Search - Maximum Grooves :: Coast to Coast

Excellent from begining to end

Daniel | Los Angeles | 05/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very consistent CD.Excellent all the way through.I of course recognized all of the names on the cover and bought it. I was not dissapointed. This is easily one of the best CD's of the year.The artists and musicians all seem totally locked in each track.Herb Alpert and Russ Freeman are great together on Chasing Shadows. Derek Trucks shows he's a superstar guitarist on You Da Mann,a great tribute to Herbie Mann.
Some of these Smooth Jazz saxophone players would do themselves a favor by listening to Michael Brecker on Krazy Eyez.He is just amazing and lyrical.I just loved the groove and melody on Everday Magic.Jeff Kashiwa comes off confident and strong on the track..Walter Beasley reminds me of how much I miss Grover WashingtonJr."Attitude" evokes warm memories of Grover.Other highlights are Cactus which just kicks the CD into high gear. Jaared(I've never heard of him but like his energy) sounds great on Ce'st La Vie a clever idea for a cover song. Gerald Albright closes the CD with"When I Get There" A funky tune that lets Gerald show his stuff.I saw that Jason Miles produced and arranged. He has to be one of the best and talented producers in music today. His CD "A Love Affair, The Music of Ivan Lins" is one of my favorite CDs of the last ten years. He obviously has put alot of time and effort in making this CD.I give Maximum Grooves Coast To Coast 5 stars. If I could give it more I would"

First Class CD

Terry | Las Vegas | 04/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll make this short. Excellent Songs,Excellent musicianship,superb production. This is one of the best contemporary Jazz CDs that I have heard in some time.Derek Trucks is amazing on You Da Mann. Herb Alpert just keeps on getting better with age. Walter Beasley gives us the sprirt of Grover Washington Jr.There is not even one mediocre performance here.I can't say enough about how much I love this CD.Has to be one of the best of 2004.5 Stars"

A cornucopia of contemporary jazz!

DerickWJazz | USA by way of Australia | 03/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What do Gerald Albright, Herb Alpert, Walter Beasley, Jay Beckenstein, Michael Brecker, Dean Brown, Buzz Feiten, Russ Freeman, Jeff Golub, Jaared, Jeff Kashiwa, Romero Lubambo, Andy Snitzer, Wayman Tisdale and Derek Trucks all have in common? Believe it or not, they are all on this one album! Grammy Award winning Producer/composer/keyboardist Jason Miles has put together what may be one of the definative collections of smooth and contemporary jazz musicians in the business today with a little Brazilian and straight-ahead thrown in for good measure. Miles has assembled an all-star team of musicians - operating as a session supergroup called Maximum Grooves - to explore the organic, improvisational potential of groove-based contemporary jazz in Coast To Coast. The twelve tracks are built around the rhythm sections of Miles, drummers Steve Ferrone and Gene Lake, and bassists Will Lee and James Genus. Spicing things up are a team of high-powered players from one end of the country to the other. Coast To Coast dates its beginnings back to 1974, when Miles first saw keyboardist Don Grolnick and his band - a lineup that included Joe Beck, David Sanborn, Will Lee and Steve Gadd - at Mikells, the fabled New York nightclub at 97th and Columbus. Miles recalls Grolnicks "Cactus" as a high point of the performance. "It had that special groove that I later realized as all New York City," he recalls. "It was the perfect song - great melody meets great groove." After Grolnick's death in 1996, Miles felt that "the best way to honor him was to record "Cactus", the song that introduced me to a lot of New York players." That song was the starting point of this album, a recording that employs contemporary technology to expand on Mile's initial affinity for the New York sound of the 70's. The result is a classic sounding recording with a progressive edge as a team of top-level players find the pocket and dig in for maximum impact."