Reviews for "The Soccerball"
Nagel-Heyer Records, Germany 2002
1) All Music Guide, Online Music Site
AMG Rating: four out of five stars
Too often, CDs that are mostly originals offer more preening than melody. This isn’t the case with “The Soccerball”, a delightful collection that is 76,9% original and 100% interesting. Bill Mays, Martin Wind, and Matt Wilson have recorded together before, notably on “Out in PA”, another fine showcase for the trio’s compositional talents. Here Peter Weniger brings his soulful, funky tenor voice to their exporations, which sometimes involve tinkering with familiar themes: the joyous title tune is loosely based on the chord progressions of Nat Adderly’s “Work Song”, while Weniger’s “Garrigue” is an inversion on the changes of “What is this thing called love?”(at lease I think so; it’s not specified in the notes). In any case, it’s very effective as a bass/horn duo, as is “Pete’s Repeat”, written by Wind, a lyrical bassist and composer who also contributes the beautiful “Little Prayer”, “For my lady”, and “Early Morning Blues”, a charming musical reference to his son’s bad wake-up moods during his “terrible twos.”
“Anonini” is a mountaintop village in Corsica; here, it’s a Weniger original where his extended, thoughtful solo opens into a gentle Carribean/New Orleans roll as the band Kicks in. I liked Mays’ moody “Kaleidoscope” and lush “Ballad for Barbara”; there’s also a nice flowing take on “It never entered my mind”, and the group has great fun with Bird’s “Ah Leu Cha/Scrapple from the apple”. My only problem was with Matt Wilson’s “Droolin’”, which he describes as “sonic experimentations”. I confess to hitting the track button on that one, although other listeners may be more adventurous. All told, this a tuneful CD with great energy and considerable finesse both in writing and playing. – Judith Schlesinger
2) Magazine of the International Society of Bassists, U.S., Fall Issue 2002
Bassist Martin Wind and tenor saxophonist Peter Weniger have joined forces with pianist Bill Mays and percussionist Matt Wilson for this selection of mostly originals by member of the quartet in session. Weniger, who also plays soprano sax, was unable to bring both of his instruments due to high and intense restrictions the airlines maintained after the September 11th tragedy, so he recorded the whole session on this tenor sax.
The opening track, “Kaleidoscope” by Bill Mays, features the saxophonist and bassist in this haunting rendition. “Garrigue” is a swinging piece for the duo of Weniger and Wind and each gets a chance to play tag with the other; a nice groove. The title song, “The Soccerball”,by Wind is a funky piece that features the arco talents of the bassist; everyone has fun on this one. “Little Prayer” is an original balld by the bassist and the spotlight is on the beautiful and smooth interplay between Mays and Weniger. The jazz standard, “What a difference a day makes”, swings in a light tempo an lets Mr. Mays stretch out supported ably by the rhythm section. “Ballad for Barbara” was composed by Bill Mays as a gift for a close friends’ wife. On this track the arco work of the bassist and the beautiful play of the pianist makes this a stunning selection.
Bassist Wind is featured on Rogers and Hart’s “It never entered my mind”. After an intro by the piano, Wind delivers a nicely constructed solo and Mays and Weniger add their touch as the piece swings along. “Early Morning Blues” was written by Martin Wind and inspired by his son Christopher’s lousy morning moods during his “terrible twos”.
“Song for my lady”, also written by Wind (for his wife Maria) displays the compositional talents of this young bassist. A beautiful song for a beautiful lady. The final track, “Pete’s repeat” features the duo of Wind and Weniger in a lively discussion between the two instruments and is a fitting close to a well-played and recorded album.
Congratulations to the quartet on a successful project. Bassist Wind and pianist Mays will be featured at the June 2003 ISB convention.
- Paul Pearce
-Review by Paul Pearce