A STAR ON THE RISE
Danny Peary | 08/25/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I recently saw Myron Walden and his group in concert and was so impressed that I bought his debut album, "Countryfied." I keep playing it! It captures the excitement of the live performance, although I hope you see Walden live because he is very charismatic when he plays--live and on record, he fully understands that music is a way to communicate. There isn't a bad cut on here, though I particularly like the title track, "What Will We Be," the slow and beautiful "Through It All"--my favorite at the live show--and the finale, "Happy Feet." I love "discovering" entertainers early in their careers--and I feel lucky to have seen and heard Walden at the brink of stardom. I recommend this album!"
On a roll
arturobandini | Burbank, CA | 08/11/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Of all the contemporary jazz musicians I love, Myron Walden is having the best year, artistically. So far, 2010 has seen four new full-length releases from the multi-instrumentalist (plus a few singles available as downloads). If the blood-pumping MOMENTUM is for the head and heart, and the introspective twinpack WHAT WE SHARE/TO FEEL is for the soul, then the rootsy COUNTRYFIED is undoubtedly for the feet.
While the earlier releases are quintet recordings, with Walden alternating on tenor and soprano sax and bass clarinet, COUNTRYFIED is a quartet outing with guitar, drums and organ rather than piano+bass. There are more tempo shifts here - blues, gospel, country and funk, with less emphasis on traditional jazz than the previous releases. What's consistent is the craftsmanship and inspiration. "I Cain't Do Nomore" makes you shuffle. "Before You" makes you groove. Both reassure you that jazz isn't going away any time soon.
Walden's tone is clear and soulful, and he's a generous leader. On these four CDs, he's surrounded by musician's musicians like Mike Moreno, Kendrick Scott, Yasushi Nakamura, David Bryant and others from New York's infinite talent pool. (His Fellowship Bandmates Brian Blade, Jon Cowherd and Chris Thomas make guest appearances on WHAT WE SHARE and TO FEEL.) The portrait that emerges is a deeply spiritual cat who's entering the peak of his creative game. I urge you to grab a front row seat.
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