Reviews
Zan Stewart reviewed you in the
Star-Ledger
Velvet Gentlemen
Dan Willis
(OmniTone)***
Teaneck-based Willis plays a ton of woodwinds -- here and on his gigs throughout the
NYC/NJ metro area. For the album, he includes tenor and soprano saxophone, oboe, English
horn, piccolo, bass clarinet, samba whistle and more. To provide even more tonal shadings,
he brings along six top-rate partners: guitarist Pete McCann, Fender Rhodes player and
accordionist Ron Oswanski, trumpeter and flugelhornist Chuck MacKinnon, bassists Kermit
Driscoll and Stephan Crump and drummer John Hollenbeck. The music is decidedly
forward-looking; it brings in many influences, from jazz and classical to rock. "Many
Worlds Theory" starts with bass clarinet murmurs amid drums, trumpet and guitar
textures, then turns subtly funky, with spirited soprano sax and wah-wah guitar.
"Place of Enlightenment" has a quiet, eerie beginning (accordion, bass and
woodwinds mesh enticingly). Later, Willis scores with hearty tenor saxophone statements,
and there's McCann's gleaming guitar slivers.
The title track goes from impressionist shades to a close-to-mainstream groove, with
engaging tenor from the leader.
Willis plays a CD release party Feb. 17 at the Nightingale Lounge, New York (212-473-9398;
www.nightingalelounge.com).
Dan Willis' evocative mix of smarts, skill, wit, adventure, and swing -- as both composer
and improviser -- can make for compelling listening.
Zan Stewart
Ray Comiskey
DAN WILLIS
Velvet Gentlemen OmniTone ****
Willis, multi-reedman and composer/arranger, leads a septet including trumpet/flugel-
horn, guitar, bass, electric bass and keyboards/accordion, with John Hollenbeck on drums,
in a programme of his pieces inspired by Erik Satie and quantum physics theory. What
emerges is, for the most part, fresh and, despite a mix of jazz, rock and clever use of
serialism and sound loops, surprisingly unified and homogenous. Willis, who plays 11 wind
instruments here, is a fine soloist with a highly developed sense of line to go with his
judgement as an arranger; doubling and looping also allow him to create deeply textured
ensembles for his very capable soloists, Chuck McKinnon (trumpet), Pete McCann (guitar)
and Ron Oswanski (keyboards/ accordion). At its best the music is fascinating,
particularly Many Worlds Theory, Place of Enlightenment, Door to Yesterday and, above all,
Closed Loops in Time. www.omnitone.com
Tom Hull On the Web Review
Dan Willis: Velvet Gentlemen (2003 [2006], Omnitone): Seven musicians, including Willis on
all manner of reed-like things; Chuck MacKinnon on the trumpet family; mostly electric
guitar, bass, and piano. Back cover claims: "Cross-inspird by the music of Erik Satie
and the precision-randomness paradox of quantum physics -- and infused with creative
improvised music, jazz and psychadelic [sic] '70s and '80s rock -- Velvet Gentlemenis an
earful experience." Something like that. I'm not sure if I'm overwhelmed by the
complexity of it all, or he's actually managed to achieve some form of heisenmusic. (Ref.
to Heisenberg, analogous to a CS jargon word, heisenbug: "a bug that disappears or
changes its behavior when one attempts to probe or isolate it."
Hello Dan,
Thank you for sending me a copy of your new CD. I admire your musical conception
about the ideas from Erik Satie. On your stylish suite “Velvet Gentlemen” I
perceive different feelings from human beings: desolation, tranquility, waiting,
expectancy, sorrow, hope… Favorite pieces are ‘Door to Yesterday’,
‘Velvet Gentlemen’, ‘I’m Not the Reverend’, ‘3:10
Local’, ‘Gentle Soul’… And I feel next to all the titles you give to
your compositions.“Velvet Gentlemen” provides us a sybaritic and philosophical
approach to music, and its atmosphere leads us to understand the essence of thinking and
existence. Congratulations for this excellent musical work, to you and your musical
friends.
A Velvet Lady,
Grecia.
Poet Grecia Aguilera
-Samantha Terry-
Director/Founder-Host
“Tribuna del Jazz”
radio show,
Guatemala City area,
Guatemala Central América.
Featured Artist: Dan Willis
CD Title: Velvet Gentlemen
Year: 2006
Record Label: OmniTone
Style: Progressive
Review:
Multi-reedman and adventurous composer/arranger Dan Willis would seemingly spread himself
thin within modern jazz circles. An active participant in New York’s Broadway circuit
amid numerous projects, the artist condenses his wide spectrum of influences and thought
processes, here on his debut endeavor for this prolific modern jazz record label. Inspired
by composer Erik Satie’s music and nickname -- The Velvet Gentlemen -- combined with
brainy topics such as precision-randomness (quantum physics), Willis envelopes these
disparate slants into a cross-genre array of implementations. But the equalizer resides
within the artist’s ability to fuse cool horn charts with jazz-rock guitar lines,
Parisian themes and dense fabrics of sound into a palpable program that makes darn good
sense. With an arsenal of conventional and indigenous woodwinds at hand, Willis’
breathes fluency and articulately expressed themes into a set that sustains gobs of
interest from start to finish.
