DAVE WRIGHT: 9 DREAMS
A GLORIOUS MIX OF STRAIGHT-AHEAD, LATIN, R&B AND FUNK-INFLUENCED JAZZ
Jazz guitarist Dave Wright from Rochester, New York plays straight-ahead, Latin, R&B and funk-influenced jazz on the full-length album 9 Dreams.
With a wonderful sense of ease, jazz guitarist Dave Wright joins Scott Bradley (organ), Bill Tiberio (sax), Matt Pivec (sax) and Grammy winner Jared Schonig on drums to play a beautiful jazz session, sharing the soundstage in a glorious mix of jazz styles.
On 9 Dreams, Dave Wright reunites with long-time friend, composer and organist, Scott Bradley, for their first collaboration since Wright’s album Island Changes, also released on the HMC Jazz label.
ALBUM: 9 DREAMS
9 Dreams is a collection of original compositions by Dave and Scott, and inventive arrangements of tunes by Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter and Stevie Wonder. The emphases are on strong writing and improvisation.
The album kicks off to Scott Bradley’s up-tempo Latin tune ‘A Second Chance’, with its driving beat and melody, then moves into an emotional, R&B-influenced rendition of Cole Porter’s ‘Love For Sale’. Dave Wright’s ‘Treacy’s Revenge’ picks up with tasty double-stops on the guitar, and its intense solos and ending are offset by the next piece, a beautifully angular solo guitar setting of Thelonious Monk’s ‘Crepuscule With Nellie’.
The title track ‘9 Dreams’ follows, opening with nicely phrased jazz guitar, and then unexpectedly changing time and tempo to begin the journey through nine dreamy grooves. Scott Bradley’s infectious shuffle ‘Peewee’s Big Adventure’, inspired by Scott’s gigs with wild saxman Peewee Ellis, is followed by a unique arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Knocks Me Off My Feet’, mixing soulful sax, rock guitar and reggae. Wayne Shorter’s haunting ‘Elegant People’ is the eighth tune, and the album closes with the romantic Dave Wright original ‘Timeless’.
The five musicians play with open ears: each musical statement opens new channels for exploration, each song presents new opportunities for melodic and harmonic development. This is an album which will reward multiple listening.
LINER NOTES
- A Second Chance (Bradley) 5:04
- Love For Sale (Porter) 6:36
- Treacy’s Revenge (Wright) 5:55
- Crepescule With Nellie (Monk) 3:14
- 9 Dreams (Wright) 6:37
- Peewee’s Big Adventure (Bradley) 7:09
- Knocks Me Off My Feet (Wonder) 6:04
- Elegant People (Shorter) 6:03
- Timeless (Wright) 6:08
Dave Wright – guitar
Scott Bradley – organ
Jared Schonig – drums
Matt Pivec – alto sax (tracks 1, 2 and 6), tenor sax (tracks 8 and 9)
Bill Tiberio – tenor sax (tracks 3, 6 and 7), alto sax (track 5)
I offer my sincere thanks to everyone involved in this recording, most especially to Scott Bradley for driving the early stages of the project, booking the studio and assembling such a great group of musicians. Thanks also to Manny Freshman for restoring my vintage Fender Jazzmaster to fine playing condition and profoundly affecting the sound of this album.
Recorded at East End Recording Studios, Rochester, NY, and Studio X, Pittsford, NY. Executive Producers: Dave Wright and Scott Bradley. Produced by Dave Wright for HMC Jazz, Fort Nurney, SD, 2005.
TRACK LIST
1. A Second Chance (Bradley)
2. Love For Sale (Porter)
3. Treacy’s Revenge (Wright)
4. Crepuscule with Nellie (Monk)
5. 9 Dreams (Wright)
6. Peewee’s Big Adventure (Bradley)
7. Knocks Me Off My Feet (Wonder)
8. Elegant People (Shorter)
9. Timeless (Wright)
STREAM THE WHOLE ALBUM
Click the ‘Play’ button below to listen to “9 Dreams” in its entirety. Check out the great performances captured in the studio, and then come check out jazz guitarist Dave Wright from Rochester, New York at a live performance!
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I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this album. I especially like the “funk” rendition of “Love for Sale”. And, the title track ,”9 Dreams”, has an interesting menagerie of tempos, time changes, dynamics and feel which is done most tastefully.
Kudos to the artists!