Search - Sebastian Noelle :: Across the River

What a pleasant surprise...

T. Stevens | Montgomery, AL,United States | 04/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Overall, this is a really nice album. All the songs were written by Noelle and most of them are extremely well crafted, revealing themselves in sometimes familiar and sometimes unfamiliar ways. It would be interesting to hear Noelle perform with only his bassman, Ben Street, and Ari Hoenig on drums. There are one or two compositions where Donny McCaslin's soprano sax is a little over the top but for the most part, Noelle's playing helps to display the sax's more subtle side. My favorite song on the album, "People Need People", showcases the compositional acumen of Noelle, as well as the talented performances of Hoenig (drums), Street (bass), and Javier Vercher on tenor sax. This album was released on a small jazz label, "Fresh Sound, New Talent", but it deserves a larger audience. Noelle is a talented writer and musician."