Billy Bang Quintet - Above and Beyond (2007)

Billy Bang Quintet featuring Frank Lowe
Above & Beyond: An Evening In Grand Rapids
2007 - Justin Time Records: JUST 208
http://www.justin-time.com/albums.php?lang=en&pid=4070&aid=120&anid=208
http://www.justin-time.com/albums.php?lang=fr&pid=4070&aid=120&anid=208

* Billy Bang: violin
* Frank Lowe: tenor saxophone
* Andrew Bemkey: piano
* Todd Nicholson: bass
* Tatsuya Nakatani: drums

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lowe

Dedicated to Frank Lowe (1943 - 2003).

Recorded live on 28 April 2003 at The Urban Institute For Contemporary Arts
(http://www.uica.org/), Grand Rapids, MI (Michigan).

Reviews
~~~~~~~

by Steve Leggett
http://www.allmusic.com/album/above-and-beyond-an-evening-in-grand-rapids-mw0000576261

This is a remarkable album on several levels. Recorded at a performance by the
Billy Bang Quintet at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand
Rapids, MI on April 28, 2003 and captured using a laptop running ProTools, it
was to be the last recorded appearance of tenor sax great Frank Lowe, who died
four months later from lung cancer. While it is obvious at times during the
evening that wind is a priority for Lowe (he only had one lung at this point),
this is far from a shaky outing for him, and his short, lyrical lines are
central to this stunning set. Bang and Lowe were unknowingly at the endgame of
their long collaboration together (they first began working together in the
mid-'70s) during this two week tour, and the whole unit (Andy Bemkey on piano,
Todd Nicholson on bass, Tatsuya Nakatani on drums) is sharp and focused, easing
into each selection gently, allowing the musicians to find a center, then
building and growing the improvisations in a natural flow before gliding back
to the main theme for compositional resolve.
[...]
It's magnificent.

--

By Jeff Stockton
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=25713

By Scott Verrastro
http://jazztimes.com/articles/19142-above-beyond-billy-bang-quintet-featuring-frank-lowe

By Derek Taylor
http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3530