NOAH GARABEDIAN

QUARTETS & SOLOS

Contagious Music

Noah Garabedian, bass; Carmen Staaf, piano; Jimmy MacBride, drums; Samuel Adams, synthesizers/effects & programming; Dayna Stephens, tenor saxophone/EWI:

The opening tune, “Welcome Home” did not set the tone for this album.  It is brief, more like a segue than a full-on composition. It features programming and electronics propelled by Jimmy MacBride’s drums and sounding like a drum solo throughout.  It was the second song, “Fast Slow” that captured my interest and attention. Dayna Stephens steps forward on his tenor saxophone, with Carmen Staaf’s piano setting the mood beneath the woodwind beauty. I wish this lovely composition by bassist, composer and educator Noah Garabedian had opened this recording. Never mind. It’s a great tune, wherever Garabedian places it, although the sudden ending was a bit perplexing.

This recording alternates between eight conceptual, stand-alone quartet compositions and various solo-features by specific musicians.  Garabedian has composed all the music, using electronic atmospheres and sound effects to support some of these solo expressions.

“The Most Beautiful One” celebrates Carmen Staaf on piano.  It’s a brief composition, like an interlude piece, that comes in between two quartet arrangements. “Late Stage Epiphany” is the composition that bookends this solo work by Staaf.

The challenge with this concept is that Staaf is not given opportunity to develop the song or to improvise. However, I enjoy the new tune that follows, featuring Garabedian on upright bass. He then swivels the spotlight to Carmen Staaf on piano. At this point, we get to hear and enjoy her talents on the 88-keys, along with the expressive Dayna Stephens on tenor saxophone.

“Snap Pop” becomes another interlude piece, exploring percussion, electronic synthesizers and programming.  I cannot read the mind of this artist, but I don’t understand the point of these musical interruptions or interludes. What do they represent to this project? How do they enhance it?  For this reviewer, they break the flow of his music. The quartet numbers are far more appealing and interesting than these little snippets of musical solos and electronic sounds.

For example, “To Speak or Sing Softly” is very classically based, but beautiful. It builds to a crescendo and is infused with electronic sounds and percussion coloring the soundscape. Noah Garabedian’s bass speaks briefly at the end, like a period on the musical sentence.

Dayna Stephens, who always brings excellence to every project he plays on, solos next on a piece titled “To Swim Below.” Somehow, he makes his saxophone sound as if it’s swimming through deep waters. But, before we can enjoy his solo and talents, the piece abruptly ends. It’s another interlude.

Then comes “Casual Friday” that swings with a taste of Fusion jazz. Here is another well-written tune by the bass composer. It features Garabedian playing bass solo boldly during this arrangement. His tone is rich and round, with Staaf stroking beneath the solo using piano fingers on appropriate chords, creating rhythms to support the tune’s arrangement.  This is one of my favorite tunes on his album. It’s both engaging and melodic with a catchy horn line.

This track is followed by a ballad called “The Mayor of Malibu.” It settles the mood down, with the bass singing boldly before the saxophone arrives to tell his sweet story. This one is recorded live and ends with much audience applause.

“To Remain Alive” is presented as an up-tempo interlude that races in and races out of this production like a thief running from the law.  It’s confusing!

Although I find the production somewhat disruptive, with interlude pieces that are unsupportive of the artist’s talent and not totally representative of his wonderful bass playing. Still, Noah Garabedian’s composer skills shine. Most of the quartet compositions are well-executed by him and his all-star bandmates.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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