'Lost In New York' by Suresh Singaratnam

Tuesday, 16 June 2009 , 1 Comments

Yesterday I had posted an album review of Suresh Singaratnam's album, a collection of classical pieces entitled Two Hundred Sixty One, Vol. 1. Today I have another Suresh Singaratnam album for review, but this one is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum (style wise that is, because this album similar to his other is of the highest quality). This album, entitled Lost In New York, is a full fledged jazz album. It is truly rare to come across such a talented musician who has so clearly mastered a craft and style so early on in his career, but it takes the skills of a prodigy to be able to apply himself in a way where he can express himself to the highest degree through multiple musical disciplines. As I mentioned yesterday, Suresh Singaratnam is an absolutely phenomenal trumpet player from Canada. His skills showcased on this album, that is the combination of pure musicianship, writing abilities and band leadership, prove that Suresh is the real deal, and that if his first jazz recordings are any evidence, he will have a long and powerful career as one of the greatest jazz players in the music world today.

Unlike his classical music recordings, this album contains a full band, all the members of which are stellar, working with one another to create a dense, and more importantly tight musical experience. There is a lot to be said about jazz, so I will start with this: jazz is more than just a musical art and discipline. There is a difference between a musician who is just running through the chord changes with precision while following the musical theory, and a musician who is using that same theory to explore sound and pushes the envelope on a normal basis using texture, dynamics, synopcation, harmonics, melodies, etc. This album displays the latter. Each member of the band seems to be at one with their instrument, allowing them to play off and/or follow the other musicians in the band. When the drums go into double time, the walking bass follows. When the guitar starts playing longer notes such as a whole note or a quarter note as opposed to an 8th or a 16th note, the rest of the band follows instantly. There is an excitement that is created when you can hear an entire band really playing with each other and playing with the music.

Each song on this album shows that Suresh and his band have that certain spark, the one that allows the group to constantly explore, constantly push each other, and most importantly constantly create music that is unlike what is out there today, and what has been done in the past. I, for one, can honestly say that this album is a MUST HAVE for any true jazz fans, general music fans and musicians alike. I am quite picky when it comes to jazz, and even so, I'll be one of the first to admit that Suresh Singaratnam's album Lost In New York is one of the most brilliant works of jazz that has been produced in years.

CLICK BELOW FOR THE ALBUM LINER NOTES AND CONTACT INFO: ALBUM LINER NOTES Suresh Singaratnam - trumpet Charenée Wade - voice (Spring for All But Me) (www.chareneewade.com) Jake Saslow - tenor saxophone (www.jakesaslow.com) Jesse Lewis - guitar (www.jesselewismusic - Jesse also has a CD out if you're interested in reviewing it) Fabian Almazan - piano (www.fabianalmazan.com) Jamie Reynolds - piano (Spring for All But Me) (www.jamiereynoldsmusic.com) Fraser Hollins - bass www.fraserhollins.com Lee Pearson - drums www.leepearsonmusic.com CONTACT INFO: www.myspace.com/sureshsingaratnam http://www.whoissuresh.com