Sorry No Decaf

Sorry No Decaf

ASIN: B00000IB12

Editorial Reviews
From Jazziz
Tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm has been an impressive young player for a while now, too. Best-known as part of Matt Wilson's quartet, his talent comes to the fore on his debut disc as a leader, Sorry, No Decaf. Frahm's strong suit is his versatility. Pieces such as "Laura" and "100 Years in Motion" accurately gauge the kind of grace it takes to make lyricism more than merely fetching. With wisps of Stan Getz and Kenny Barron's exploratory People Time duets in the air, he and pianist David Berkman saunter through the former, casting themselves as explorers sentimental for home. But there's a growling bear living somewhere in Frahm's soul, too. Sorry, No Decaf contains many passages where impetuousness speaks for itself. The aptly titled "Smokin' Joel" is a headlong spill of an opener, clamorous and rollicking. Offering a lefty's view of the mainstream, Frahm lets cagey moves dot the disc. On "Interesting Perhaps, but Hardly Fascinating Rhythm," there are echoes of Keith Jarrett's "Fullsuvollivus (Fools of All of Us)." Here, on Berkman's tune, Frahm's band breaks things down (the piano/tenor tap dance that comes out of nowhere) to rebuild them with aplomb (check that Wilson/Weiss groove in the tail end).

Sorry No Decaf,Joel Frahm,Palmetto Records,Crossover Jazz,Fusion,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

Average customer rating:

You gotta listen to him live !!

A good start

Tremendous Debut

A great debut CD from a wonderful player

Sorry No Decaf
Joel Frahm
Manufacturer: Palmetto Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000IB12
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Tracks:

Smokin' Joel
Elroy Sparta
100 Years In Motion
Interesting Perhaps, But Hardly Fascinating Rhythm
Song For A New Day
Laura
Sorry, No Decaf
Soul Eyes
Pennies From Heaven

Customer Reviews:

You gotta listen to him live !!.......2004-01-16

Joel Frahm has been always one of my favorite musicians since I first heard him playing in NYC. I can listen to his CD over and over and never get tired of it. He should be more famous in the market.

A good start.......2004-01-12

This CD confused me at first. Everyone sounds so good but something wasn't quite complete. Tonight while listening to it on my way home from work, I think I finally understood. I was listening to 100 Years in Motion and realized that I was hearing Wayne Shorter from his mid-sixties Blue Note era. Later, on Soul Eyes, I was hearing early Coltrane being channeled. Then Sonny Rollins, Charles Lloyd and maybe Garbarek from when he played with Jarrett.
Then it clicked. This is a debut CD and what I was hearing was the struggle of a very good young tenor player trying to wrest his own voice from his influences.
And Frahm is very good. Stylistically, to my ears he is a bit of a throw back. His tone is very much like Shorter's. There is no use of extended techniques and his harmonic sensibilities are more hard-bop than free. But he knows how to use dynamics in a way that most youngish players seem to have forgotten. And when he gets a good head of steam up as on Smokin' Joel he is a very interesting soloist with lots of ideas.
He is in very sypathetic company here. Frahm had been a member of drummer Matt Wilson quartet for three years at the time of this recording (it would have been very interesting to hear Frahm playing with the other sax player in that quartet- Andrew D'Angelo- what a great contrast in styles!) The pianist David Berkman (who contributes a great solo on Smokin' Joel) is a long time playing partner of Frahm and it shows in the way they understand each other. Doug Weiss on the bass fills up the quartet sound with a nice woody tone.
All in all, this CD is more of a promise of things to come than a finished work. Frahm has released two more CDs on the Palmetto label including one recently with Brad Mehldau. I am looking forward to hearing them.

Tremendous Debut.......2003-01-18

Frahm shines here in his first recording as a leader on both soprano and tenor sax. He sails through a program of standards and originals. Especially compelling are his original, Smokin' Joel and the standard, Pennies From Heaven. In each, he demonstrates great techinique, great rhythm, great range and a maturity beyond his years.

Wonderful music from start to finish.

A great debut CD from a wonderful player.......1999-03-13

Joel Frahm is one of the most together saxophonists on the scene, and this debut CD shows it. With a top-notch rhythm section, Joel sails through 5 of his beautiful originals, 1 of pianist Dave Berkman's, and 3 well chosen standards. Frahm's unique saxophone voice covers a broad range of emotions, from a subtle whisper to an aggressive, but always under control, burn. My own personal favorite cut on the disc is #3 (100 Years In Motion). With depth and melancholy, the entire quartet is showcased well here. On the uptempo tunes, the listener never gets the feeling that Joel is struggling -- he always makes it sound easy. If you appreciate modern, original and straight-ahead jazz, by all means check this CD out. It's a winner.

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