PoZest
Studio album by
Marshall Allen with Lou Grassi's PoBand
Released2000
RecordedMay 10 and 11, 1999
StudioThe Spirit Room, Rossie, New York
GenreFree jazz
LabelCIMP
207
ProducerRobert D. Rusch
Marshall Allen chronology
Mark–n–Marshall: Tuesday
(1998)		 PoZest
(2000)		 The All-Star Game
(2003)

PoZest is an album by saxophonist Marshall Allen. It was recorded at The Spirit Room in Rossie, New York on May 10 and 11, 1999, and was released in 2000 by CIMP. On the album, Allen is joined by Lou Grassi's PoBand, featuring Perry Robinson (clarinet), Paul Smoker (trumpet), Steve Swell (trombone), Wilber Morris (bass), and Grassi (drums).[1][2][3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[4]
All About Jazz[5]

In a review for AllMusic, David Dupont wrote: "This session very much belongs to the ensemble as a whole, with the honored guest taking his place within the ensemble."[1]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings stated that Allen blends with the "dry, slightly academic sound" of the PoBand "rather well," and commented: "On '(Midnight) Blues', the horn-lines are trenchant but contemplative. 'Bird Symphony' and 'LouRa' are different kinds of ensemble piece, the former a sprawling, intense thing, the latter more upbeat and affirmative. Allen isn't a showy or conventionally expressive soloist, but he commands."[4]

Glenn Astarita, writing for All About Jazz, called the album "a slightly boisterous yet heartfelt convergence of acute musical minds at work," and remarked that on "Bird Symphony," "Allen's raspy phrasing on alto sax amid Grassi and Morris' rolling and tumbling rhythms provide a solid forum for engaging group dialogue and brisk interplay."[5]

One Final Note's Scott Hreha wrote: "there's not much fault to find here. An excellent document of a multifaceted ensemble, PoZest enters another quality notch in Allen's extra-Arkestral discography and captures a pivotal moment of development for Grassi's primary musical outlet."[6]

John Murph of Jazz Times singled out "(Midnight) Blues" for praise, commenting: "It's here that you can really hear beauty in the individual voices, and more importantly, free jazz's collective improvisation linkage to Dixieland." However, he stated: "The rest of the album, however, returns to generic ecstatic-jazz antics that sadly argue against its own artistic significance."[7]

Track listing

"LouRa" composed by Paul Smoker. Remaining tracks by Marshall Allen, Lou Grassi, Perry Robinson, Paul Smoker, Steve Swell, and Wilber Morris.

  1. "Bird Symphony" – 32:52
  2. "(Midnight) Blues" – 14:42
  3. "Soft Winds" – 10:24
  4. "LouRa" – 11:35

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dupont, David. "Marshall Allen: PoZest". AllMusic. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Marshall Allen - PoZest". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ "CIMP discography: main series: 200 to 299". JazzLists. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 25.
  5. 1 2 Astarita, Glenn (July 1, 2000). "Marshall Allen With Lou Grassi's PoBand: PoZest". All About Jazz. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  6. ↑ Hreha, Scott (September 2000). "Lou Grassi's PoBand with Marshall Allen: PoZest". One Final Note. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ Murph, John (November 1, 2000). "Marshall Allen with Lou Grassi's Poband: PoZest". Jazz Times. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
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