Year: 2008
Record Label: Self-Published
Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
Musicians: Sharel Cassity (Alto Sax), Vincent Ector & Paul Beaudry (Rhythms), Mike Dease (Trombone), Adam Birdbaum (Piano)
Review:
Just in Jazz
Sharel Cassity – Just For You
Alto supremacy is the working title of this spin today! Just For You is cunningly complex, yet seemingly effortless with sly execution, by saxophonist Sharel Cassity. Mixed with standards, even the originals leave no doubt that this horn chanteuse has an engagement with destiny.
Assured not to be a “card holding member” of the “Legion of Imitators”… Ms. Cassity has earned that aura of exclusivity about her horn, and its soothing appeal. Case in point is the tip-toe affect Ms. Cassity’s sax offers in “Irazu (Wish You Were Here).” The intro guides you into the body of the piece. At that juncture, Adam BirnBaum’s keys mystically pull you into the piece. The blanket of Michael Dease’s trombone assists in crafting this piece into a spin-frenzy disc, a brief look into choice cuts to come.
“Wow” is just that, with the dueling brass-attack introducing this Lenne Tristano arrangement. The inter-relationship of horn personalities is crisp, carving into the imagination of the audience. The fresh upbeat intermingling of sounds makes the arrangement stand alone in any educated crowd.
The entire disks bleeds innovation, as again, the listener experiences just that with the exit cut ‘Cherokee.” Fun dictates this spin with numerous avenues of sound excellence. The arrangement is serious and filled with technical prowess, splashing an attitude of care-free naïve pleasure. Horns inviting ivories only to be embraced by the skins, an amazing party of tones and riffs!
A sound, such as Just for You offers, can only be created with a cast of players and talent offered on this disc. Knowing one's role and how to compliment each other musically, is exactly what this cast of characters has accomplished. Ms. Cassity, with her genre blending mentality and alto sax axe in hand, has sat comfortably and successfully slid into that role as leader. The woman is polished brass!
Just for You offers a vast array of jazz attitudes from the Latin-esque feel to the swing stimulation so often admired in the horn family. The Indie-ignition of talent, sound, and arrangements is best left to be examined by the jazz populace at this point for as Ms. Cassity states…it is Just for You!
Tracks: 1. Phibes' Revenge
2. Just for You
3. Irazu (Wish You Were Here)
4. Lover Man
5. Wow
6. Roditi's Dream
7. Cherokee
Artist's Website: http://www.sharelcassity.com
Reviewed by:
Karl Stober
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