Welcome, Chris Quartet / Refrain
Album: Refrain   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Welcome, Chris Quartet   Added:Nov 2009
Label:Empty Room  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2010-02-14 Pull Date: 2010-04-18 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Apr 18 Mar 28 Feb 28
Airplays: 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Mar 15, 2014: Music Casserole
#19
3. Mar 26, 2010: Memory Select, late edition
#24
2. Apr 15, 2010: Memory Select
#28
4. Feb 26, 2010: Memory Select, early edition
#17

Album Review
Wedge
Reviewed 2010-02-07
Guitar/sax-led jazz that emphasizes a slow, molasses feel. A modern free-jazz aesthetic with challenging melodies and lots of "out" soloing. Things to tend to heat up later in each track, as the band revs up and the soloists gain momentum. The first 2 seconds of most tracks won't grab you here, but there's plenty to enjoy. (Tracks 3 and 8 are the easiest for radio purposes.)

Chris Welcome - guitar
Jonathan Moritz - sax
Shayna Dulberger - bass
John McLellan - drums

1- A midtempo, cautions theme (after very quiet intro). Slow piece with aggressive drums.
2- Abstract digging, a slow heavy wandering
3- Kind of pretty. Slow, sublime; light but assertive drumming.
4- A crawl. Really, really, slow, and often quiet. But there's some interesting dialogue in there later on.
5- Marchlike procession, drawn out to a slowness that's ragged. (Not necessarily in a bad way.)
6- Slow/mid, with high, squealing sax that gets into gnarled duo-soloing with the guitar
7- Flowing slow melody, hardy bass solo, then pointillistic pecking, a very abstract group improv.
8- Shuffling swing, still slowish. Dusky, wandering solos for sax and guitar.

Track Listing
1. #19   5. #22
2. #16   6. #20+21
3. #17   7. #24
4. #18   8. #28