Search - Ralph Simon, Marc Johnson, Dan Rose :: As

Saxophonist and composer Ralph Simon's second release as a leader features an ensemble of like-minded players who were able to leave their musical imprint on a group of vivid and challenging compositions. The result is a heady mix of straight-ahead and more unusual pieces. His second recording as a leader, was meaningful for several reasons. "On a musical level," he says, "the group's spirit and inspiration are incredibly strong and the music sounds as fresh as it did when we recorded it. I also thought it was important to allow people to hear our world debut performance and recording of Annette Peacock's very beautiful 'Skin on Skin'. And," he continues, "I wanted to memorialize the pianist, my friend Gene Adler, who died in 1992, and to try to allow him some of the recognition he never got in this life. Big music and big fun were everything Gene was about -- just listen to his playing on this disc."The ensemble of musicians Simon chose for this recording includes not only Adler but also Jeff Berman (vibes), Tom Beyer (percussion), David Dunaway (bass), Billy Hart (drums), Marc Johnson (bass), Dan Rose (guitar), and Chip White (drums). "These players were able to leave their musical imprint on a group of vivid compostions which set up and explore an area that is extraordinarily wide, as well as deep, for improvising," notes Simon. The result is a heady mix of straight-ahead and more unusual pieces, with something for every refined jazz palate.