Forrest Dylan Bryant
Forrest Dylan’s Contributions
August 2008 • Undertones
Play That Thing
Rick Wald 16/NYC
This unconventional big band may not have the name recognition of some other ensembles, but it offers as rich and engaging an experience as you’re likely to find anywhere. Saxophonist Wald’s pliant, modernist compositions and spiky arrangements of classics...
June 2008 • Undertones
Arrival
Omer Avital
Although Omer Avital’s arrival as a creative force occurred more than a decade ago, this richly evocative disc serves as a time capsule of sorts, revisiting 11 tunes the Israeli-American bassist wrote from 1998-2001. Building on straightforward themes while...
June 2008 • Undertones
Turning Point
BMR4
The members of Chicago quartet BMR4 have roots in both jazz and blues. They easily bridge the gap in this set, a cheerful straightahead mix with sources ranging from Fats Waller to James Brown to Black Sabbath. Saxophonist Jay Moynihan plays soulful tenor...
June 2008 • Undertones
Gratitude
Hadley Caliman
It’s been 31 years since his last album, but veteran West Coast saxophonist Hadley Caliman shows he’s still got chops in this brisk, joyous return. Caliman’s tone has a natural, humanist sound, with a soft edge and a voicelike cadence that makes even quick...
June 2008 • Undertones
Everybody’s Got a Name
Greg Chako
Greg Chako is an American guitarist who has spent the bulk of his career gigging across East Asia. His straightahead, coolly swinging sound is heard in trio and quartet arrangements on this release, mostly originals with a jam-session feel. While much of...
June 2008 • Undertones
Gerald Cleaver’s Detroit
Gerald Cleaver
Drummer Gerald Cleaver’s homage to his hometown is a no-nonsense affair, offering an unblinking portrait of the city’s bygone grandeur, rich jazz history and slow, sad decay yet still casting an optimistic eye toward the future. Weaving together sturdy postbop...
June 2008 • Undertones
Awakenings
Chris Cortez
Acoustic guitarist Chris Cortez brings a conversational approach and upbeat attitude to these 10 contemporary tunes, many of which have a Latin streak. Cortez’s lilting lines create a beautifully overdubbed duet on “Palmettos” and merge gracefully with vibes...
June 2008 • Undertones
The Message
Evidence Jazz Group
Making the case for the jazz scene in Grand Rapids, Mich., this capable quintet offers up a nice mix of hard-bop and contemporary Latin sounds. Saxophonist Michael S. Doyle leads the group with an informal sense of swing and concise solo statements, but...
June 2008 • Undertones
Reptilian Fantasies
Bruce Gertz Quintet
Bassist Bruce Gertz lays a solid foundation for this set, taking the spotlight only intermittently as he shapes 13 modern-jazz tracks ranging from exotic, winding melodies and gently creeping conversations to buoyant hard-bop and freewheeling rhythmic exercises...
June 2008 • Undertones
TimeLine
Steve Giordano’s Spacetet
Steve Giordano’s guitar is ringing and translucent, sharply etched against the icy-cool sound of his Spacetet ensemble’s third CD. The group dynamic is very light and airy, with a wide-open, spontaneous sound that comes at the listener in gentle waves. Alto...
June 2008 • Undertones
Brand New
Alex Graham
Reinterpreting jazz standards and soul classics with equal vigor, alto saxophonist Alex Graham rolls, honks and swings in this upbeat, breezy set. A first-class band joins him, with David Hazeltine’s jolly piano setting much of the mood. There are unexpected...
June 2008 • Undertones
Cheesecake
Bob Leto Trio
A chummy atmosphere permeates this easygoing set, as drummer Bob Leto gives nine modern-jazz standards a brisk yet understated workout. Leto’s rhythms are dynamic yet in-the-pocket, somehow both chugging and transparent, and spiked by sudden splashes of...
June 2008 • Undertones
Crooked Cha
Papa Mambo
Hailing from Winnipeg, Canada, Papa Mambo is an intrepid ensemble that mixes up Latin styles old and new. On their second CD, percussionist/bandleader Rodrigo Muñoz keeps the band grounded and grooving as they meander from traditional South American rhythms...
June 2008 • Undertones
Hush Now
Oli Rockeberger
This 31-minute solo outing by singer-songwriter Rock-berger is intensely personal, a collection of simply-stated songs dealing with themes of love, inner strength and finding an anchor in difficult times. Against jazzy electric piano lines that are both...
June 2008 • Undertones
Ah-Knee-Ball
Anibal Rojas
Chilean multi-instrumentalist Anibal Rojas plays tenor saxophone with directness and soul. But he doesn’t stop there, as he breaks out an array of Andean flutes, ocarina, keyboards and even EWI alongside an ever-changing group of sidemen. On this dreamy...
June 2008 • Undertones
Expresslane
James Silberstein
With a delicate tone and quicksilver attack, guitarist James Silberstein balances bop and bossa on his second disc as a leader. The session is stacked with guest artists, but bassist Harvie S provides the fulcrum, handling all the arrangements and contributing...
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ReportAbout Forrest Dylan Bryant
Forrest Dylan Bryant is a writer/webmaster/broadcaster living in the San Francisco Bay Area. An active member of the Jazz Journalists Association, Forrest was elected to the JJA’s board of directors in 2005. For JT, Forrest wrote the Undertones CD-review column from 2007-2008. Forrest maintains his own website, The Jazz Observer, at jazzobserver.com and hosts a weekly radio program, “No Cover, No Minimum,” on Stanford University's KZSU-FM.