Park St. Trio

[wookiee]

Check out this relatively new release from my group, Park St. Trio. This is our first release and we are very proud of how it turned out. I am a drummer and new to song writing. 6 of the songs written on the album are composed by me, so I'm extra excited about it.

Here's the line up:

Steve Slater - Drums

Stan Muncy - Vibraphone (Stan Muncy)

Jason Countryman - Guitar

Nick Underwood - Bass

The album was recorded to tape, not digitally like most albums these days. We did 3 takes per song and picked the best one for the album. It was fast, simple and fun. We did no overdubs and no editing on the parts.

Please check out our new release, "Goodnight, Daylight" (title track is a lullaby for my 19 month old son). Let us know what you think and if you like it, please help us spread the word.

Thanks for listening!

Park St. Trio.

Edited September 3, 2011 by wookiee

[Chicago Expat]

Oh, man, you've gotta be new to jazz forums. I'm going to explain where you went wrong. It will probably come off as condescending, but really I'm trying to be helpful.

1. It happens so often, it's practically cliche, the approach of making a first post on a forum as some sort of fan of a musician/ensemble, completely unaffiliated with them, and saying something like "you should check these guys out, they're great." This approach screams PR and it doesn't engender much goodwill from the locals.

2. Don't hypothesize anything that might make you come off as not very knowledgeable about jazz. To say that you never hear guitar-vibe combos is one thing, but to follow it up with wondering if Gary Burton has ever played with a guitarist before (answer: he has, like a kajillion). It's okay not to know something. God knows there's plenty about jazz I'm clueless on. But to include it as part of a PR post, I don't know, it comes off as, well, I can't think of the right word, but it's not a flattering one, that's for sure.

3. Most jazz forums are gonna be populated with members who are very sympathetic to the struggling jazz musician. Hell, even the more successful jazz musicians struggule, so someone new on the scene like yourself, it's too be expected. If you want to promote your (or your friend's) album, just pop on the forum, say hi, introduce yourself, talk about your music, and provide a link to a place where you can hear it (and you did that last part for sure; it's nice to be able to stream an album on bandcamp).

4. Overall, if you're going to come onto a forum, any forum, and you're expecting for people to take the time to read and/or listen to your post, be open with why you're there and try to show the same care with your post as you would like listeners/readers to take with it.

Ironically, I have heard your album and I like it very much. I'm currently in a very bad place financially, but I do have your bandcamp page bookmarked and intend to scoop Goodbye Daylight up one day. Let your music be your business card. It's pretty good, and despite your clumsy first post on the forum, I do recommend that people give it a listen. It's good stuff.

Like I said, I meant well, though if our positions were switched, I can't deny that I'd be tempted to tell me to fuck off and mind my own business, lol.

P.S. Speaking of Gary Burton guitar players, Julian Lage has an album out called Gladwell that I haven't been able to listen to in full yet, but what I've heard so far is amazing.

[Ted O'Reilly]

Check out this relatively new release from Park St. Trio. I think the vibraphone/guitar combo is great and I can't say I have heard too much of it. I'm wondering if Gary Burton ever did anything with a guitar player, I feel like I always hear vibes/piano combo's. Park St. Trio.

I agree with Chicago Expat, but will give you the benefit of the doubt...

Vibes/guitar has always been Burton's format of choice for his basic quartet. Think of guys like Larry Coryell, Mick Goodrick, Pat Metheny, and my favourite, the under-recognized Jerry Hahn. (I loved his funky country/bluesy sound).

Now, without raising C-E's ire (I'm not pumping them), if you like that format, investigate a fine vibes/guitar/bass/drums group in Toronto, the Canadian Jazz Quartet.

It's a solid modern-mainstream group, with the guitarist/leader Gary Benson owing a lot to Jim Hall; the veteran vibist Frank Wright is a very creative melodist evoking Bags but swings like Hamp. The bass/drums combo of Duncan Hopkins and Don Vickery are solid, and while they're fine solo players, in this group are happy to be the solid underpinning.

I hear the CJQ often, and always enjoy their work. A regular gig brings in guest horn players, and to quote your kindergarten teacher, "they play well with others".

http://www.canadianjazzquartet.com/cjq_main.htm can get you to their CD releases.

[Chicago Expat]

I agree with Chicago Expat, but will give you the benefit of the doubt...

Vibes/guitar has always been Burton's format of choice for his basic quartet. Think of guys like Larry Coryell, Mick Goodrick, Pat Metheny, and my favourite, the under-recognized Jerry Hahn. (I loved his funky country/bluesy sound).

Now, without raising C-E's ire (I'm not pumping them), if you like that format, investigate a fine vibes/guitar/bass/drums group in Toronto, the Canadian Jazz Quartet.

It's a solid modern-mainstream group, with the guitarist/leader Gary Benson owing a lot to Jim Hall; the veteran vibist Frank Wright is a very creative melodist evoking Bags but swings like Hamp. The bass/drums combo of Duncan Hopkins and Don Vickery are solid, and while they're fine solo players, in this group are happy to be the solid underpinning.

I hear the CJQ often, and always enjoy their work. A regular gig brings in guest horn players, and to quote your kindergarten teacher, "they play well with others".

http://www.canadianjazzquartet.com/cjq_main.htm can get you to their CD releases.

Are you kidding? About the only reason I come to jazz forums is to share recs with other people. I'm all over that CJQ. Thanks for that link.

And also thanks for the reminder to start revisiting Hahn's discography. My primary familiarity with him is through John Handy's various ensembles.

But, yeah, as a general rule, it's wise not to raise my ire.

[wookiee]

Fair points Expat. First, I always appreciate feedback, good and bad. Second, I was being serious about not having any Burton with guitar (although a quick Google search would solve that). Third, thanks for the support with Park St. Trio. I promise my second post will be better.

[sonnymax]

...I promise my second post will be better.

Honesty goes a long way.

[mjazzg]

I like what I hear. So aside from the points made above (with which I agree) by Chicago-Expat, congrats on the music