On “Velvet Gentlemen,” Willis’ oboe phrasings set an unlikely paradigm for
a piece that develops into a hybrid, hard rock-progressive jazz foray teeming with buoyant
choruses and medium tempo swing vamps. In other areas, the ensemble seamlessly glides
through Brazilian motifs, spiced up with multilayered arrangements and budding rhythmic
undercurrents. In addition, Willis’ composing style is sometimes akin to film-score
like attributes, executed by a scaled down ensemble. Hence, he’s a melody maker,
which is a component that counterbalances passages where electric guitarist McCann cranks
up the volume via a mishmash of distortion techniques. No doubt about it, Willis has
delivered the knockout blow with this exceptional and uncannily accessible studio outing.
Record Label Website: http://www.omnitone.com
Reviewed by: Glenn Astarita
Copyright© 2007 JazzReview.com®. All Rights Reserved.
From:
All about jazz
By By: Jeff Dayton-Johnson
It’s hard not to like a band that calls itself “Velvet
Gentlemen,” even before learning that the moniker derives from a nickname given to
the velvet-clad composer Erik Satie by children in his Parisian neighborhood. It’s
similarly easy to appreciate the sound of the compositions and arrangements on this record
even before knowing that they are inspired by Satie’s idiosyncratic music. Willis
sees Satie not as a decorative impressionist composer, but as a proto-serialist, and
accordingly draws upon some of the techniques of the twelve-tone classical school.
Velvet Gentlemen is pretty high-concept: not only is there the
multilayered Satie connection, there is also a running theme related to quantum physics.
(Willis notes that Wayne Shorter is another saxophonist with an interest in this topic.)
Several of the song titles sound like they could be chapters in a Stephen Hawking book: “Many Worlds Theory,” “Closed Loops in Time,”
“Grandparent Paradox.”
The overall sound of the record, while it is enriched by a
knowledge of these conceptual dimensions, is nevertheless readily approachable without it.
And that sound is, well, a velvety one, overlaid with sumptuousness. The velvety sound
derives in part from the multiple instruments Willis plays in addition to tenor and
soprano sax: oboe, English horn, the Armenian duduk and others. Velvety too are the rich
ensemble arrangements. In this respect the record is a close cousin to Christophe dal
Sasso and Dave Liebman’s Exploration (Nocturne,
2006), also marked by rigorously innovative arranging—the common ancestor of both
records is twelve-tone serialism. (That, and the Fender Rhodes.)
At times, in fact, the sound approaches, oddly and
unintentionally, the lush jazz electronica of Ilhan Ersahin’s Our Theory (Nublu, 2006).
This is especially on “Place of Enlightenment,” where John Hollenbeck's drumming
sounds uncannily like an uptempo dance beat. Hollenbeck, here and on “Gentle
Soul,” sometimes sounds like he’s playing with brushes even when he’s not.
(As opposed to fellow drummer Jim Black, for example, who can sound like he’s playing
with mallets even when he is using brushes.) It’s all part of the velvety veneer, I
suppose.
Willis’s saxophone playing echoes the energetic style of
the
With the possible exception of McCann, the solo voices
sometimes fail to burst through the velvetiness; but the strong compositions and
arranging—the very velvetiness itself—leave a lasting impression.
Jim Macnie - Jazziz Magazine - February 1999
"Recombinant powers also make noteworthy The Dan Willis Quartet (A-Records). This disc's achievements isn't that it puts a centrist spin on leftist ideas but that it finds a way to harness a near tumultuous attack with some old-fashioned eloquence. The young leader is a tenor saxophonist whose sound mingles Pharaoh Sanders with David Sanborn. With the help of guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer John Hollenbeck, Dan Willis Shows just how spirited New Orleans struts and psychedelic bounces can be. His big yen to display the swinging side of tension-and-release is never out of view for a moment."
(Available through Allegro: 14134 N.E. Airport Way,
Portland, OR 97230)
(Jim Macnie spends many of his non-family nights scouting the jazz clubs in New York)
Bill Bernardi - www.52ndstreet.com - January 1999
The mark of a really good jazz group is the interaction between the members of that group. Here, saxophonist Dan Willis is surrounded by some exceptional musicians to create some of the most exciting jazz that I've heard in quite some time. Not only is the playing terrific, but the writing - all but one song is penned by Willis - also shines.
Willis, who is a mainstay in the New York City area, teams up with a highly imaginative rhythm section. While Willis' sax playing is good, it is guitarist Ben Monder who really kicks this band into gear. Monder can conjure up images of Pat Metheny and John Scofield, as well as an original voice. And drummer Hollenbeck keeps the groove flowing throughout.
The album kicks off with a rollicking "Hankerin'", with a killer guitar solo by Monder. The rhythm section really shines on "Buffalo", where both bass and drums do a great job. Gress has his moment on "Homegrown", which is a jazzy-hoedown tune. Willis shines on "Do You Good", a soulful waltz, but it is "Oddly Enough" that Willis makes his point. This is a fast paced bebop tune that really showcases Willis' songwriting skills.
