Stevens, Michael Jefry
Cadence, 2008, CD
Instrument: Piano
Issue: 14.3
Jazz Ruler Type: Fusion
Performance: 4
Sound: 5
Score: 
O’s Notes: The musicians are David Schnitter (sax), Dominic Duval (b), Jay Rosen (d) and leader, pianist Michael Jefry Stevens. Stevens wrote all of the tunes and the performance was captured live to DAT first take in February 1995. The sound was state of the art then and it sound great today as well. The music is also first rate. As Duval states in the liner notes, it is hard to classify, “… jazz, avant-garde, etc. – just good!” They touch several bases. We were able to lock in and engage on most of the tunes feeling their vibe and appreciating it. The solos are tight and adventurous across the board, notably Rosen’s drum work on “Sunny’s Song” and David’s raspy blue lead on “The Hunt”. We also liked the interplay between Duval and Stevens on “Sadness of the Madness”.
Publicist: Jazz Promo Services
