bios

Review - of "From Scratch", by New Regime. Narrow Path Records 2006

Bill McCann
90.9 FM, WCDB, Albany
Jazz Director and Host of "The Saturday Morning Edition of Jazz" -
The Capital District's Best in Jazz, Since 1985.

Each month at WCDB we receive many Jazz cd's from not only
around the United States, but literally from around the World. These
come from major jazz labels and their artists, as well as from many
small, independent labels and artists. Origin is not a guarantee of
quality. Excellent recordings can come from any of these sources.
"From Scratch", the current release from New Regime, is an
excellent cd. It surpasses the vast majority of cds I review. In
fact, it is one of the best that I have reviewed this year.

What makes an excellent Jazz cd? Let me first say that music is
extremely subjective. It is often said that opinions are like
belly-buttons, everyone has one. What I enjoy, you may not, and
vice-versa. However, there are certain things that, to me, make an
excellent cd. The musicianship of the ensemble is key. Are the
musicians at the top of their game on their instruments? Or do you want
to hand them a card that says - "Go home and practice".
The members of New Regime are clearly fine musicians. Eric Walentowicz
and Rob Lindquist, Co-Leaders of the band, are exceptional craftsmen on
their respective axes. On sax, Eric is a weaver of lustrous lines of
melody and improvisation. If he was camped out on the NYC scene, he
would kick ass and take names. He has a fat/lush tone that belies his
age. Check him out on "Beyond Words" and "Joy Ride" to get a
sense of his maturity. Rob has a deft touch on his keyboards and
displays sensitivity ("With Regret") and forcefulness ("Plum
Rating") where appropriate. I particularly dig his incorporation of
the "Fender sound" on many tracks. For a while, the Fender sound
was considered campy and not hip by many - a vestige of the early to mid
70's. Take a listen to Rob, and it is clearly back and sounding
better than ever.

Excellent cd's swing and the group has to be tight. The music
on the title track "From Scratch definitely swings like a mother and the group is
extremely tight. The interplay between the musicians is first-rate.
Check out the funky swing on "Dr J Missed Her Hide" to see what I
mean. The band hits a groove with tight harmonizing between Eric, and
trumpeter Tony Speranza, who can be heard on a third of the tracks. Dig
the funky Bass line laid out by Paul Othon, it really sets the tone for
this tune. Mike DelPrete is the groups Bassist on the bulk of the
tracks. He is a stalwart on the jazz scene in the Capital District of
New York, as are Bob Halek and Jeff Dowd on drums. Otto Gardner, who
sits in on the title track, has been a main-stay on the scene here in
the Tri-city area for many years and is rock-solid on the bass. You can
find him comfortably ensconced in a variety of settings with a diverse
assemblage of musicians.

The tunes on an excellent cd are well written and ordered in a
way that takes the listener on an enjoyable path. Eric and Rob display
very solid composition skills. Many younger jazz artists write tunes
that lean on a cacophony of notes in an attempt to display dexterity and
speed on their instruments, while missing the point of what a
composition is supposed to do - convey meaning, tell a story, and leave
the listener satisfied at its conclusion. This is by far,
unfortunately, the norm and not the exception. Eric and Rob are the
exception. Listen to compositions like Rob's "Dr J Missed Her
Hide" and "Inquisator", and Eric's "The Sound" and
"Open Passage" to see what I mean. The cd's ebbs and flows are
well balanced with the change in tempo and mood mixed appropriately.

Excellent cd's are also recorded well and have a polished
sound. Many cd's from small, independent labels, or musicians doing
their own home grown recordings, just don't sound all that great from
a recording standpoint. The balance and levels are off - there is just
something missing in the engineering and production. "From
Scratch" sounds great on all fronts.

I have listened to this cd many times. Each time my interest is
peaked in different ways and I pick up on different nuances that I
hadn't noticed before. These guys are top-notch. You will not be
disappointed. I am really looking forward to their next release. It is
not likely they will disappoint then either.