tap Jam” is exactly that, a blues featuring some more tapped rhythm.

Finally, stick this CD in your computer, you'll find some concert footage that gives a great feel for what the live show is like.

This disk is truly representative of what to expect at a McFadden Brothers show: an enjoyable, well-balanced performance that showcases their vast talents. This will be a fine souvenir to their many fans, and serve as an accurate introduction to those less familiar with the McFadden sound.

—Roger Atkinson

High Vibe
The Enneagram
Enneagram Records – 2007

Personnel: Max Berry, guitar, bass, percussion; Danny Osburn, keyboards, lap steel, mandolin, bouzouki, percussion; Michael Oshiver, harp; Scotty McBee, drums; Jaisson Taylor, congas, percussion.

Tracks: The Perfectionist, The Caretaker, The Motivator, The Romantic, The Observer, The Loyalist, The Optomist, The Leader, The Peacemaker, Variations on an Enneagram Theme.

Tracks recorded and mixed at Berry Music Group, Kansas City , MO ; produced by Max Berry & High Vibe. Recording engineers: Lynn Allred, Rick Kloog, and Dave Jenkins; mastered at Red Mastering, Newbury Park , CA , by Brad Vance.

High Vibe doesn't quite sound like your typical jazz sound. It also doesn't quite fit into the bins with fusion, pop, R&B, the blues. High Vibe sort of has its own sound…but, that's not a bad thing. Local veteran studio artists Max Berry, Denny Osburn, and Michael Oshiver have banded together to create the eclectic sound of High Vibe. The Enneagram comprises ten original instrumentals. The story behind each is just as interesting as High Vibe's sound itself. Each of the ten tracks is based upon the nine different personality types represented by a circular symbol equally divided into nine parts known as an Enneagram.

A little background on the Enneagram might be the best way to describe each of the tracks. The actual origin of the Enneagram symbol, which is prominently and artistically featured on the CD cover, is unknown. The best historic link are the documented teachings of Russian philosopher Georges I. Gurdjieff (1870-1849). Gurdjieff taught that the Enneagram contained the key to the knowledge of everything in the universe for those who knew how to read and interpret the symbol. Based on his teachings, Oscar Ichazo developed “The Enneagram of Personality” in the 1960s as a tool for defining nine different personality types corresponding to the points on the Enneagram.

It is this interpretation that has become the predominant area of focus for the symbol. It is also this interpretation's study that is relevant to the philosophy which inspired High Vibe's recording. Their objective was to write and perform music that embodies specific personality traits pertaining to specific number types of the Enneagram with the hopes that it will offer listeners an opportunity to discover the study of the numbers in relation to the personalities of the people with whom we all interact with in our lives.

On The Enneagram , over two years in the making, you'll find a blend of jazz, rock, some classical themes, and world music to create beautiful melodies that flow with harmony-opulent orchestrations and vigorous rhythm. Each song is an original composition and cannot be compared to any other song out there, nor should it be. Normally I would try and give you some form of comparison in order to let you know what to expect, but after listening to the tracks, I feel I would be doing High Vibe a disservice.

The only way to really get a good formulated idea of how each track sounds is to read a little about the Enneagram symbol and Ichazo's teachings relating to the nine personality types. To do that here would take up too much space. Instead I will give you two Internet links to check out: one is the Enneagram Institute's Web site at http://www.Enneagraminstitute.com/ , and the other is the Wikipedia entry for the Enneagram at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram . That being said, I will give you an overview. A few of the tracks are upbeat and energetic while others are very soothing, slow, and passive; not one could be compared to another on this release. Each relates perfectly to the track name and is what you would expect the soundtrack theme song for each personality—were this a soundtrack “Best of…” CD.

I listened to The Enneagram right before I did my research. I then listened to it again after having done the research, and kept a note of just a few words beside each track that would match the philosophical background to the track's sound and feel. Before the research, I enjoyed the music as a listener—the melodies, rhythms, and orchestration was good. Listening to it again and knowing the back story behind why each track was made to sound the way that it does, tying the arrangements in with the philosophical and numerical symbolism, made each track much more entertaining and gave the entire recording a much different feel. The Enneagram would be a great purchase or a great gift for a music lover in numerous genres—not just jazz. Whether the philosophical influence will enrich your life has yet to be seen nor should it matter. When it comes right down to it, this is a good CD and deserves your ear.

—Tristan Smith