Sam Sadigursky - Follow the Stick: Reedman reaps clarinet benefits

Follow the Stick
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Artist: Sam Sadigurksy
Genre: Jazz
Label: BJU

Rather than swim in what he calls "the endless sea of saxophone players", New York reedman Sam Sadigursky has been concentrating on his clarinet for the last five years and Follow the Stick is a sly reference to that fortuitous decision.

On previous releases, the emphasis has been on his writing and arranging for chamber groups, but here he cuts loose with a new quartet and delivers a fresh-sounding slice of contemporary American jazz.

With the leader’s clarinet and Chris Dingman’s vibraphone, the band’s sound is in many ways a throwback to an earlier time (Benny Goodman’s trios come to mind), but the playing, from Sadigursky, Dingman and particularly from rising pianist Bobby Avey, is bang up to date.

A timeless sound from the fertile Brooklyn scene.

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Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a musician, writer and director