Representing three continents, Burning Gums is a fresh new color on the seemingly endless palette of jazz guitar bands. The trio's debut album contains nine exciting tracks showcasing high caliber musicianship expertly navigating between the many styles of music from samba to swing. Interesting compositions and unusual arrangements of classics like So What and Killer Joe will keep listeners pleasantly alert. Norbert Marius’ smooth bass grooves provide solid foundation for guitarist Ron Jackson’s sophisticated improvisations, which are expertly matched by Matsu Hiroyuki’s energetic drumming, all creating the very special sound of Burning Gums. A sound that will make its mark! A true jam.
Artist: Burning Gums
Album: Burning Gums
Review by Nick DeRiso
A stylistic tour de force, this self-titled trio effort manages to take in many of jazz music’s most notable influences, even tosses in a dash of Pacific island flavor, but it never falls into the rote imitative traps of so many of today’s more traditionalist recordings.
That’s a credit to executive producer Ron Jackson, a guitarist of mature yet inventive dexterity.
“Samba de Oueijo” finds Jackson leading the threesome through an echoing, atmospheric journey across a humid nightscape. His guitar work recalls, by turns, Pat Metheny’s sleek modernity and Wes Montgomery’s riffy elation. Meanwhile, bassist Norbert Marius is a propulsive counterpoint, moving with cat-like quickness underneath Jackson’s impressive runs. Neither manages to catch drummer Matsuura Hiroyuki, however. He is always a cymbal-tap ahead of them. Together, they create an album-opening statement of purpose.
The following “Excerpt of Tina III” takes a more considered turn, dropping the undulating rhythms. But Jackson, a New York-based recording artist and instructor, stays firmly rooted in a clean, percussive groove. He’s just as adept at playing these fleet swinging turns as he was with a lyrical samba. Marius’ bass solo is deeply expressive, but never showy.
Fasten the seat belt, and place your tray in the upright position, though. For all of the reserved classicism of “Except,” Burning Gums then proceeds to turn “Killer Joe” -- Benny Golson’s soul-jazz classic -- into a greasy R&B number. Jackson and Marius dive into a deep-fried series of riffs, with Jackson taking over the familiar horn signature, even as Hiroyuki works the sizzling edges. Playing over clips that sound like they come from news broadcasts, a police scanner, or maybe a NASA transmission, the trio proceeds to transform into a bouncing, nasty little funk group. This ends up being more soul than jazz, and to thrilling effect.
“Sacred Love,” alas, is a more conventional jazz trio number -- a pretty ballad, but not much more. It’s not long, however, before Burning Gums has ramped up into “Going Bush,” which features a lilting, sun-splashed island beat. Marius, who produced Burning Gums, at first takes a backseat on this one to the concise interplay between the elegant and vivid runs by Jackson and these brilliant bursts of syncopation from Hiroyuki. But the bassist then dashes to the front with an impish solo that eventually defines the track. When Jackson returns, it’s at a quickened pace, almost like he’s skipping along -- seemingly emboldened by what came before.
“So What,” a signature Miles Davis composition, begins as a dreamy, almost psychedelic exploration into the far reaches of imagination. Jackson’s tone, warbly and expressive at first, eventually coalesces into a sharply incisive series of improvisations. Meanwhile, Hiroyuki bashes away with an insistence that eventually frames the song’s middle portion. Marius’s solo, quietly effective but never completely at rest, represents the final stop before Jackson returns the song to a mirage-like reverie. “So What” ends as it began, with an undefined expressiveness, not unlike the free-form experiments Davis himself was at work on a decade after he originally cut the song in the late 1950s. This new version wouldn’t be out of place on signature fusion projects like In A Silent Way.
“Mangrove DoReMi” takes Burning Gums further into this contemplative space, adding environmental sounds to an initial free-form structure that allows the trio to explore their instruments with an impressive tone and deftness. Jackson eventually hits a note, and repeats it, then repeats it again and again, sparking a flurry of activity from the others. Their symbiosis is such that the song instantly takes flight.
The subsequent and soulful “Madras Parallel,” though it doesn’t approach the rib-sticking R&B delights of Burning Gums’ remake of “Killer Joe,” underscores again this trio’s ability to blend contrasting styles. They are as funkified as they are swinging as they are influenced by Jackson’s roots in the Philippines. “Park Slope” then concludes Burning Gums on ruminative note, as Jackson constructs concentric circles around a portentous rhythm from Marius and Hiroyuki.
Even at the end, it’s clear that there isn’t much these three can’t do. This self-titled release could have been twice as long, and never gotten old.
