bass solo Archive

Jason Roebke Octet – Cinema Spiral – NoBusiness

by Audiophile Audition | Nov 10, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Unpredictable, Chicago-styled ensemble improvisation and composition. Jason Roebke Octet – Cinema Spiral [TrackList Follows] – NoBusiness NBCD 86, 52:39 [9/16/16] ****: (Greg Ward – alto saxophone; Keefe Jackson – tenor and sopranino saxophone, contrabass clarinet; Jason Stein – bass clarinet; Josh Berman – trumpet; Jeb Bishop – trombone; Jason Adasiewicz – vibraphone; Jason Roebke – bass; Mike Reed – drums) Listening to Chicago-based bassist Jason Roebke’s sophomore octet album, Cinema Spiral, is like reading an interconnected short story collection (think Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles, for example). That’s because Roebke’s seven linked pieces share commonality, and flow from tune to tune. The film-inclined title is also reflected in the music and track titles, such as the opener, “Looking Directly into the Camera,” “Focusing” and others. Like much of his Chicago jazz compatriots, Roebke pens forward-gazing jazz with a modernist viewpoint. The sizeable line-up plus the intensely dynamic arrangements provide a Mingus-esque style. Roebke wrote his long-form opus with his group in mind, which comprises some of Chicago’s notable jazz artists: alto saxophonist Greg Ward; Keefe Jackson (on tenor and sopranino saxophone, as well as contrabass clarinet); bass clarinetist Jason Stein; trumpeter Josh Berman; trombonist Jeb Bishop; vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz; and drummer […]