Personnel:
Aaron Irwin (as), Danny Fox (p, Fender Rhodes), Sebastian Noelle (g), Thomson Kneeland (b), Greg Ritchie (d)
Reference: FSNT-442
Bar code: 8427328424424
"I apologize for this brief intrusion, however, I am writing to let you know that regardless of all common sense, I have again spent time and effort in writing and recording some original jazz music which I would like to share with you. The album is called Ordinary Lives, and it is my third recording on Fresh Sound New Talent. I am really proud of how this came together and also think that the musicians helping me in this endeavor sound simply fantastic. It was a quite rewarding process and I would be honored if you were to check it out."
-Aaron Irwin
"What do you want to get out of jazz music outside the live experience, when you are listening to it at home or in the car? Maybe you want it to change, or to enhance your mood? Or maybe you want to thrill to the artists virtuosity. I understand some people even try to order or organise their CD and record collections this way.
Id have a problem knowing where to place this smashing album from speccy NY-based altoist Aaron Irwin. It struck me immediately as a legal high and a perfect complement to one of those pleasantly gloomy days when you want to indulge in a little reflection. On the other hand, another day, its carefully wrought arrangements are so finely executed by the quartet I want to sit and concentrate hard on the technical display to the exclusion of all else.
Irwin has an almost diffident alto technique à la Giuffre thats constant throughout. The sidemen change the sound scenery around their leader: Danny Fox swaps piano for Rhodes; Sebastian Noelle trades folky acoustic for fuzzy electric and the rhythm section put the focus on it all. Irwin wrote all the material and while the songs have the same dynamic range they include blues, semi-Latin and somewhat Frisellian avant-garde. Theyre all melodic and strewn with hooks.
The set took two days to record according to the liner notes - but the comfortable, conversational nature of the chorus swapping suggests they know one another well. So across 10 medium length tracks, Irwin and the guys achieve the perfect balance, making eery, twilit music that lingers long in the mind. An understated little gem."
Garry Booth -April, 2014
Jazz Journal
