Tracklist:

1. Family Song [07:47]

2. Briggs [09:48]

3. Message From Roit [07:59]

4. Resurgence [07:27]

5. Winding Road [06:32]

6. A Tear From New York [08:52]

7. The Honeymoon [05:12]

8. Rachel And Sarah [06:28]

 

Line-up:

Chuck Manning - tenor & soprano saxophone

Larry Koonse - guitar

Darek 'Oles' Oleszkiewicz - bass

Kevin Tullis - drums

 

Reviews:

 

Engaging in group improvisation for "Briggs," the quartet lights solemn fires. It’s a unique piece with equal input from the quartet’s four members. Also containing a fair amount of drama is "Resurgence," an up-tempo piece in the hard bop idiom with off-kilter bass work. Manning and Koonse stretch out considerably. Four ballads emphasize the quartet’s penchant for melodic beauty: "Family Song," "Winding Road," in memory of bassist Eric von Essen, "Rachel and Sarah," dedicated to Koonse’s young daughters, and "A Tear from New York." Up-tempo swingers "The Honeymoon" and "Message from Roit" pick things up with a walking bass, ride cymbal, and foot tappin’ energy. Each artist pumps something extra into the formula: a subtle change in the harmony by guitar, a brief rudimentary snare drum fill, or a bass double-stop. The LAJQ is carrying on the tradition of classic acoustic mainstream jazz while incorporating original compositions and spontaneous thoughts.

 

(Jim Santella, AllAboutJazz)