Zembla Variations - 3945

Review **** (4stars) top- drawer acoustic jazz from the still-swinging heart of the tradition. -Cormac Larkin, The Irish Times BR People complain that jazz is not relevant or exciting - those folks need to sit down for a generous helping of Josh Ginsburg's Zembla Variations., Stop Tempest --Cormac Larkin, The Irish Times In a couple of days, bassist/composer/bandleader Josh Ginsburg will issue his first album, one he's clearly ready for. Zembla Variations, inspired mainly from his Red Hook, Brooklyn environs, finds Ginsburg sliding into those composer and bandleader roles with confidence after already establishing himself as a sideman for an impressive list of jazz notables. Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Robert Glasper, John Ellis, Jeremy Pelt, Aaron Parks and the Strickland twins are just a few on that list. In establishing his own musical voice for the first time to the world with Zembla Variations, Ginsburg sounds maybe a little like each of these, but the composite effect has him sounds like none of them. Sure, there's a standard jazz quartet filled out by George Colligan on piano and Rhodes, Eli Degibri on tenor and soprano saxophones and Rudy Royston on drums, but these eight original songs are beyond the standard fare of jazz. Ginsburg shows a great deal of sophistication in constructing advanced harmonies that don't veer off the path. Non-linear, twisting and punchy melodies are often matched to conventional tempos and at other times, tricky time signatures are married to straightforward melodies. The meticulousness of big band arrangements find their way into every song, so it's easy to forget there's just four of them performing. 'Pushbar (For Emergency Exit)' is the right leadoff track as it pulls together many facets of Ginsburg's method of song construction: the animation, the multidirectional pacing and his own, slinky, bouncing bass lines. 'Zembia Variations,' the title track, breaks from the formula a bit by taking a figure, repeating it over and over, but allowing each band member to improvise around that repeating progression, resulting in those interesting 'variations.' '10,000 Leagues' swings, but in an ultra-modern way. 'Red Giant'; swings too, but at a breakneck pace. 'Koan' is as urbane as ballads go, but following Ginsburg's sprawling bass line reveals there's more to the song that only adds to its perplexity, and Colligan plays an appropriately crisp solo. 'Jakewalk' is a more traditional, blues-infused jazz where most of the action is coming from the bomb-filled drums of Royston. Each song attacks in a different way, but held together by Ginsburg's consistently inventive ways to start with what has been done before and shake it up a bit to lead listeners out toward the frontier. He does so without going much so far out front that they lose sight of him and his conceptions. That makes Zembla Variations a fully realized debut that manages to entertain while it goes exploring. Zembla Variations goes on sale February 7 by Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. You can purchase the album from the BJUR site or CDBaby, when available. Visit Josh Ginsburg's website. --S. Victor Aaron, Something Else! Zembla Variations is Brooklyn-based bassist Josh Ginsburg s debut recording of all-original pieces. Out now on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records, the album demonstrates Ginsburg s command of the composition and his love of Brooklyn. Zembla Variations takes its name from a small furniture company in Red Hook and is ensconced in the neighbourhood. Ginsburg wrote all but one of the pieces on the record over the last five years in the Brooklyn locale and it shows in the dreamlike but grounded construction of the songs. There is an understated, working class texture to his arrangements that makes things feel remarkably alive and passionate. Along with Ginsburg, Zembla Variations features the musical services of Eli Degibri (tenor and soprano saxophones), George Colligan (piano and Fender Rhodes) and Rudy Royston
ASIN: B007C7PYNW
VSKU: GGV.B007C7PYNW.N
Condition: New
Author/Artist:Josh Ginsburg
Binding: Audio CD