Hey Willie!
The CD is freakin' amazing! I would like to think that despite not
knowing much (technically) about jazz that I have an appreciation and
I'd easily put you guys at the top of a list of today's jazz artists. I
did post about Katahdin's Edge tonight and posted a track of the CD as
well as a live track from your website. Hope that's okay with you.
Again, I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying the CD. Definitely a
welcome surprise.
Thanks & all the best!
Eric
Katahdin's Edge is being sadly overlooked among the groups getting acclaim for freshening the sound of the classic piano trio. On "The Ridge," this trio puts together work far beyond that of, say, the Bad Plus or the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. It is far more pioneering than either of those bands with original music such as "Glad You Called," a ballad with a strident rhythm, or "The Path," a piece with almost a folk-sounding melody.
Pianist Willie Myette has a great sense of melody and pace. Bassist John Funkhouser and drummer Mike Connors offer rhythmic patterns that are creative without ever being out of touch with the job of propelling a song. The group is named after the highest peak in Maine, and rises to that level.
- Bob Karlovits (The Pittsburgh Tribune)
CD Baby Customer Reviews
(*****) Reviewer: Giuseppe Primerano Just a beautiful surprise from katahdin’s edge after "Step away"!
"This new release from Katahdin's looks like a good second chapter in their recent history. The melodies are winning, the sound is right and all compositions are original. My preferences go to Glad, MTA and Fujimoto but the whole album is excellent and doesn't have any fault. I guess this CD will be a suitable company for me in the next weeks. When an Italian tour?"
(*****) Reviewer: Brett Buckland Sounds so familiar, yet fresh and inventive
"I just came back from a trip to San Franciso, my first time in this beautiful city, and in the US in fact. When I returned to my home in Hong Kong this CD was waiting for me, so I put it on whilst unpacking, and it cheered me up no end - made me feel connected back to the west coast! The music sounds so much like stuff I can but roughly approximate when I lay my own fingers on the keys. I love the use of deep, rich 9th and sus chords that really give it that alpine, azure feel, but punctuated with warm interludes of saturday afternoon clubby jazziness. Would wholeheartedly recommend this CD and am on the lookout for similar contemporary stuff."
(*****) Reviewer: Ray Caron Love this CD!!!
"I heard an interview with Willie Myette on Eric Jackson's show Eric in Evening on WGBH. I enjoyed opportunity to "meet" the artist and listen to selections from this great CD. Of course being an avid hiker I was pre-disposed to like Katahdin's Edge. I love the way this CD contrasts with Willie Myette Trio "This is Jazz". I like playing them together. I will definitely sample some more of this artist's work."
Listen to samples from the CD by clicking on the title. Quicktime Req.
"Step Away" is Katahdin's Edge debut CD released in 2004 with eight originals by Myette.
"Make way for this highly innovative jazz trio with exceptional substance and incredible musicality. Proving the fear wrong that dabbling in other genres dilutes the purity of the focus, Katahdin's Edge sneaks and slides in tastes from middle eastern scales, to classical-tinged, expansive phrasing to a fervent groove that bumpity bumps along after the free-spirited melodies. From there, they turn the corner into darker and more introspective pockets of reflective, inward-turned pieces, delving into the seeds of harmony, flourishing with rushes of untamed emotion and human conviction. No doubt, this album is a must for the modern jazz seeker." - CDBaby.com
Listen to samples from the CD by clicking on the title. Quicktime Req.
