Joel Yennior Trio - Big City Circus

'Every jazz musician who transcends passing music fashions has a 'signature sound.' Duke Ellington told me, 'A musician's sound is his soul.' Trombonist Joel Yennior's Big City Circus is 'soul music' - beyond categories. This is a recording that will reverberate in listener's autobiographies long after the music stops.' Nat Hentoff, Renowned Author and NEA Jazz Master --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big City Circus, the breakthrough release by the Joel Yennior Trio, showcases the trombonist's virtuosity, sensitivity, and emotional depth as the group daringly explores an array of borrowed gems and original works by Yennior. Best known for his work with the critically acclaimed Either/Orchestra and the adventurous quartet Gypsy Schaeffer, here Yennior employs the talents of guitarist Eric Hofbauer (Han Bennick, Muhal Richard Abrams) and percussionist Gary Fieldman (Bill Friesel, Joanne Brackeen) to round out his ensemble. The absence of a bass creates a host of new possibilities for the trio, and allows each musician to adopt a fresh approach to his traditional role in a small jazz group. The musical selections include pieces by Thelonious Monk, songwriter Burt Bacharach, iconoclastic pianist Ran Blake, and Mexican composer Manuel Ponce. Yennior's own contributions include the briskly swinging 'Dancing Dave,' the solicitous 'Postcard to Dorothy,' and the poignant three-part 'Suite for Justice Lost,' which was composed after serving as a juror in a Boston murder trial. The CD liner notes for Big City Circus were written by Frank-John Hadley from Downbeat Magazine. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Joel Yennior is fluid and intelligent on the trombone...' Downbeat Magazine --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Trombonist Joel Yennior...revealed keen instincts that led [him] to underplay or hit hard at just the right moments.' Bob Blumenthal, The Boston Globe --------------------------------------------------------------------------- '...the eloquent trombonist Joel Yennior...' Ben Ratliff, The New York Times --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Jazz lovers will want to get intimate with Yennior's smoky, glowing sounds on the trombone. His performance on this album [Portamental - Gypsy Schaeffer] is stellar, crafting a sound that is distinctly warm with a rich, hazy halo at the edges. That attractive sound is paired with a nimble, flexible control of the horn that produces exciting and creative solos.' Ward Miller, International Trombone Association Journal --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'There must be few trombonists around who could touch Yennior. His playing is a joy to listen to and he can get notes and gimmicks from the instrument that are surely all his own.' Mike Cook, Euro Club de Jazz.com (UK) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Who is a revelation is phenomenal trombonist Joel Yennior, of luxurious sound, marked vibrato, and irresistible and overflowing mighty swing.' Thomas Werner, Diario La Republica (Uruguay)

1) Dancing Dave
2) A House Is Not a Home
3) Gallop's Gallop
4) Breakthru
5) Postcard to Dorothy
6) Justice Lost: A Suite in Three Parts: Blood on the Street
7) Justice Lost: A Suite in Three Parts: Blues for Justice Lost
8) Justice Lost: A Suite in Three Parts: Big City Circus
9) Estrellita