Andy Young - Downside Up

Order Number hdrm0015

Retail Price from indie-cds.com site A$5.00: / Unit

Downside Up has Andy Young on guitar, Hamish Stevenson on double bass, Kelly Ottaway on Piano and vibes and Sean Brady on drums. A typical bebop combo replaced by horns with the warm, somber, punchy sounds of guitar in the tradition of Wes Montgomery. Young's single line playing achieves a mellow and expressive tone and the group's warm ambience includes lucid vibes and rustling high hats. Andy Young's compositions are both reverential and authentic due to the group's predisposition to the music, their individuality and their entirely impromptu recording. Downside Up was recorded over three sessions and involved the artists playing together for the first time, the intention being to "capture the freshness and spontaneity of a live performance". The group achieves this brightness to the point of materialising in your living room and lighting some candles. However the performance does not take the spot light; the sounds set the mood and enact a sophisticated presence. The opening track has a Duke Ellington vocal feel and saunters between vibes, guitar and piano. Swingthing ups the tempo a bit with some nice chord changes and more modern phrasing. Serenade is slow and captivates the listener's downhearted side. All the tunes have an uncanny familiarity about them which tempt the listener to tap their foot and anticipate the next spur-of-the-moment break on bass or drums. There is a charming modesty about Downside Up. review by David Wilson 2006

This is a fine release of soft swinging original jazz tunes from Tasmanian guitarist Andy Young, with excellent support from a tight combo of talented sidemen. (indie-cds.com editorial)

Drums - Sean Brady; double bass - Hamish Stevenson; piano and vibes - Kelly Ottaway; guitar - Andy Young.

Andy's comments: This album incorporates all genres of mainstream jazz - swing, bebop, ballad, blues and bossa. It was was recorded over three sessions at the Benjafield Collective Studio in Hobart. All personnel are current or ex-Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music; Kelly Ottaway on piano and vibes, Hamish Stevenson on double bass, Sean Brady on drums and myself on guitar. I wrote all ten tracks on the album. The four of us had never played together before recording this album, but I knew Sean and Kelly from the con and they recommended Hamish for the gig. We don't rehearse, we don't gig as a quartet; essentially we just get together to record the music I've written, so I would describe us as strictly a "live in the studio" jazz quartet