Live In Seattle

Live in Seattle was recorded in 2005 at the Ballard Jazz Festival and contains an eclectic mix of styles from fusion to hard swinging jazz to James Taylor. Vibist Joe Locke and pianist Geoffrey Keezer are joined by bassist Mike Pope and drummer Terreon Gully.

The group comes out of the shoot burning with Locke's "Van Gogh by Numbers," which is a fusion tune with a head that alternates between 4/4 and 7/8. The highly orchestrated beginning flows into powerful solos from Keezer and Locke, followed by a drum solo by Gully over the opening ostinato. "Honu," by Keezer, is a nice contrast, setting a more reflective mood. This beautiful ballad features Locke's vibraphone melody floating over Keezer's broken-chord accompaniment. Gully's sensitive cymbal work adds just the right colors. Another Keezer original, "Fractured," is a swinger a la Elvin that features an unbelievable solo from Locke over the floating time feel, along with great solos from Keezer and Pope. James Taylor's "Native Son" is given an interesting new twist as a 3/4 funk tune with Keezer switching to electric keyboard. The effect is a very soulful rendition of this pop standard. Locke's "Miramar" is another haunting ballad featuring a particularly beautiful solo by Keezer with subtle accompaniment from Locke and Gully. The hip-hop and reggae styles are well represented with Keezer's "Tulipa," which provides a great vehicle for Gully and his polyrhythmic interaction with the vibe and piano solos. The CD ends with a high-energy samba, "The King (for T.M.)," with its intricate melody played by the vibes and piano in unison. The solo section alternates between a samba feel and up-tempo swing that gives everyone a chance to blow. One can hear the influence of so much jazz history in this music: Chick Corea, John Coltrane, Elvin Jones, Weather Report, McCoy Tyner and many others. This kind of depth that each musician brings to the music makes this a very special group and this recording a very important documentation of a great live performance.