Eyeman All Stars
Sly Fly
Eyeman Records
Danceable, but not easy listening, that's what the Eyeman All Stars group had in mind. The quartet around tenor player Iman Spaargaren is firmly rooted in jazz and improvised music. These men studied the classics and were inspired by funk, Afro-jazz and samba when they recorded this CD 'Sly Fly'.
Iman blows with a Wayne Shorter-esque embouchure and intensity. He goes all the way and does not shy away from double tones or rough improvisations.
Dirk Balthaus' fender gives the music a seventies atmosphere, but he also plays the grand piano with a fresh and clear touché.
The rhythm section consist of Hendrik Müller (bass) and Efraim Schulz-Wackerbarth (percussion, drums). They play tight and energetically.
The Motown sound is the source of inspiration for the song 'Sly Fly' with a smooth swaying rhythm and a propelling tenor solo. Equally fun is 'New Morning' that comes out of the speakers in a playful and feathery light way. The dreamy 'Dreamstate' is a great cooling down after a CD with danceable grooves” (Sjoerd van Aelst, Jazzflits).
Line up:
Iman Spaargaren (tenor sax)
Dirk Balthaus (Fender Rhodes, piano)
Hendrik Müller (bass),
Efraim Schulz-Wackerbarth (percussion, drums)
