Chad McCullough - Dark Wood, Dark Water

album review

Origin Records

Release date: June 16th 2009

Availability: CD, MP3 Download

 Chad McCullough Dark Wood, Dark Water cover

Debut albums as leader don't come more accomplished or more highly recommendable than "Dark Wood, Dark Water".

Trumpeter Chad McCullough has assembled a three horn front-line backed by an accomplished rhythm trio that allows the full range of his writing and arrangement talents to emerge.

The sextet - Chad McCullough (trumpet, flugelhorn), Mark Taylor (alto sax, soprano sax), Geof Bradfield (tenor sax, soprano sax), Bill Anschell (piano), Jeff Johnson (bass), John Bishop (drums) – benefits from the presence of two gifted sax players alongside the leader, allowing full-voiced harmonization and vibrant soloing throughout.

Chad McCullough photo
Photo credit: Steve Korn

The eight original compositions are complemented by a successful take on the Lennon/McCartney song "Blackbird".

The ballads "Lock Down", "Home", "Bock's Car", "Dreamscape" and "The Oracle" stand out for their originality, their expressiveness and their more than occasional summoning up of real beauty. Bill Anschell's piano playing is of special note here. But then, this is an almost perfect sextet in which both bass and drums also play an essential part alongside the horns.

The more uptempo material - "Three Pillars", "Nightmare's Dance", "Anatomy Of A Conscience" – is just as successful, allowing the soloists to feature to great effect.

A highly accomplished album. Strongly recommended.


Bookmark and Share




To preview and purchase "Dark Wood, Dark Water" on CD at amazon:

amazon CD
 Chad McCullough Dark Wood, Dark Water cover


To preview and purchase "Dark Wood, Dark Water" on MP3 at amazon:

amazon MP3
 Chad McCullough Dark Wood, Dark Water cover


You can hear streaming audio of four tracks from the album here.

Chad McCullough home page

Visit the 100 Greatest Jazz Albums Store
What is this?


RETURN TO: Jazz New Releases

RETURN TO: Main Page



amazon.com logo
Jazz at amazon.com

Add a link to this site


free web page counters

No comments: