“Albert’s album is firmly rooted in jazz traditions including many belonging to the city. ‘9th Ward Trotsky’ uses a tambourine to create a sideways take on Mardi Gras Indian rhythms, while ‘Bag Full of Poboys’ is simply funky. And the pieces are clearly composed, though they were borne from group improvisations, and Dave Capello swings hard on ‘Folk Song.’ ‘Morph My Cheese’ is the most out track, as Ray Moore’s sax quivers through space without the guidance of time, but it’s the oddball in the pack. Far more commonly, Moore and Albert explore a melodic thought sympathetically or in counterpoint in startlingly succinct statements…”
“What grabs me about the album is the constant interplay between the principal horns. They engage in a counterpuntal polyphony that is sometimes quite free and other times swingingly locked in. It is an interplay that harks back to the old NOLA front line practices while looking unblinkingly into the future of the music. The compositions are as strong as the playing.”
Richard Thompson shot some great photos of the Snug Harbor show on January 29, 2009. A couple have been added to the media kit page, and some of the other interesting shots are below.
“His new CD is a delight all around, filled with excellent interplay, flights of fancy and fury, and the occasional ‘sweet groove.’”
“…the music always sounds like total team effort. The musicians listen to each other, creating or reacting to dynamic shifts, and no one player dominates the proceedings. This music is engaging and alive and deserves your attention.”
