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| Dennis Angel's Trumpet Grooves Are Timeless After having released a half dozen singles over the past few years that landed on the contemporary jazz radio charts, Dennis Angel released his debut album, "Timeless Grooves, " on Tuesday (November 13). Angel wrote or co-wrote 8 new songs for the set produced by Jason Miles (Marcus Miller, Miles Davis, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross) that fondly recalls the 1960s and 70s when the evolution of jazz-funk spawned a dynamic genre that swirled jazzy instrumental riffs, R&B beats and catchy pop hooks into commercial success. "Forever Funk, " the deep-pocketed album opener featuring Angel trading tasty licks with saxophonist Gottfried Stoger on the track brushed with vintage gloss dispensed from Miles' keyboards and organ, is garnering airplay around the globe. Angel entered the studio to record "Timeless Grooves" with the goal of contributing something fresh to contemporary jazz by keeping the memorable melodies simple, selflessly maintaining the focus on the songs, and utilizing a live soundscape constructed by some of New York City's finest musicians. Collaborating with Miles helped take the music to the next level and added a new dimension: Miles urged Angel to play flugelhorn in addition to trumpet on the 10-track disc, which the horn man did for the first time. Along with worldwide airplay, the early reviews have been encouraging. Critical Jazz wrote "From the opening funkalicious grooves of 'Forever Funk' to a more retro theatrical throwback to 'I Did All This' we find trumpet and flugelhorn virtuoso as the real deal. A legit jazz triple threat as instrumentalist, lyricist and composer with the chameleon like ability to change sonic colors, dynamics and harmonics at will. Dennis Angel goes all in with this release and the potential that is shown here alone is worth 5 stars. An artist I want to hear more from. Incredibly entertaining and one of those rare heartfelt releases that makes the sonic transfer with ease." The Smooth Jazz Ride concurred declaring "Angel's smooth handling of the trumpet and flugelhorn coupled with long-time collaborator Gottfried Stoger on saxes on this project, not to mention Angel's 16-year-old daughter Rebecca on vocals on a track she co-wrote with her dad, are all bound to propel this project to a comfortable place on the charts for a while…Rebecca Angel's vocals on the very, very jazzy 'A Song in Harmony, ' are most riveting…Overall, one smooth, cool debut with an attractive retro slant and one that should set the stage for Angel's return again and again." write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |