Spice of Life breaks out right into some New Orleans style funk and I can only imagine the title refers to the spicy Creole and Cajun cooking New Orleans is most famous. The tune always hints at the original feel set up in the intro but cascades into a more contemporary jazz funk at times. Hollingsworth has the last word on this one as he shows off his R & B chops on the ending vamp.
Doing My Own Thing features Hollingsworth all by himself on the alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. The playing is funky, percussive and tight. This is definitely one for the sax players out there.
The title cut once again shows off the compositional talents of Mark Hollingsworth. As a saxophonist I can appreciate Mark’s tone. As a layperson I can just enjoy the music. This is definitely one of the album’s highlights for me.
Higher Plane, High Velocity, Crawfish Pie and Sambarosa coaxes us through the middle of our Cd journey. At every turn in the road the ensemble provides a solid foundation for Hollingsworth’s saxophones and woodwinds. Crawfish Pie brings out a bit of the New Orleans again. Hollingsworth shows he has formidable clarinet skills on this one. I wish he had let us in on that secret before track 10! Flute takes the lead on Sambarosa and Mark shows he is a wonderful flautist in addition to playing saxophone and clarinet.
The journey nears the end with the world music influenced Stowaway, sensuous bass and sax duo Undercurrents andAfro-Cubin tinged Darwin’s Voyage. It’s worth mentioning that Mark Hollingsworth breaks out the soprano as the lead voice only for this last tune.
All in all there is A LOT of music to digest on this Cd. By Hollingsworth’s own admission, he has programmed an album that may be difficult to categorize. Despite it’s musical schizophrenia Chasing the Sun rises to the occasion. There is something for everyone – and particularly those who are fond of top-notch saxophone and woodwind playing.
With over 70 minutes of music and 14 tracks there is something for everyone on Mark Hollingsworth’s Chasing the Sun. You can find out more about Mark and order this Cd by visiting markhollingsworth.com
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