Foremen

Don Peretz

FOREMEN is a drummer led quartet with a drummer-less focus in sound. Don Peretz Foremen is an exploration of free improvised music through the roots of melody and song. The acoustic quartet seems to capture a listener that might not normally be captured in listening to progressive jazz. Playing out of New York City's new music venues, Foremen have keyed their own collective approach to improvised music, acquiring a strong following of listeners in New York.

"I wanted a group that dug into the depths of melody and improvisation to a point that would not only inspire the players, but touch listeners from all sorts of backgrounds."
- Don Peretz

Tracklisting:

1. Simple Man (Don Peretz) 5:06
2. Folk Song #2 (Don Peretz) 3:43
3. Retro Phlegm (Don Peretz) 5:09
4. Old Man (Young) 5:20
5. Itemized Phone Bill Pt. I & II (Don Peretz) 6:50
6. Son and Dad (Don Peretz) 3:28
7. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Cobain) 6:07
8. No Train Again (Don Peretz) 5:20
9. Peretz Syndrome (Don Peretz) 5:40
10. No Walking (Don Peretz) 4:56
11. Bacon Wrapped (Don Peretz) 4:48
12. A Theme (Don Peretz) 0:54
13. Folk Song #1 (Don Peretz) 2:35

Recorded November 2003 at Maggie's Farm, Pippersville, PA.

Reviews:

"Drummer Don Peretz is onto something here as he pilots this New York City-based quartet through an expansive musical aura where improvisation and compositional structure attain a happy medium. Take for example, Russ Johnson’s crybaby-like muted trumpet choruses on “Simple Man,” as Perez and bassist Dave Ambrosio lay down a tight groove amid a tunefully, blues-oriented primary theme.
The simplistic connotations of the track's title summon up acute visual characteristics, but the band’s makeover features a medley of programmatic horn choruses and loosely organized jazz grooves. Many of these pieces are stoked in wide-ranging mosaics of sound and style, spanning Ornette Coleman-style free bop, hard bop, and jazz-funk. However, the majority of Peretz’s compositions boast sustaining melody lines, often coated with prophetic musical statements.
The quartet’s rendition of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” looms as a solemn jazz dirge where teen spirit is branded with sorrow and remorse. However, the rhythm section subsequently ups the tempo for the coda, suggesting an air of optimism.
This unit’s sovereign approach to jazz covers quite a bit of terrain, as Peretz’s arrangements generally convey tangible storylines that are embedded within the soloists’ improvisations. (A recommended pick for 2005…)"
- Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz