...quietly stunning interplay...each musician establishes his identity firmly through melodic, conversational playing that is the epitome of modern, eclectic jazz.
Master Portland guitarist John Stowell joins with the 8 year-old Seattle trio of John Bishop, Jeff Johnson & Rick Mandyck to create Scenes, a freeflowing collection of eclectic, mainstream jazz originals & new standards. Drawing on Stowell's longtime association with bassist David Friesen and the trio's involvement in the very fertile Seattle creative music scene that has included Julian Priester, Jessica Williams, Gary Peacock, Art Lande, Larry Coryell & so many more, this quartet creates an intelligent, elegant, modern recording for our times.
Track Listing:
1. New Beginnings 7:38
2. Scene 5:12
3. Blues On The Corner 10:27
4. Psalm 8:15
5. The Beatles 7:36
6. Rainy States 4:54
7. Nefertiti 7:00
8. Persona 7:10
9. Yesterdays 7:53
Performers:
Scenes:
John Bishop - drums
John Stowell - guitar
Jeff Johnson - bass
Rick Mandyck - sax
Production Info:
Produced by John Bishop & John Stowell
Recorded by Donn DeVore at Ironwood Studios, Seattle, WA Oct. 17, 2000 & Jan. 10, 2001
Mixed at Ironwood Studios by Reed Ruddy, March 14, 2001
Assisted by Chris Gould
Pre-production assistance by Charles Tomaras
Mastered by Mark Guenther at Seattle Disc Mastering
Photography by Matt Jorgensen
Layout & Design by John Bishop
Reviews of Scenes
JazzSteps, December 2001 (Joseph Blake)
Guitarist John Stowell's liner notes to this recently released CD makes Scenes sound almost serendipitous. He writes that "I suggested that we make a little music and turn on the tapes if we liked the chemistry…We did a couple of gigs in Seattle and went into the studio for a couple of sessions."
Stowell and drummer John Bishop produced the t ...
Earshot Jazz (Peter Monaghan)
"Scenes," in which Bishop joins three proven players - saxophonist Rick Mandyck, bassist Jeff Johnson and Portland guitarist John Stowell.
It's a fine set, with responsive playing from the whole crew. Mandyck, Johnson and Bishop are long-proven in these parts, and so to is Stowell to listeners who've been around a while. Those will also kno ...
Eugene Register-Guard, November 30, 2001 (Fred Crafts)
Major stages and large audiences are the usual setting for guitarist John Stowell, drummer John Bishop, bassist Jeff Johnson and tenor saxophonist Rick Mandyck. But for their Eugene appearance on Dec. 7, they will be squeezed up against the front window of the downtown Eugene shop Provenance, giving what may be one of their most intimate performanc ...
The Voice (Dick Crockett)
A new delight from OriginArts; John Bishop/Jeff Johnson/Rick Mandyck/John Stowell and "Scenes." They play McCoy Tyner’s "Blues On The Corner" in this segment with dedication, no shuck and jive, straight ahead. You know by listening these guys enjoy playing together. Rick Mandyck and John Stowell acheive a similar saxophone/guitar convergence ...
All About Jazz (Dave Nathan)
With this Origin label release, the fruitful Northwest music scene continues to manifest high caliber jazz music sessions. This time it's the 8 year-old trio of John Bishop, Jeff Johnson and Rick Mandyck enhanced by guitarist John Stowell, for more than an hour of modern and progressive jazz. The play list is certainly an attractive one combining t ...
All Music Guide (Matt Collar)
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Guitarist John Stowell joins the trio of bassist Jeff Johnson, drummer John Bishop, and tenor saxophonist Rick Mandyck on this mellow, intensely reflective recording. Stowell is an exceptional musician whose lyrical and nimble fret-work stands beside such other luminaries as Jim Hall and Bill Frissel. Having received many accolad ...
Cadence (Jason Bivins)
"Scenes" features a cool-toned quartet, playing lanquid post-bop with traces of the Scofield/Lovano group (they even cover an earlier Sco tune "The Beatles"). Each player is harmonically and lyrically fluent, and the group empathy is good. Their chemistry is especially audible on the long Tyner piece, "Blues On The Corner," thought the whole album ...
Rifftides (Doug Ramsey)
I've been meaning for some time to call your attention to this stimulating cooperative venture recorded in 2001. Hearing bassist Johnson and guitarist Stowell in separate appearances at the recent Portland Jazz Festival nudged me. They meld beautifully with saxophonist Ricky Mandyck and drummer John Bishop in a balanced program that draws on music ...
