There are no slow moments on this stimulating set, Haslanger consistently comes up with fresh ideas, and although somewhat obscure, this is one of the best jazz recordings released in 1998.” Joined by a fine local rhythm section and (on six of the ten numbers) hard bop trumpeter Tito Carrillo, Haslanger performs a set of modern straight-ahead originals in addition to sounding quite warm on Duke Ellington’s “Just Squeeze Me,” one of two songs that have Ellis Marsalis guesting on piano. “Long a well-kept secret in Texas, Elias Haslanger is a talented tenor and soprano saxophonist with warm tones on his instruments and the ability to improvise in a variety of settings. But while his playing certainly catches the ear, there’s not the slightest question that this group as a whole plays as one solid entity, one voice, one daring, potent combo.” Stellar tenor saxophonist, Elias Haslanger, leads the way through this ten-track Kicks Are For Kids, gently pushing the songs along and whether with a tender poke or a sharp pinch, every note seems to spill and melt out of the bell of his horn dripping onto the floor or evaporating into the air, depending on the heat of the given track. “Kicking around cheeky rhythmic conversation and contemporary classical dissonances, this sassy modern jazz combo exudes a wonderfully bossy and rebellious nature, often with rock and urban hip hop-like drums and disgruntled melodies that give way to stunningly languid ballads and downtempo numbers, pouring over with sensuality and abandonment. Opener “Eternal & Absolute” also demonstrates a deep knowledge of Coltrane’s soprano sax work.” Haslanger’s jazz is both modern, drawing from funk and blues cadences (“Street Beat,” “Watch Your Step”), and traditional, informed by the idiom’s history, including Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis. The 10 compositions blend Haslanger’s educational theory with an honest love of the jazz pantheon, his performative skills honed by playing with Chucho Valdés, Ellis Marsalis, and Dizzy Gillespie. “…the MVP award on Haslanger’s fourth album is his pen. Likewise, he breathes fresh ideas into Randy Weston’s “Hi-Fly” and Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low.” After a six-year recording hiatus, Elias Haslanger not only returns in top form, he goes to Church. His version of “On a Clear Day” is simply divine, fashioning a creamy, satin-smooth tone that harkens back to an earlier era of big-toned tenor men. Since his first album in 1994, Standards, Haslanger has consistently demonstrated a penchant for ageless chestnuts, and this session is no exception. It’s also in the rhythm section of bassist Daniel Durham and drummer Scott Laningham really laying it in the pocket. 2″ and “Buffalo,” a number written by late Austin trumpeter Kenny Dorham. This is particularly evident on the swingin’ shuffles “Trouble No. James Polk on B-3 organ and former Joey DeFrancesco guitarist Jake Langley cut a formidable, three-pronged attack that eschews any muscle-flexing outside playing deep, earthen, blues-drenched instrumentals. Haslanger’s mentor and longtime collaborator Dr. Native Austinite and pillar of the local jazz scene, the tenor hornsman leads his sterling quintet in a set of tunes inspired by sax stylist Stanley Turrentine’s classic 1964 Blue Note LP, Hustlin’. “From the moment Church on Monday opens, with saxophonist Elias Haslanger leaning into a finger-poppin’ boogaloo on the title track, there’s no letting up. Haslanger's almost four-minute solo opening "Goin' Down" ascends only." James Polk's intergalactic Hammond B-3 organ explorations. Staples of the Church on Monday band's weekly workout, Herbie Hancock's funk standard "Watermelon Man," Horace Silver pledge "A Song for My Father," and Erroll Garner's Clint Eastwood stalker "Misty" all orbit the 10-minute mark on their bandleader's skronk-n-smear, Jake Langley's cascading, hollow-body tones, and Dr. "Four separate numbers vying for centerpiece status of Live at the Gallery tell the tale of this masterful capture. The saxophonist credits John Coltrane and Stevie Ray Vaughn as influences but it's the pecky punctuation of Sonny Rollins that hops to the fore on his ripping 'One for Daddy-O' solo and the trilly, sardonic 'I Thought About You.' Not as obtuse as Rollins but similarly playful, Haslanger's freewheeling licks roar with virtuosity and infectious joie de vivre." " is one of the most enjoyable, raucously swinging, unpretentious yet adventurously soulful albums I've heard in a month of Sundays. "With one foot in groove and the other in improvisational brio, Church on Monday (For Being There) gives a master class in balancing accessibility and self-expression."
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