This fine CD was sent to me during the summer of 2010 and today is the final day of the year December 31st 2010. This is not normal but due to the fact that I am swimming in CD's every month a few gems get lost in the shuffle. Master Plan B was one of those CD's.

After my first listen I was excited about this band because I really could not label them. Sure, they have the typical Jazz line up, an upright bass, tenor sax, drums and guitar. The only thing missing is the jazz piano player. Still with all this sterotype the music defied the obvious classifications.

This isn't smooth jazz or radio friendly happy jazz, it's not even New Orleans Jazz although it does lean in this direction a little bit. Guitarist, Joe Bartone is the song writer for this group and because the songs come from a guitarist's approach the vibe is total different then jazz songs derived from a piano players perspective. The music is all about melody and not just chord structures. As a result, the music is very exciting and not conceptual.

One thing I really liked about this CD was the way they recorded the upright bass. Wow, you can hear the flesh meeting the strings and the wood resonating with every deep note that was played. Brandon Schmidt is on fine bass player and he sets up such a stunning groove when he plays. I'm sure drummer Sean Rainey would admit that his job was made easy because of Branndon.

The one big surprise was with the use of tenor sax player Space Kyle. Any time I see a sax player in a jazz group I expect to hear 45 minutes of sax domination. Not the case here. The instrument was weaved in and out of the song to reinforce the songs melodic strengths and not just on sax solo after another.

The whole recording was done on November 23rd 2009 at King Size Studio in Los Angeles. Mixing by Paul du Gre with engineering from Andrew Lynch. The CD was produced by Joe Bartone. The recording was beyond prestine, it had another layer of shine that is hard to imagine unless you have the CD playing on a set of Martin Logan speakers with a Rel sub-woofer. It's alway great to be able to hear the flesh on the fingers as they are placed across the strings of an upright bass. The drum sound was crystal clear and mixed perfectly into the sound stage. Even the occasional inhale from tenor sax player Space Kyle shows just how revealing this recording was.

Joe Bartone understands how to write, perform and record music. His knowledge was put to the test with this recording and he passed with flying colors. I'm just sorry I took so long to finally review this work of art.
5.1 stars, because it was so well done and it was even better then a 5 star rating!
This CD is available from CDBaby.com, click the CD cover to the right to order online....

Hi Charlie,
On behalf of me and all the guys I offer you humble thanks for the warm and enthusiastic review of our last CD. We appreciate the kind words. You are a good man to take on such a thankless job. I am sure it takes many many hours of your time and effort to help others. There is a special place in the universe for good heart like yours.