Red Planet with Bill Carrothers CD on Shifting Paradigm Records
contains 10 tracks including two each from masters John Coltrane (Big Nick, Living Space) and Thelonious Monk (Reflections, Think of One) as well as a sublime Sinatra reference on Cahn and Van Heusen’s ‘Come Dance With Me’. The 5 originals (4 from Magraw, 1 from Bates) showcase the compositional range and diversity of these modernmasters. Influences stretch from folk, country, classical and rock and reflect the strength of this unique collaboration. In a nod to the iconic ECM label this set puts a supreme emphasis on the sound of the ensemble. The whole program rewards repeated listenings as the depth of interactions and interplay are subtle and nuanced throughout.
Down Beat Magazine ★★★★:
Red Planet with Bill Carrothers: 4 STARS
Pianist Bill Carrothers sets the stage for this album with a searching rubato, dark and lovely. The tune is guitarist Dean Magraw's "Ann R Chi Suite," but the composer cedes the initial spotlight generously to Carrothers before the six-string hovers into the frame, making the full, noir-ish melody glow like a neon sign through a big-city hotel window. Red Planet - Magraw with bassist Chris Bates and drummer Jay Epstein - is a band of Twin Cities notables, and the trio's invitation to Carrothers, a Minneapolis native long since relocated to Michigan, was an inspired collaborative move.
Musically, Red Planet is a trio of wide open spaces, and Carrothers fills those spaces subtly but colorfully, his improvisations and accompaniments brimming with blue-hued melody. Magraw's "Unseen Rain" is another atmospheric beauty benefiting from the pianist's touch, as is a smeared-on-the-page rendition of Cahn-Van Heusen's "Come Dance With Me" that Sinatra might have only endorsed after a few shots of Jack Daniels.
Two folk-tinged numbers feel as if they belong to another album, but the quartet's take on tunes by John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk feel apt. In particular, Magraw's slide guitar on "Living Space" makes one dream of Coltrane-meets-Hendrix, though it's a long, free-minded Carrothers solo that takes pride of place. Monk's "Think Of One" makes for a rollicking closer, with Bates and Epstein getting their licks in, too. - Bradley Bambarger, Down Beat, Sept. 2017
Bandcamp's Best Jazz Albums of 2017: BandCamp
All About Jazz Review
The disc is here: ShiftingParadigmRecords.comshiftingparadigmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/red-planet-with-bill-carrothers
contains 10 tracks including two each from masters John Coltrane (Big Nick, Living Space) and Thelonious Monk (Reflections, Think of One) as well as a sublime Sinatra reference on Cahn and Van Heusen’s ‘Come Dance With Me’. The 5 originals (4 from Magraw, 1 from Bates) showcase the compositional range and diversity of these modernmasters. Influences stretch from folk, country, classical and rock and reflect the strength of this unique collaboration. In a nod to the iconic ECM label this set puts a supreme emphasis on the sound of the ensemble. The whole program rewards repeated listenings as the depth of interactions and interplay are subtle and nuanced throughout.
Down Beat Magazine ★★★★:
Red Planet with Bill Carrothers: 4 STARS
Pianist Bill Carrothers sets the stage for this album with a searching rubato, dark and lovely. The tune is guitarist Dean Magraw's "Ann R Chi Suite," but the composer cedes the initial spotlight generously to Carrothers before the six-string hovers into the frame, making the full, noir-ish melody glow like a neon sign through a big-city hotel window. Red Planet - Magraw with bassist Chris Bates and drummer Jay Epstein - is a band of Twin Cities notables, and the trio's invitation to Carrothers, a Minneapolis native long since relocated to Michigan, was an inspired collaborative move.
Musically, Red Planet is a trio of wide open spaces, and Carrothers fills those spaces subtly but colorfully, his improvisations and accompaniments brimming with blue-hued melody. Magraw's "Unseen Rain" is another atmospheric beauty benefiting from the pianist's touch, as is a smeared-on-the-page rendition of Cahn-Van Heusen's "Come Dance With Me" that Sinatra might have only endorsed after a few shots of Jack Daniels.
Two folk-tinged numbers feel as if they belong to another album, but the quartet's take on tunes by John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk feel apt. In particular, Magraw's slide guitar on "Living Space" makes one dream of Coltrane-meets-Hendrix, though it's a long, free-minded Carrothers solo that takes pride of place. Monk's "Think Of One" makes for a rollicking closer, with Bates and Epstein getting their licks in, too. - Bradley Bambarger, Down Beat, Sept. 2017
Bandcamp's Best Jazz Albums of 2017: BandCamp
All About Jazz Review
The disc is here: ShiftingParadigmRecords.comshiftingparadigmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/red-planet-with-bill-carrothers
Master guitarist Dean Magraw presents his trio, Red Planet, in a stunning CD, ‘Space Dust’, featuring original compositions and others that the band has been playing live since 2003. Space Dust exemplifies the magical direction that these three experienced jazz musicians have continually created. The last two selections of the disc were recorded live at the Artists’ Quarter in St. Paul.
The disc is here: Chris' BandCamp
& Here: Dean's Site
The disc is here: Chris' BandCamp
& Here: Dean's Site
