@ THE BLUE WHALE 09/14/14
Midway into the first set, breathless and somewhat exhausted, you realize the boundaries are gone: the music is flowing from piece to piece to piece. Quite simply it is unstoppable.
The musicians can handle it; can you?
The typical transitions of a jazz set --- instruments ebb, audience applauds --- have been supplanted by chords and progressions, echoes and ingenuity. The result is a compelling tapestry of sound that constantly surprises you.
We've heard the Rowden group before --- talented musicians all --- but we've never heard them sound like this; are they joined at the hip? It's clear these four creators (plus friends in Set Two) have practiced and rehearsed, composed and arranged, edited and refined, improvised and rejoiced. Their work is seamless.
The Rowden Group's first CD "Becoming" is worth tracking down on the web or elsewhere. How long has it been since the phrase 'original music' actually meant originality in composition, structure, tempo and phrasing? This is original stuff.
Kudos to Jon Rowden for celebrating his 30th birthday with a gift to all of us. The musicians were having so much fun it may have been illegal. The audience, many of whom were experienced musicians themselves, tapped and pounded, punctuating the small club with exuberance and wonder.
The Jonathan Rowden Group plays selected venues in the L.A. metro: Catch them if you can.
