Jay Rodriguez, “Ghost Dancer,” from Your Sound: Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
Multi-instrumentalist Jay Rodriguez, a veteran of the New York jazz scene, draws upon a wealth of influences to create his signature style, weaving elements of Latin jazz, contemporary classical, bebop, fusion and the avant-garde into a vibrant and highly idiomatic tapestry. His new album, Your Sound: Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, is dense with rhythmic material yet retains a raw and unrelenting energy, which at times is stoked to high heat by the live audience. “Ghost Dancer” begins with a slow, meditative incantation animated by rolling drums, rumbling piano and smoky flute. But the sense of solemnity soon gives way to a rambunctious bass groove and dance-worthy woodwind melody that carry the song to its hard-driving conclusion. Rodriguez is a highly expressive player, baring his heart through his horn. Listen here how his rippling phrases switch moods across bar lines: feisty and hot-blooded one moment, cool and collected the next.
Like what you hear? Buy this album on Amazon or iTunes today.
Feature image courtesy the artist.
