Shawn Maxwell Originals II review in Chicago Jazz Magazine
Published on July 9th, 2009
Shawn Maxwell – Alto saxophone, clarinet, flute
Matt Nelson – Piano
Graham Czach – Acoustic bass
Brad Dickert – Drums
Aaron Koppel – Guitar
Johanna Mahmud – Trombone
Alto saxophonist Shawn Maxwell has been making waves around Chicago these past few years, playing at such local hotspots as Andy’s Jazz Club, Pete Miller’s Steakhouse and Philander’s while hawking his first disc, Originals, throughout the world. In the ensuing years since Originals was released, Maxwell has grown exponentially as a player, both from the standpoint of chops and more importantly, musicality. The result is his newest disc, Originals II. While the name might lack, errr…, originality, the music on here has improved tenfold over his debut effort. That’s not to knock Maxwell’s first album; rather, it shows how he’s put the time between these two discs to good use.
While Maxwell’s musicality has primed him well for this newest release, probably the single biggest asset in Originals II’s favor is Maxwell’s choice in sidemen. Graham Czach and Brad Dickert are a potent rhythm section, providing the proper snap and low end necessary for a solid program of excellent music. The real showstopper here, though, is pianist Matt Nelson. This cat is baaad––as in bad on the level of Dan Cray, Ron Perrillo or Ben Lewis (if these names mean nothing to you, you’ve got some homework to do). Put a trio like that together with a saxophonist writing some excellent tunes, and you’ve got a band that spells trouble. Especially because they’ve put in a ton of time together in the past couple of years, ensuring that they’re comfortable with all of this material.
What I find most interesting about this disc is how supple this band is. They can swing hard. They can play in, on and around knotty lines and straight eighth-note patterns with a looseness that separates the best from the good. And for a band that doesn’t seem like they’ve spent too much time at Exodus or The Wild Hare, they can knock out some pretty convincing Reggae, like on “Working Dog,” which features some trombone reminiscent of The Skatellites, courtesy of Johanna Mahmud.
For this writer, the most interesting moments on Originals II are the songs where Maxwell seems willing and able to craft jazz on his terms, with his grooves and his ideas. “Grimlock” is a fantastic example of this. Shawn wrote a fairly genius line for this tune, full of quirks, including an ear-catching drumbeat. Matt Nelson plays some shimmering Rhodes (not to mention, a jaw-dropping solo), and the result is very cool, and hardly the norm.
To sum it all up, Shawn Maxwell has announced that he is a composer and a player to be dealt with on Originals II. He’s come into his own as a leader, seeking out top-notch talent to flesh out his material. His songwriting style is still developing, and while not instantaneously recognizable a la Monk or Shorter, it certainly has its own inner logic, and one can hear the seeds of greatness planted throughout this CD. If you can find a copy of Originals II, buy it. You won’t be disappointed. And if you get a chance to see these guys play this stuff live, don’t pass it up. This is a young group filled with A-list talent that will certainly kick up some heavy dust on this stuff live.
By: Paul Abella
