Opinion by Upright

13 Mar

Written by Glenn Astarita
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Based in Montreal, Canada, this quintet led by bassist Eric Martin abides by a jazz-fusion type methodology. Formed in 1996, the unit has gone through a few personnel changes and regrouped, spawning this release. It’s a sax-keyboards-guitar driven ensemble, augmented by a tight rhythm section. And while the musicians’ scurry through a few odd-metered unison choruses and groove-based rhythms, the compositions generally fail to sustain interest. No doubt the band is focused, yet a good portion of this recording seems more like a pastiche of disparate musical fragments stitched together. On the opener "Nouveau Depart," keyboardist Marc-Etienne Savage renders a beefy, analog synth pattern atop a peppery vibe, amid some pleasant guitar work by Annam Nguyen. And the quintet delves into some linearly driven choruses and loose jamming type endeavors. But at the end of the day, this outing in particular is relatively indistinguishable from the abundance of recordings dished out by other ensembles of this ilk.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Upright
CD Title: Opinion
Genre: Fusion
Year Released: 2004
Record Label: Unicorn Records
Musicians: Annam Nguyen (guitar), Marc-Etienne Savage (keyboard), Jerome Chamberland (drums), Bernard Barribeau (saxophones), Eric Martin (bass)
Label Website: http://www.unicornrecords.com
Rating: Two Stars