Robert Young’s album HYBRID was released in February, and the reviews are just beginning!
His brilliant collection features music by Misha Zupko, David Heinick, Baljinder Sekhon, Tim Sullivan, and yours truly.
HYBRID closes with a fabulous recording of my …unsettled, unphased…, featuring Robert Young playing tenor saxophone, pianist M. Maxwell Howard, bassist John Geggie, and Tim Sullivan wailing on an extended drum set. Dave Schall recorded and mastered the track during an epic recording session in Snell Theater at The Crane School of Music.
Dr. Christopher Barrick, for TheSaxophonist.org, writes of …unsettled, unphased…:
“The album comes to a close with …unsettled, unphased… by Gregory Wanamaker, a work for tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drum set. Young is again joined by Sullivan on drums, as well as by pianist M. Maxwell Howard and bassist John Geggie. No stranger to the saxophone world, Wanamaker contributes an interesting chamber work that combines Eastern European rhythms with a number of 20th-century harmonic techniques for jazz combo instrumentation. The piece begins in medias res as Young and the ensemble play tight mixed meter grooves that invoke equal parts jazz and Bartók-esque ethnic dance rhythms. This energetic dance section returns frequently in what the composer refers to as a “sonata-rondo hybrid.” In the middle of the work, a floating bass solo is contrasted by the harsh tones of saxophone multiphonic techniques. A vigorous rock-like march decorated with tenor altissimo leads to a final coda version of the dance-groove section. Wanamaker’s …unsettled, unphased… is both a stimulating and fitting conclusion to an album inspired by a melting pot of styles and genres.”
But even more importantly, Dr. Young’s musicianship and performances on this amazing album is unparalleled. Barrick writes:
“Hybrid showcases Young’s virtuosity, including effortless expression and a facile technique indicative of his true mastery of his instrument. His collaborative musicians are superb and the recording quality is generally quite excellent, rounding out the presentation. I highly recommend that saxophonists – especially those interested in collaborative works – check out Robert Young’s impressive new recording, Hybrid.”
Bobby is one of my very favorite saxophonists and human beings. Buy HYBRID Now!
