Ned Lowe

A debut record that grabs you by the ear - and it sounds like it came from the time when we went to Waxy Maxie's to buy jazz LPs. Great from the first note, this guy and his band are the real deal. The interplay between Mark Whitfield (for my money the best standards guitar player since George Benson and a major jazz figure in his own right) and Azat is sublime, is almost like the same guy playing both instruments. The rhythm section is rock steady throughout, whether playing "out" or a beautiful ballad. That all of the tunes are original is both unusual and inspiring in such a young player - but his tone is anything but youthful, or shallow. He is both an old soul and a young lion.. and comparisons with Joe Lovano are inevitable, though he is much less frenetic, at least on this disc. 4 stars only because if this is what he can do out of the gate, his next record will deserve 5.