This November sees the release of Statement, the new jazz CD by The Steve Grover Quintet Plus One. Statement features the latest group of original compositions by award-winning composer and jazz drummer Steve Grover, featuring a quintet of Trent Austin, trumpet/flugelhorn; David Wells, tenor saxophone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Chris Van Voorst Van Beest, bass; and Steve Grover, drums, augmented on four sextet tunes by alto saxophonist Jason St. Pierre.
The music ranges from the African-inspired groove of the opening sextet tune “Changing Course," to the samba-ish “Bittersweet," the swinging post-bop of “Limbo," two different kinds of ballad pieces “Kindness Is All" and “A Sad Song Is Playing," and the backbeat lyricism of the title track. Of the remaining sextet pieces, “There Is Gladness" and “Do What You Want" are part of an instrumental song cycle inspired by Jack Kerouac texts, and reflect the more harmonically complex tunes in that cycle (the remainder of which will be released at a later time). Finally, the bracing straight- 8th tune “An Aspects Of Things" frames an unfolding melodic and harmonic form with an exciting opening and closing line. The one common thread in all of these pieces is the presence of strong, memorable melodies and interesting, appealing chord structures.
Throughout the album there are probing, impressionable improvisations by the cast of musicians who make up the band, showcasing that high quality jazz talent emanates from Maine.
Steve Grover is currently teaching at The University Of Maine At Augusta and performs regionally with his own groups. He was the winner of the 1994 Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz/BMI Jazz Composers Competition, and has released ten albums under his own name.
Statement is available through CD Baby as a CD and as a digital download, and all of the rest of the online download sites should have it soon as well.
The music ranges from the African-inspired groove of the opening sextet tune “Changing Course," to the samba-ish “Bittersweet," the swinging post-bop of “Limbo," two different kinds of ballad pieces “Kindness Is All" and “A Sad Song Is Playing," and the backbeat lyricism of the title track. Of the remaining sextet pieces, “There Is Gladness" and “Do What You Want" are part of an instrumental song cycle inspired by Jack Kerouac texts, and reflect the more harmonically complex tunes in that cycle (the remainder of which will be released at a later time). Finally, the bracing straight- 8th tune “An Aspects Of Things" frames an unfolding melodic and harmonic form with an exciting opening and closing line. The one common thread in all of these pieces is the presence of strong, memorable melodies and interesting, appealing chord structures.
Throughout the album there are probing, impressionable improvisations by the cast of musicians who make up the band, showcasing that high quality jazz talent emanates from Maine.
Steve Grover is currently teaching at The University Of Maine At Augusta and performs regionally with his own groups. He was the winner of the 1994 Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz/BMI Jazz Composers Competition, and has released ten albums under his own name.
Statement is available through CD Baby as a CD and as a digital download, and all of the rest of the online download sites should have it soon as well.
