Other Recordings
IIra Does it All (Ira Sullivan & Red Rodney)    Muse
Eddie Buster and Friends -
   B&B Records
Epitaph by Charles Mingus -
   Columbia
Today this Moment
   (Mosaic Sextet w. Dave Douglas) - Konnex
Rush Hour/Celebrating Sinatra (w. Joe Lovano)   Blue Note

Ever hear a bassoon through a Mutron?
One night I was looking to hear some live jazz, and found something odd listed, bassoon jazz! I went up and checked them out, and it was so different it took a few songs to register the sound of the band in my mind.

Once I was used to hearing the combination of instruments I started noticing that all the players there (basically the same ones as on the CD) were not only really good at their instruments but also really different players.

The thing that really struck me was Michael's phrasing. He plays nothing like a sax player, it's very melodic at times, comical at times, and what was most surprising was it was very percussive most of the time. This guy really knows melody and harmony, but he really really knows rythmn. When I found out he had CD"s I knew if I didn't get them I'd be up all night trying to learn his "style".

Luckily for me he had two CD's. and Ocean eyes was one of them. This is a must have CD for anyone interested in exploring some of the more uncharted areas of Jazz. There's everything from very subtle use of a mutron 3 on the bassoon (subtle enough to not offend the anti electric crowd) to some harmonic ideas that'll blow you away. It's been at the top of my listening pile for a while now, and I don't see it leaving that spot for a while.
Dennis Wieand