Search - Brad Shepik :: Drip

The finest work by Brad Shepik on disc to date . . .

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 12/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

". . . and sadly already out of print. Sic transit gloria mundi. But isn't that the typical of the jazz world? Typical, yes. Fair, no. Why do some of jazz's very best produce a credible body of work, receive a fair amount of critical attention, struggle and slum and scramble--and end up with no regular record contract and diminishing gigs?



Brad Shepik strikes me as among the most creative of the current crop of younger jazz guitarists that includes people like Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Monder, Adam Rogers, Rez Abbai, Steve Cardenas, Liberty Ellman, Dave Fuiczynski, Joel Frahm, Brandon Ross, Noel Akchote, and Nels Cline. As versatile as Ben Monder, as open to experimentation as Kurt Rosenwinkel, and as chops-heavy as Joel Frahm, but lacking the outrageousness of Fuicxynski, Cline, and Akchote, Shepik occupies some very interesting middle ground.



This disc reminds me a lot of another great modern world-jazzy trio disc, Fly, featuring Mark Turner (tenor sax), Larry Grenadier (bass), and Jeff Ballard (drums). The line up on Drip replaces the lead tenor sax voice with Shepik's guitar, but the bass (Scott Colley) and drums (Tom Rainey) feature almost the exact same downtown/world-jazz vibe, one of the most attractive jazz moves of recent memory.



Drip pretty much covers the jazz waterfront, with convincing takes on the blues ("A Boogie," interestingly in 5/4 time, and the title cut, a down-'n'-dirty country blooze number), faux Indian modal ("Rêve Pour Louis"), post-bop ("P.M."), Latin ("Trails"), whacked out folk-Western ("Balance"), pseudo-Caribbean filtered through some weird Appalachian-Creole vibe ("In the Weeds," featuring some mind-boggling drumming from Rainey--my favorite number), and an ominous folkish ballad ("Sugar Cliff").



It's all about textures here, and the band consistently manages to produce hugely evocative ones. By turns spooky, hard-edged, ecstatic, and elegiac, this is music very much worth hearing. Very highly recommended."

Excellent music

Jan P. Dennis | 07/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my first shepik album and I'm likely to look for more. Fresh, lively tempo. Undulating rythms that hide behind some really great rifts then return with gusto. Tracks 3 and 7 flow along nicely. Great stuff- very talented musicians who stay tight and clean throughout."

VERY NATURAL AND FOCUSED PLAYING

K. Prousalis | drama GREECE | 04/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very natural playing from BRAD and his colleagues scott coley/BASS and tom rainy/DRUMS in a very nostalgic way .A fantastic album including folk blues and jazz elements which gives you a complete and particular view of a well positioned melodic and holographic improvisation with perfect timing among the three members of the band .ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC ."