By: Vince Lewis
Philadelphia native, Kurt Rosenwinkel, has been a strong voice in modern jazz for several years now. A solid standards player, he is also a prolific composer.
Kurt is also a past winner of The National Endowment for the Arts Composer’s Award. His early influences were jazz players like Al Jackson, Eddie Green, Tyrone Brown, and his saxophonist father Tony Williams.
Rosenwinkel describes his music as “having something to do with the universe and how we can use our intuition to listen to what it is telling us.”
An interesting to note that Kurt says that the music for his two-disc CD, Star of Jupiter came to him in a dream. “The dream was powerful and continued into real life. It became a tangible force in the making of this album.”
This is the first quartet album for Rosenwinkel since his 2001 release titled, The Next Step, He is joined here by Aaron Parks (Piano), Eric Revis (Bass) and Justin Faulkner (Drums). He and Parks have worked together since 2006. Revis is a longtime friend who recommended Faulkner after working with him in the Branford Marsalis band.
“Gamma Band” begins the set with an ethereal 5/4 sweeping melody line. Rosenwinkel actually adds to the effect with his signature vocal sound. It then evolves in to a funky and energetic romp over solid drumming by Faulkner. Each soloist brings an obvious enthusiasm to the table and makes this a very fun listening experience.
“Welcome Home” is a rock ballad feel with a pretty melody line. The interesting and lush chord progression provides a nice platform for Rosenwinkel’s rich and full guitar sound. It is a welcome change to hear a younger player in a modern style without too much overdrive distortion in their tone.
The next selection is “Something, Something.” A solid melody delivered over a shifting rhythmic base makes this a very unique experience. “Mr. Hope” is an intricate swing tune that shows the standards background of the players effectively blended with the more modern compositional approach. “Heavenly Bodies” is an 11 minute excursion that creates the effect and mood that the title implies.
Other selections on this 2 CD set include “Spirit Kiss,” “Kurt 1,” “Under It All,” “A Shifting design” and the title cut, “Star of Jupiter.”
The entire album is penned by Rosenwinkel and definitely shows his compositional prowess. Regardless of the general musical taste of jazz guitar fans, this recording should be given a listen. It is carefully crafted and wonderfully executed by a fine player who has a truly unique and quality musical voice.
Artist: Kurt Rosenwinkel
Title Of Album: Star of Jupiter
Year Of Release: 2012
Label: WOMMUSIC
Genre: Jazz
Tracks:
CD1
01 — Gamma Band
02 — Welcome Home
03 — Something, Sometime
04 — Mr. Hope
05 – Heavenly Bodies
06 – Homage A’Mitch
CD2
01 — Spirit Kiss
02 — Kurt 1
03 — Under it All
04 — A Shifting Design
05 — Deja Vu
06 — Star of Jupiter
