Octobop: Live @ Savanna Jazz

Here’s a fun and swinging album by the team of Geoff Roach/ts-ts-ss, Jack Conway/g, Brian Brockhouse/b, Dave Casini/vib, Eric Patience/ts-as, Jon Schermer/tb, Randy Smith/tp-fh and Frank Wyant/dr. They’re caught at a Jan 14 gig in San Carlos, CA, mixing originals with some clever arrangements  of covers. Brockhouse does a mean solo and lead on a rich take of Charles Mingus’ “Nostalgia in Times Square” while Conway is warm and bouncy during Jobim’s “One Note Samba.” The horns growl on Ellington’s “The Mooche” and some hip vibes bring a modern edge to the warhorse “King Porter Stomp.” An angle worth further exploration is when the band delves into the Allman Brothers’ songbook, with a swinging take of “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” These guys know how to have a good time!

www.octobop.com

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