Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey Walking With Giants CD

The Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is a rather fascinating trio. Reed Mathis is the main wild card, for he plays acoustic bass, octave pedal-induced bass (which sometimes sounds like a guitar), cello, 12-string guitar and sitar. Mathis is often in the lead (particularly when playing in the upper register), pianist Brian Haas is quite unpredictable (almost swinging in spots and then indulging in sound explorations), and drummer-percussionist Jason Smart is very alert to the other two musicians' spontaneous ideas. The music is avant-garde, but also crosses over into fusion and post-bop. There are times when one wishes the group would break into a groove but the episodic music does not find them settling into any one basic idea for long. In addition to the 13 selections on this CD (all originals), this set also comes with a four-song DVD ("Pacific"/"Walking With Giants"/"Slow Breath Silent Mind"/"There Is No Method"), music that was freely improvised on March 30 and 31, 2004 before an audience at Yoshi's in Oakland. The addition of the DVD makes this set a particularly good buy for listeners curious as to what the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is about. ~ Scott Yanow

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is a rather fascinating trio. Reed Mathis is the main wild card, for he plays acoustic bass, octave pedal-induced bass (which sometimes sounds like a guitar), cello, 12-string guitar and sitar. Mathis is often in the lead (particularly when playing in the upper register), pianist Brian Haas is quite unpredictable (almost swinging in spots and then indulging in sound explorations), and drummer-percussionist Jason Smart is very alert to the other two musicians' spontaneous ideas. The music is avant-garde, but also crosses over into fusion and post-bop. There are times when one wishes the group would break into a groove but the episodic music does not find them settling into any one basic idea for long. In addition to the 13 selections on this CD (all originals), this set also comes with a four-song DVD ("Pacific"/"Walking With Giants"/"Slow Breath Silent Mind"/"There Is No Method"), music that was freely improvised on March 30 and 31, 2004 before an audience at Yoshi's in Oakland. The addition of the DVD makes this set a particularly good buy for listeners curious as to what Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is about. ~ Scott Yanow

Featuring Brian Haas on piano, Reed Mathis on bass, and Jason Smart on drums, the band serves to create one distinct voice that speaks in a profound compositional and improvisational language. The album includes 13 tracks with a free bonus DVD!

This release includes a bonus DVD

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: Reed Mathis (acoustic 12-string guitar, sitar, cello, bass instrument, double bass); Brian Haas (piano); Jason Smart (drums, percussion).