Michael Dease - Give It All You Got (February 26, 2021 Posi-Tones Records)

Poll-winning trombonist Michael Dease shows us just what it means to "Give It All You Got" on his eighth release for Posi-Tone. All the pieces fit together perfectly as Dease provides remarkable clarity of vision for enlisting the able assistance of Jim Alfredson on organ, Greg Tardy on saxophone, Anthony Stanco on trumpet, Gwendolyn Dease on percussion, and Ulysses Owens Jr. on drums.

This remarkable collection of hard hitting performances also features special guest appearances from saxophonist Sharel Cassity and guitarist Randy Napoleon that are seamlessly woven into the mix as the bandleader shines brightly with inspiration across a wide spectrum of styles and sounds! 

Critical ears and casual listeners will be delighted as Michael Dease continues to entertain and astonish, while walking the talk of his charitable message to "Give It All You Got."

1. A Sliver Of Silver 05:47

2. Climb The Mountain 07:04

3. Dave's Boogie-Down 05:58

4. Lake Toxaway Getaway 04:56

5. Parker's Fancy 04:57

6. Ritmo De Brevard 06:08

7. The Next Level 05:18

8. Transylvania County Funk Parade 06:08

9. Word To The Wise 05:23

10. Zanderfied 05:58

Michael Dease - trombone

Anthony Stanco - trumpet, flugelhorn 6

Gregory Tardy - tenor saxophone

Jim Alfredson - organ

Ulysses Owens Jr. - drums

Gwendolyn Dease - congas 1, 4, 6, 8, 10; triangle 5, 6

Brooklyn Dease - percussion 6

Luther Allison - drums 3, 9

Sharel Cassity - alto saxophone 5

Randy Napoleon - guitar 8

produced by Marc Free

engineered by Nick O'Toole

recorded September 22, 2019 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY

mixed & mastered at Woodland Studio, Lake Oswego, OR

Pre-order

Michael Dease - Decisions (2015)

BY S. VICTOR AARON / somethingelsereviews

I’ve might have said this before: Michael Dease is the rightful heir to the trombone legacy of Curtis Fuller, and even Fuller himself might agree. Rare is the trombonist who can match the technical proficiency, inventive phrasing and genuine feel that seems to come easily to Dease.

After making a triumphant foray into big band for his Posi-Tone debut Relentless, Dease gets back to small ensemble business for Decisions (August 28, 2015). Heading a five-piece band with Tim Green on alto sax, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass and Ulysses Owens behind the drum kit, Dease makes good use of the talent he’s assembled using mostly his own compositions with a couple of standards tossed in for good measure.

Dease serves up prime post-bop in all sorts of flavors. “Grove’s Groove” has a nice shuffling groove courtesy of Owens’ precise drumming, but Zaleski’s spry solo is the high point of a series of fine solos by nearly everyone. The rhythm section forges a crisp, contemporary groove for “Jason’s Gonna Get Ya” that the horns nimbly syncopate around, but Dease composed a complexity to the song that goes well beyond being just a riff. He does the same for “Right Place Wrong Time,” a track where Green’s expressive alto steals the show. Whitaker’s taut bass work anchors a lilting swing for “Decisions,” again a highlight for Zaleski. And Owens gets to show off on the blues based “The Big D.”

Take those stellar individual performances away and you can still be blown be dazzled by Dease’s trombone. He makes it sing on “Gorgeous Gwen” and on ballads like “Everything Must Change” he knows just how much emotion to invest in his trombone to make it believable.

A model of consistency, style and grace, Michael Dease stays at the head of the class among jazz trombonists with his seventh album, Decisions.

01. Grove's Groove

02. Jason's Gonna Get Ya

03. Trayvon

04. Gorgeous Gwen

05. Decisions

06. Right Place Wrong Time

07. Everything Must Change

08. Three And One

09. You're My Everything

10. The Big D

Michael Dease: trombone

Tim Green: saxophone

Glenn Zaleski: piano

Rodney Whitaker: bass

Ulysses Owens Jr.: drums

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

VÍCTOR