JOE BOWDEN

MUSIC IS LIFE

Independent Label

Joe Bowden, drums/composer; Warren Wolf, vibraphone; Manuel Valera, piano/arranger; Rich Brown, electric bass; Mike Downes, acoustic bass; Robert Ball, vocals.

Nova Scotia-born, drummer, Joe Bowden was the recipient of the Pioneer Award of the African Nova Scotian Music Awards in 2018.  He also won the 2023 Bucky Adams Memorial Award.  Respected as a ‘go-to’ sideman, Joe Bowden is always on the A-list of in-demand studio musicians. He is called to work with both jazz and R&B luminaries.

In 2010, Bowden released his first critically acclaimed album called, “Voices In my Head.”  This recent album is his sixth release.  The first song is “Impulse Response” and sets the mood and style of Bowden’s album.  They present a contemporary jazz soundscape, with the warm addition of Warren Wolf’s vibraphone.  Throughout this entire arrangement, Rich Brown’s electric bass is king.  Manuel Valera’s piano has a busy conversation with Wolf’s vibes.   Bowden’s drums powerfully push their music forward.

The title tune has a very youthful, funky groove and captures my attention immediately.  It’s a happy tune with a lovely melody introduced by Wolf’s vibes.  This time Mike Downes walks briskly in the rhythm section on acoustic bass. The element of straight-ahead jazz lifts this arrangement and transforms the tune in a wonderful way.  If Bowden has composed all the songs, I wonder why that’s not noted on the album jacket. I think it’s an important component of any album that credits should be displayed on the CD jacket.  The title tune, “Music is Life,” quickly becomes one of my favorites.

Pianist Manuel Valera is an incredible arranger and brought the compositions of Joe Bowden to life. Bowden’s catalogue is rich in creativity and imagination.  However, none of the musician credits are listed on the CD jacket and that bothers me.  Even when I went to theurbanyoda.com website, the names are listed, but not with their instruments.

Bowden’s original composition, “Spacing Out” was another favorite of mine as was the tune titled, “The Next Step” that featured unexpected breaks, various time signature changes, and a rich, electric bass solo.  Bowden is clearly a talented composer.

Myself, a songwriter from the Motown era, I remember when great musicians like James Jamerson and The Funk Brothers were not individually listed as participants on Motown hit records. It makes me very concerned about musicians receiving their proper credit as players, and/or songwriters. The Vela or Wix codes on this album did not share that information either. Although I support computer generated companies who offer these packages, it only takes a little ‘extra ink’ to print the names of musical participants onto an album cover. These musicians were great and brought Joe Bowden’s songs alive. Their names deserve to be on the album cover.  By the way, who are the singers on “Someday?”

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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