The highlight for me was "Tell Me What You Saw", a very moody piece. This starts out soft, and then the band kicks it up a notch and starts to rock! A very wild guitar solo is played by Monder on this song. "Each Answer" is a beautiful ballad that showcases Willis' soprano playing. The album ends on "Home", which sounds very much like Pat Metheny's "Two Folk Songs" which was on his 80/81 album.
This is some very exciting music from a group who deserves wider recognition. Willis is clearly a talented composer as well as a musician, and this recording is an absolute joy to listen to. Highly recommended!"
Michael Rosenstein - Cadence Magazine
From the very first, this CD tears out with rollicking energy. Willis is a new name to me, and this set of originals proves him to be a skilled writer and engaging leader. The tunes provide snaking melodies with quirky harmonic hooks and rhythmic turns, giving this quartet material to cut loose. These four clearly grew up on rock and that sensibility has shaped their approach to post-bop improvisation. Willis has a gruff-edged tone and angular approach to his solos. His lines dart and skitter, bounding around the melodies with a barely restrained abandon. Monder is impressive throughout. The guitarist adds ragged, fuzzed textures and a rock tinge to a liquid tone and phrasing that owe a debt to Bill Frisell without sounding like a clone. He aptly shadows the leader, filling in spare chords, or laying out singing rhythmic counterpoint. His solos have a chiming lilt shaded with a bluesy edge, culling from rock bluster, country twang, and the harmonic and rhythmic complexities of jazz players. Gress proves yet again that he is simply one of the top, and often-underrated, players on the scene. He anchors and propels the music with a keen melodic ear and unerring rhythmic sense. Hollenbeck is an inventive player who is able to probe at the skewed rhythms from odd angles, without ever abandoning the underlying pulse of the music. Though this session doesn't break any new ground, it is a solid outing by players who are thoughtfully shaping the music with a personal voice.
DanSjoerd van Aelst-JAZZ NU (Dutch Jazz Magazine)
The Kind of Jazz by Dan Willis and his Quartet is a very attractive blend of modern
ingredients such as dance grooves, energetic sax solos, rocky guitar licks and funky bass
lines. Willis’versatility runs from smooth Jazz all the way uo to free improv style.
Unfortunately the band is not able to alternate the overall high energy of this album with
some emotional depth of a good
ballad.
Dan Willis Quartet
Dan Willis (A-Records)
By Glenn Astarita
31 year old Saxophonist Dan Willis has performed and recorded with some of jazz’
finest. Here, Dan steps out on his first solo recording aptly titled the “Dan Willis
Quartet.”
Willis’ opener, “Hankerin’” commences with a sturdy yet vivacious New
Orleans style shuffle beat supplied by the fine rhythm section of: bassist, Drew Gress and
the explosive drummer, John Hollenbeck. On this piece, the groove runs into overdrive as
Willis displays a deep, husky Tenor Sax sound which is enhanced by his clear and concise
phrasing. Willis is also a soulful player and boasts a distinctive voice as a
well-schooled stylist while Guitarist Ben Monder makes his commanding presence known with
a scorching hybrid Jazz-Blues-Rock solo. On “Hankerin" Drummer John Hollenbeck
stretches out with a burning yet well constructed drum solo as Gress’ booming
Acoustic Bass work holds down the fort in dynamic fashion! Gress and Hollenbeck are a
powerful and potent rhythm section as they provide Monder and Willis with all the
necessary ammunition through a multi-faceted and well-coordinated approach.
On the mid-tempo swing, “Where The Buffalo Roam”, Ben Monder is once again on
fire! “Cedar Spring Song” has that Mid-Western feel as Willis’ blazing
Tenor work proves to be a perfect foil for Monder’s equally high-octane guitar as
they counterbalance one another with engaging dialogue. “Do You Good”, is
soulful and bluesy with a Gospel feel. Willis’
passionate, animated intonation and delivery is a natural fit for music of this ilk. On
“Oddly Enough”, memories of Guitarist John Scofield and his Quartet featuring
Joe Lovano come to mind. On this track, the mighty rhythm section weave, dart, dance and
generally embellish or heighten the intensity. Willis pulls out the stops on the
climactic, “Tell Me What You Saw” also featuring some fine crunch chord style,
hard-edged Guitar work from Ben Monder. The albums closer, “Home” is
characterized by its enchanting melody as the well-stated “grassroots” feel is
vibrant yet profoundly affable.
Dan Willis is fine performer-composer and could not have picked a better supporting cast
for this project. Once again, kudos go to the folks at A-Records for their ceaseless
propensity and desire to record young artists who have something to say within the jazz
world.
Highly Recommended!
* * * * ½
Personnel: Dan Willis; Tenor and Soprano Saxes: Ben Monder; Guitar: Drew Gress; Bass: John
Hollenbeck; Drums and Percussion. All compositions by Dan Willis except “Cedar Spring
Song” written by Joe Salzano Web: www.challenge.nl and/or www.danwillis.com