Echoes In The Night
* SeaBreeze Jazz (SB-3072)
released: March 2005.
features: Joe Magnarelli (trpt), Dick Oatts (as), Steve Davis (tbn), Dave Santoro (bs), Tom Melito (dr).
“The debut CD of the Earl MacDonald 6, Echoes In The Night, is a classy recording with excellent ensemble playing, interesting arrangements, and well crafted solos. The ensemble’s conceptual approach to its music provides a strong unifying feature throughout the CD and makes for an interesting, as well as,enjoyable listening experience.”
Frank Bongiorno
Saxophone Journal
Sept. / Oct. 2006
“Sea Breeze is a fine mainstream label that deserves recognition for putting out Echoes In The Night by the talented pianist Earl MacDonald and his new sextet. The music is very ingratiating and delightful, if not startlingly original.”
Budd Kopman
allaboutjazz.com
August 2005
“Jazz pianist, educator, & composer Earl MacDonald has assembled six extremely talented players, gifted in the art of expressing jazz with his current CD effort, “Echoes In The Night.” The overall artistic contour of the disc is as smooth as it gets for the bebop idiom…All accented by unexpected counterpoint, & tons of interesting rhythmic variety. I sense an attempt by the group to create a hybrid jazz form. If I’m on the right track, I feel their pursuit is a worthy goal. Last, may I say that the group’s extemporaneous musical expression of ideas, emotions, and their life experiences are exemplified quite well in the delivery of their total musical offering.”
George W. Carrol
JazzReview.com
March 2005
“Jazz mainstreamers will find this music delightfully approachable….. Avant garde lovers will delight in the subtle way these players stray again and again from dyed in-the-wool generic sounds.”
Paul Lewis
allaboutjazz.com
May 2005
“The inspired solo work flows from the clever writing contained in Earl MacDonald’s charts, and the smooth overall aspect of the music is both swinging and tuneful. Nice sounds with excellent solos and a hip rhythm section.”
Al Merritt
jazznow.com
November 2005
“The sound of this sextet is unique and if they strived for originality, they achieved it with total success. 4 Stars.”
John Gilbert
ejazznews.com
March 2005
“This group works a well-worn field but they do it with style and intelligence.”
Jerome Wilson
Cadence Magazine, The Review of Jazz & Blues: Creative
Improvised Music
Vol. 31, No. 10. October 2005.