Ken Fowser - Right on Time

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:03
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:53)  1. Stand Clear Of The Closing Doors
(3:39)  2. Samba for Joe Bim
(4:21)  3. Duck And Cover
(6:59)  4. No Filter
(5:46)  5. Don't Let Life Pass You By
(4:36)  6. On My Way
(6:40)  7. Keep Doing What You're Doing
(7:22)  8. Fowser Time
(5:44)  9. A Poem For Elaine
(6:59) 10. Knights Of The Round

With the release earlier this year of Right On Time, sax specialist Ken Fowser has now put out as many solo albums as he’s made with former musical partner and vibes ace Kehn Gillece. The last time a Fowser-led work was examined in this space, the tenor man was just stepping out onto his own and it was noted then in this classic, acoustic quintet setting that “Fowser’s tone and delivery is a big bag of soul.” Sax players with those qualities always thrive in an organ and guitar combo where the higher grease quotient fits right in with their diction, and at the urging of producer Marc Free, that’s just what Ken Fowser does for Right On Time. Wisely choosing guitarist Ed Cherry and organist Brian Charette to literally provide electricity to the sessions along with Willie Jones III on drums, it might be the first time most people are hearing Fowser in this type of soul-jazz environment, but it seems as if he’s done this thing all along. Tone and feel is everything here, and this crew consistently delivers. “Samba For Joe Bim” is as advertised, and the low, single lines from Cherry following the higher octave notes from Ken Fowser is one of the little arrangement touches that elevates the quality of these sessions above the crowd of very competent jazz recordings that are still made today. “Duck And Cover” swings authoritatively in the proud tradition of a Posi-Tone recording date, and listeners are treated with Fowser sharing solo duties with trombonist Steve Davis and trumpeter Joe Magnarelli. An imaginative arrangement on another swinger “Knights Of The Round” has the horn players playing a pattern at slightly different spots a la “Row Row Row Your Boat” and Magnarelli later blows a smoldering aside. With the three-man horn front line, a blues-based strain and a steady shuffle, “Keep Doing What You’re Doing” sounds like an electrified Art Blakey tune. “Fowser Time” continues along that same vibe but with a tauter rhythm, and the song’s namesake solos unhurriedly and confidently like a seasoned vet. “No Filter” is a great groove mated to a fetching melody, with another Davis/Magnarelli appearance and further boosted by Cherry’s Montgomery mannerisms. Jones shows a knack for locking down the pulse with taste but for “On My Way,” his refinement is a bit more out front, with multiple fills and a lively trading of fours. Great organ/guitar combos can deliver the coolness as effectively as they bring the heat, and this one makes good on the cool side with the down tempo “Don’t Let Life Pass You By.” Ken Fowser’s pleadings convince and Charette knows just how much emotion to put into his spotlight. https://somethingelsereviews.com/2019/07/13/ken-fowser-right-on-time-2019/

Personnel: Ken Fowser, tenor saxophone; Steve Davis, trombone; Joe Magnarelli, trumpet; Brian Charette, organ; Ed Cherry, guitar; Willie Jones III, drums.

Right on Time

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Ken Fowser - Don't Look Down

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:11
Size: 122,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Maker's Marc
(5:20)  2. Coming Up Shorter
(4:41)  3. You're Better Than That
(5:25)  4. Fall Back
(3:38)  5. Don't Look Down
(4:59)  6. Divided State
(5:15)  7. I'll Take It From Here
(5:06)  8. Queens
(5:54)  9. Top To Bottom
(3:53) 10. Inversions
(4:40) 11. From Six To Midnight

