Jon Cowherd • Gateway
 f you’re already a Newvelle Records subscriber, or you've
just been reading about the releases on The Audio Beat, you have an idea of what
to expect from this LP. Gateway is a quartet session featuring pianist, composer,
arranger and producer Jon Cowherd, New York jazz-scene guitarist Steve Cardenas, popular
session bassist Tony Scheer, and versatile drummer Brian Blade. It faithfully continues
the tradition of earlier Newvelle Records releases with urbane, modern jazz captured in
outstanding sound wrapped in a sumptuous package fashioned at GR8! Design.
The title song is a gently flowing, melodic tune driven with an implied intensity, courtesy of drums and bass. Cardenas contributes some tasty, ethereal guitar with notes that seemingly have neither beginning nor end. The quartet sings with one voice on this one, Blade displaying strong drum chops. "Memorial Day" finds the mood turning dirge-like. After the intro, a procession of rigorous beats and surprisingly jaunty piano leads to an overall feeling of despair. Soon after, though, "Memorial Day" assumes a refreshing mood change. The side’s closer, "Wandering Heart," is a beautiful, pensive, introspective piece featuring a lovely bass solo by Tony Scheer. Side two’s opener, "Warriors," is Lennie Tristano for the millennial age. It’s a jumpy, angular, nervous tune searching for a center. The solos are quite nice and receive subtle support from the bass and drums. "A Beautiful Something," the refreshing follow-up, is just what its title implies. It features sublime ensemble playing, Cowherd’s lyrical piano and Cardenas’s fluid guitar. The fine blend of music and talent heard here results in a very peaceful and soothing listening experience. A gospel feel overwhelms "Piano Improvisation #2," and it shows a looser, sanctified Cowherd. Toned-down fusion à la Chick Corea permeates "Braun’s Bronco." If the group Return To Forever went acoustic, their music might sound like this. Cardenas’s angry guitar, repressed earlier, is released here to good effect. Cowherd’s passionate solo is his most energetic on the LP. A beautifully recorded, beautifully played piano opens the too brief "Piano Improvisation #3," providing a fitting close to the album. This session was engineered by Marc Urselli at Manhattan’s East Side Sound studio, and it was beautifully mastered for LP by Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk. As before, the 180-gram opalescent LP played dead quiet, thanks to a superb pressing by MPO in France. A thought-provoking photograph by Olivier Culmann, from the collection of Tendance Floue, graces the cover, and an equally intriguing photo by Patrick Tourneboeuf occupies the inner gatefold. There are two inner sleeves: one plain white and lined with vinyl-friendly tissue paper, the other thicker and glossy, with notes by producer Elan Mehler. At one point during my listening, as the brief "Piano Improvisation #1" began, I sensed that something was terribly wrong. What came from the speakers sounded like severe mistracking. Aha, I thought. Finally a Newvelle LP with something to criticize! Bewildered, I grabbed my pen to note my first negative about these LPs. How wrong I was. There was nothing amiss with the record at all. After a quick look-see, I discovered the culprit: accumulated schmutz on the stylus. I gave it a quick swipe with my stylus cleaner and all returned to normal. Note to self (and others): if something doesn’t sound right when playing one of these records, check that the stylus is clean. Gateway is the ninth release in Newvelle
Records' limited-edition subscription service. If you are not a subscriber, do not hold
back. This music will enrich your spirit. |
