Taking a spin on Canadian-born jazz artist Jason Raso’s The Red Arrow is very much like taking a trip back in time to the 1960’s organ-group era. The recording kicks-off with two smoky nightclub numbers, “Nightcrawler” and “Corner Pocket”, and these tunes set the tempo for the remaining eight pieces. Boogaloo, cool sexiness is the order of the day, here. Dig in, and swing!
Jason delivers great electric guitar, electric bass guitar and acoustic contrabass throughout The Red Arrow, and his skills are full on cool from his delightful electric bass guitar bounce on the title track, to his gentle acoustic contrabass treatment on the tune “Star Gazing”, my favorite track.
Organist Tony Monaco and vibraphonist Francesco Pinetti takes turns with Jason to deliver tantalizing solos and deft interplay throughout the recording, while drummers Ted Warren and Peter Grimmer alternate equally clean and tasty pocket on their given tracks. This is a really fun release and I look forward to hearing more from Jason.
Must Hear Tunes: Baroness, The Red Arrow, Jaybird, Star Gazing