Ken Fowser arrived in New York City in 2005 after being raised in the rhythmic legacy of arrived in New York City in 2005 after being raised in the rhythmic legacy of the Philly sound. Playing with a deep harmonic sensibility, often sidestepping traditional harmony, Fowser has since created a sound that bears the pure physicality of the Philadelphia tradition refined by his experience in Gotham. His sound conjures audible images of George Coleman, as much as Philly legends Benny Golson and Jimmy Heath. His creative drive inspired by these pure jazz legacies has been in plain view in sessions at Small's and Smoke in Manhattan for the past decade.  On a national scale, many jazz fans know Fowser through his recordings in partnership with brilliant vibraphonist Ben Gillece that began with the post bop session Full View (Posi-Tone, 2009). He has released a well received solo effort as well, Standing Tall (Posi-Tone, 2016). On his latest Posi-Tone release, Don't Look Down, Fowser takes us for a hard/post bop journey through 11 originals, leading a quintet of top tier New York players including up and coming trumpeter, Joshua Bruneau. The opening piece, "Maker's Marc," personifies the session, and in large, the entire Posi-Tone mission. The label is committed to music that lives on the edge of the hard bop/post bop frontier, upheld by superb musicianship and creative composition. There is a consistency to the brand, sometimes maddenly so. However, the overwhelming majority of the time, the music supports the philosophy and the result has been a catalog of top notch recordings worthy of the attention of the elite jazz audience.  "Fall Back" is just a full-on hard bop romp, driven by the exquisite work of drummer Joe Strasser. His connection and interaction with bassist Paul Gill is evident from start to finish. Veteran pianist Rick Germanson creates the harmonic foundation of this piece, and the entire session, with elegance and ease. Trumpeter Bruneau always seems to be on the brink of something, leaving the audience a bit on the edge of their seats. His evolution over the next few years will be something to watch on the national scene.  The title track eases things down a bit, and perhaps best displays the working chemistry of this quintet. Fowser strays a bit from the common center in his solo, in a dulcet tonality. The melody line and associated harmony is rich and full of color, a trait that is reflected in all 11 compositions. There is a vivid sensibility that is engaging and leads to a pure, melodic approach to improvisation.  

Fowser cites the great American poet, and beat generation icon, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, in the liner notes with his quote, "Think Long Thoughts in Short Sentences." There is a real correlation between Ferlinghetti's poetic vision and that of the art of improvisation. On Don't Look Down, Fowser offers the poetry of sound, the prose of the art of jazz. 

~ Paul Rauch https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dont-look-down-ken-fowser-posi-tone-records-review-by-paul-rauch.php

Personnel: Ken Fowler: tenor saxophone; Josh Bruneau: trumpet; Rick Germanson: piano; Paul Gill: bass; Joe Strasser: drums.

Don't Look Down

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Ken Fowser, Behn Gillece - Duotone

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:34
Size: 131.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:06] 1. Overcooked
[5:40] 2. Spontaneity
[6:30] 3. Attachment
[6:45] 4. Back To Back
[3:24] 5. Come Around Again
[7:40] 6. In The Twilight
[5:41] 7. Low Ball
[5:22] 8. Bongo
[7:20] 9. Offset
[4:01] 10. One For G

"Duotone" is a term that belongs to the world of photography, but it makes perfect sense when applied to this recording. Tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece superimpose their tonal colors and personalities against one another, to create an aural portrait that's both traditional and modern.

While the supporting personnel have changed on each of their three Posi-Tone dates, the basic template by which their music is designed remains, essentially, the same. On each album, the pair employs a quintet to deliver melodically-inviting material with impressive soloing , but they also branch out beyond this general description. "Spontaneity" features a wide developmental arc, which begins with impressionistic piano and loose, searching statements, eventually arriving at propulsive swing, and "Come Around Again" is an intimate, musical-dream sequence.

Both men own equal shares in this music but, as on Little Echo (Posi-Tone, 2010), Gillece serves as the primary composer. Fowser's contributions—the breezy, Brazilian-tinged "Bongo" and the hip, swinging "One For G"—come at the end of the album, after Gillece has already established himself as the compositional kingpin of the group. His music can be hypnotic ("Offset"), relaxed and carefree ("Low Ball"), or caffeinated and swinging ("Back To Back"), depending on the moment, but all of it remains highly accessible.

While the solid architecture of each piece speaks to the writing skills of Gillece, and Fowser on a smaller scale, jazz remains an improviser's art, and this album features plenty of soloing to attest to their strengths in this area. While they take the large majority of the solo spots, pianist Donald Vega is an almost-equal partner in this department. He steals the show on the up-tempo "Back To Back," and his bluesy piano work on "Offset" takes the song in a different direction.

The team of bassist David Wong, of drummer Roy Haynes' Fountain of Youth band fame, and überdrummer Willie Jones III are as good a rhythm duo as can be hoped for, and they provide superb support throughout the program. When the music requires intensity, they push and prod to perfection, but they also underline the cool characteristics of the slower, swinging material on the album.

Duotone isn't a radical departure from Full View (Posi-Tone, 2009) and Little Echo, but that's just fine. It's a winning program of original tunes that continues to show off the chemistry which exists between two exciting instrumental voices bound for the big time. ~Dan Bilawsky

Duotone

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