Label: Sugah Hoof Records, 2023
Personnel - Greg Ward: alto saxophone; Matt Gold: guitar, synth; Dave Miller: guitar; Matt Ulery: bass; Quin Kirchner: drums.
Chicago-based alto saxophonist and composer Greg Ward, an empathetic sideman (Makaya McCraven, Mike Reed) and respected bandleader, blends musical styles with extraordinary facility. The quintet lineup of his Rogue Parade project remains unaltered, featuring guitarists Matt Gold and Dave Miller, bassist Matt Ulery and drummer Quin Kirchner - all musicians with whom he has been enjoying fruitful collaborative partnerships throughout the years.
The follow-up to the ensemble’s debut Stomping Off From Greenwood (Greenleaf Music, 2017) is called Dion’s Quest and its narrative inspiration stems from Ward’s personal and artistic life. “Crimson Clay”, for example, is encouraged and energized by Ward’s frequent trips to South Africa. Advancing in five with resolute if defiant rock-inspired riffs, this enticing opener contains agile unison playing during its thematic development, time shifts, and compellingly improvised statements by Miller and the bandleader.
The sturdy guitar sound of Gold is in evidence on “Dashing Toward First Light”, whose pulse and touch draws from funk and fusion alike. “Noir Noveaux” displays a more relaxed theme upon which the musicians breeze through its chilled-out pulse. There’s an unexpected deceleration in tempo and a notable blues increase in the tone by the end, demonstrating the connection and interplay put at the service of the group’s identity.
A cry for the George Floyd and the pandemic losses, as well as hope gained by the 2020 election results, are expressed in the form of a blues on “Blues of the Earth”. This selection is wired with rapid-fire Hendrixian extemporaneity. Proving a welcome contrast with the latter, “Bravo Constantine” is soulful, asymmetric and actively propulsive. Yet the bold angles and broad-toned rock demeanor come back with the penultimate track, “Beware of the Oh EEE’s”, which has Miller and Ward expressing their thoughts ardently over the staunch wall created by Gold, Ulery and Kirchner. The CD concludes on a hopeful, positive note with the nearly prayerful rubato of “Ocean of Faith”.
Rogue Parade has been road-tested and the rapport between its members is instinctive.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Crimson Clay ► 05 - Bravo Constantine ► 07 - Beware of the Oh EEE’s