Jim Snidero and Paul Bollenback
Hailed as an alto sax virtuoso and “master musician” by Downbeat magazine, New Yorker Jim Snidero has been a highly respected bandleader and recording artist for over a quarter century. Since making his first recording as a leader (On Time, Toshiba/EMI) in 1984, he has contributed to the art form with a remarkably diverse set of recordings (14 to date) on both major and indie labels. Included in this list is Strings (Milestone), which he both composed and arranged for string orchestra and which was called a masterpiece by the Philadelphia Weekly, San Francisco Guardian, Swing Journal, and Jazz Life magazine, amongst others. His 2007 Tippin (Savant) was a major hit on US jazz radio, topping the charts for months. His latest effort, Crossfire (featuring Bollenback), is an appropriate title for a program largely about brisk exchanges and impassioned group-centric interplay.
Paul Bollenback’s work has been described by longtime supporter and guitar master George Benson as “bona-fide… unambiguous, up-front and powerful,” and he has called him “a versatile dynamo on guitar. His approach to jazz and blues has uniqueness unto itself.” It’s a comment that holds a special resonance, as Bollenback counts Benson high among his wide range of influences. Other influences include Carlos Santana, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, John McLaughlin, Johnny Winter, and Jimi Hendrix, as well as such giants of improvisation and composition as pianists Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane. “Sophisticated, funky and sometimes suprising, but always soulful,” describes JazzGuitarLife.com. Bollenback’s last two releases, Brightness of Being and Invocation remained on the US Jazz Week charts for several months. As first-call guitarist for such jazz greats as Joey de Francesco, Gary Bartz, and Steve Gadd, Bollenback’s range and impressive discography speak for themselves. Invocation was voted onto Downbeat’s Top 100 Releases of 2008 and received wide critical acclaim in the international press, garnering four- and five-star reviews in Jazz Times, amongst others.
With Jodi Proznick bass and Jesse Cahill drums .
