By: Vince Lewis
Reminisce
is a collection of tunes recorded and assembled over the past few years by funk-jazz guitarist Eric Krasno. Krasno has excellent support from Adam Deitch on drums, Nigel Hall on bass, keys and vocals, Ryan Zoidis on saxophone and flute, Neal Evans on organ and Alan Evans also on drums.
Krasno has enjoyed a long and varied musical career. He was a founding member of the bands Soulive and Lettuce, has worked with jazz greats such as Joshua Redman, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Chaka Khan, and appeared with hip-hop artists 50-Cent, GZA and Talib Kweli.
The opening track is titled “Roll Out
” and sets the mood for the next forty-nine minutes of listening fun. Krasno plays with a very edgy tone and his funky phrasing is a pleasure to behold. While very similar to Eric Gale, Krasno can match bluesy licks with the best of them. As well, the rhythm section is outstanding and powerful throughout this track, and the entire album.
Other standout moments on the album include a terrific arrangement of the Beatles classic “Get Back
.” A Jimi Hendrix composition “Manic Depresion
” is also in the line up. The majority of the album is original music from Krasno. Other Titles include “76,” “Be Alright,” ”Enhorabuena” and “Song For Dilla.”
Reminisce equally incorporates the best aspects of rock and roll, blues and funk, with a lot of soul thrown in for good measure. Krasno has produced a fine project here that I can best describe as soul jazz with an attitude.
