...an audacious and colorful musical statement that clearly augers well for this promising artist.
Third Ward Stories is a bit of a musical biography for this Houston-bred, thoroughly grounded member of the rich Texas Tenor tradition, his paean to the neighborhood he grew up in and the musical memories embedded in the soil of that 'hood. With stops in New Orleans and New York, and later in Tallahassee and Florida State University where he earned his Masters degree, Hainsworth gathers here some longtime friends from that journey for his second recording as a leader. Along with co-producer, NY trombonist Michael Dease, pianist Glenn Zaleski, drummer Johnathan Blake, Josh Evans on trumpet and Adam Olszewski on bass, Hainsworth explores Wayne Shorter's "Prince of Darkness" and Hoagy Carmichael's classic ballad, "The Nearness of You," along with six original compositions.
Track Listing:
1. Groiditude 5:09
2. I Plead Da Fif 6:59
3. Jana 4:57
4. Prince of Darkness 5:54
5. It's Right There 6:29
6. The Nearness of You 7:58
7. Third Ward Stories 6:18
8. Barack's Blues 6:59
9. Conversations 9:08
Performers:
Jason Hainsworth - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
Michael Dease - Trombone
Josh Evans - Trumpet
Glenn Zaleski - Piano
Adam Olszewski - Bass
Johnathan Blake - Drums
Production Info:
Produced by Michael Dease & Jason Hainsworth
Recorded by David Stoller at The Samurai Hotel Recording Studio (Astoria, NY)
July 15th, 2015
Mixed by Fernando Ulibarri at The Hideaway Studios (Miami, FL)
Mastered by Jim Alfredson at Alfredson Audio (Lansing,MI)
Photographs by Edison Penafiel
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Third Ward Stories
Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
The fifth ward is for gangsta rap, the third ward is for hard blowing sax men. In the tradition of Houston's hard blowing boppers, Hainsworth takes his ax around the horn and lets influences from the various locales he stopped at along the way add special sauce to the mix. A smart writer as well, he lets all comers know he's a leader to be dealt ...
Downbeat (Brian Zimmerman)
EDITOR'S PICK - NOV '16 With Third Ward Stories Houston native Jason Hainsworth continues the longstanding tradition of the Texas Tenors, an esteemed group of raw, hard–blowing saxophonists from the Lone Star State who pioneered a robust fusion of swing, bebop, r&b and blues. Among its figureheads are Illinois Jacquet, David "Fathead" Newman, ...