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| Matthew Snow’s Debut Recording Iridescence Introduces An Important Young Jazz Bassist And Composer  A talented young bassist and composer who is based in New York, Matthew Snow debuts both his inventive jazz sextet and eight of his original songs on Iridescence. On a set of new material that ranges from cooking hard bop to moody ballads, Snow features a combo filled with up-and-coming talents. The bassist is joined by the relaxed yet fluent trombonist David Gibson, altoist Clay Lyons (who has a joyous style a bit reminiscent at times of Cannonball Adderley), vibraphonist Joe Doubleday, guitarist Daisuke Abe, and the quietly tasteful drummer Wayne Smith.The unusual instrumentation (a hard bop group without trumpet, tenor or piano) and the original melodies and chord changes give listeners a fresh spin on the straight ahead jazz tradition.While Snow is an impressive bassist, he resides himself to a supportive role on Iridescence, just taking a brief solo on "Bouyantly Bliss" and instead putting the emphasis on his warm melodies and the creative playing of his sidemen. The attractive group sound and its beautiful harmonies (with a memorable blend by alto and trombone) is very much in evidence on the opening "Amber Glow." "Blitz" and "The Change Agent" give the musicians opportunities to make statements on uptempo pieces while "Jealousy" (which concludes with a surprising high-note trombone cadenza) is a bit funky. Trombonist Gibson is particularly well featured on the moody ballad "Brood" and the introspective closer "Venus." Other Snow pieces include a swinging "The Exit Strategy" and the nostalgic "Bouyantly Bliss." It would not be surprising if several of these pieces became standards in the future. Matthew Snow, who has been an increasingly significant part of the New York jazz scene for the past seven years, seems destined to become as well-known as a composer as he is a bassist. Iridescence is an important step forward in his career and will delight fans of modern straight ahead jazz. MATTHEW SNOW "IRIDESCENCE" Release Date: NOVEMBER 29, 2019 UPC Code: 888295937962 Track listing 1. AMBER GLOW 2. BLITZ 3. THE EXIT STRATEGY 4. BROOD 5. JEALOUSY 6. BOUYANTLY BLISS 7. THE CHANGE AGENT 8. VENUS Musicians: Matthew Snow – Bass/Composer, David Gibson – Trombone, Clay Lyons – Alto Saxophone, Joe Doubleday – Vibraphone, Daisuke Abe – Guitar, Wayne Smith – Drums write your comments about the article :: © 2019 Jazz News :: home page |