Review by Nick DeRiso
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Guitarist Ron Jackson demonstrates a strong melodic sense and a lucidity of expression on his new CD “Burning Gums,” an engaging and breezy collection which at times brings to mind the music of George Benson. Of greatest interest in this well-performed set from Jackson and his trio are the seven original compositions,
four from Jackson and three from bassist Marius. Jackson’s “Excerpt of Tina III” is tuneful with nice harmonic structure, while “Going Bush” will leave a listener humming for a lengthy period. Marius, who penned the rapid opener “Samba de Queijo,” provides solid and very musical backing without bombast along with drummer
Hiroyuki. Marius also contributes short but outstanding electric bass solos on “Excerpt,” “Sacred Love,” and “Madras Parallel.”
Don Lerman-Cadence Magazine
Ron Jackson is a New York based jazz guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, recording artist, and instructor. To say Ron Jackson is well traveled would be an understatement. He has performed and recorded in over 20 countries as a bandleader and ensemble performer, and is well established in the international jazz scene. Ron's style of guitar playing and compositions is a blend of jazz, and other American styles such as soul, rhythm and blues, pop that is influenced by his roots of the Philippines. Ron is experienced in many musical idioms and brings it all together in his unique approach to playing jazz guitar.
Ron has recorded and performed with jazz, blues and World music, greats such as, Taj Majal, Little Anthony and The Imperials, James Spaulding, The Boys Choir of Harlem, The Metro Mass Choir, Mor Thaims Drums of Fire, Irene Reid, Hal Singer, TK Blue, Sarah Dash, Gene Anthony Ray, Cecil Brooks III, TAO, Melvin Rhyne, Jimmy McGriff, 5 Guitars Play Mingus, Cissy Houston, Kevin Powell,Ralph Peterson, Russell Malone, Larry Coryell, Jack Wilkins, Don Braden, Craig Handy, David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness,Renee Manning,Earl Mcintyre, Clark Gayton, Benny Powell, The Metro Mass Choir, Benny Golson, Randy Weston, Ron Carter, Oliver Lake, Leo Wright, Jaki Byard, Mulgrew Miller, Winard Harper, Akua Dixon, Kenny Drew Jr., Olatunji, Gwen Guthrie, Dee Dee Bridgewater,Raul Midon Jimmy Cobb, Rufus Reid, Larry Coryell, Jeff “Tain”Watts, Bernard Purdie ,Dewey Redman, Howard Johnson, Benny Powell,Dr. Lonnie Smith, Gary Bartz, John Hicks, Ron Blake, Akira Tana, Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers and Candido to name a few.
Norbert Marius started taking piano lessons at the age of eight. After developing an interest in jazz and funk, he began playing upright and electric bass at the age of 14. He studied at the Bartok Bela Jazz Conservatory in Budapest, the Cologne Music Institute, earned numerous scholarships before graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1987.
Since moving to New York City in 1988, Mr. Marius has performed with the Fifth Dimension, Melba Moore, Screaming Headless Torsos, and many others. He has toured the US, Europe and Japan. Besides being a bassist, Norbert is an active composer, and producer of dozens of instrumental and vocal tracks.
Screaming Headless Torsos,David Fiuczinsky,The Fifth Dimension, Melba Moore,JoJo Mayer, Rodney Holmes,Jackie Terrasson,Ed Cherry,Roy Meriwheather,Gil Silverbird,Arturo Tappin,Mark Johnson, Delmar Brown,Bill Sims Jr.,Denzell Miller,Marlon Browden,Jerome Van Rossum, Victor Jones, John Lang (Mister Mister).
Mr. Matsuura has performed and/or recorded with Grammy winning bassist, Hector "Maximo" Rodriguez (Spanish Harlem Orchestra); Grammy winner, Oriente Lopez; multi-platinum producer/musician, Vernon Jeffrey Smith (Whitney Houston, Paula Abdul, Heather Headley, Des’ree, The Family Stand); Grammy nominated R&B/jazz pianist, Marc Cary; legendary jazz pianist, late Harry Whitaker; award winning living legend jazz singer, Sheila Jordan; one of the New York’s finest pianists, Ray Gallon; distinguished composer/arranger, leader and pianist of the Gotham Jazz Orchestra, Mike Holober; jazz trombonist and author, Scott Reeves; the most sought after guitarist of the generation, Adam Stoler (Richard Bona, Keiko Matsui); classically trained R&B singer-songwriter, Yahzarah (Grammy winning Erykah Badu); jazz~gospel singer/Broadway legend, Boncellia Lewis; one of the most active R&B~rock bands in NY, Shelley Nicole’s blaKbushe; the busiest band in NY, Yaz Band; reggae legend, Milton Henry; jazz~reggae guitarist, Justin Rothberg; the best reggae/ska band in NY, Jammyland Allstars; world music~African reggae singer from Ivory Coast, Sekouba Diakite; unique mix of Latin music and hip hop, Welfare Poets; percussionist of 2005 Latin Grammy nominated Los Pleneros de La 21, Juan Usera; R&B~hip hop star, Akil Dasan ( T h e R o a d T o S t a r d o m With Missy Elliot on UPN); the most promising singer songwriter of the generation, Sophia Bastian…. He has shared the stage with such Grammy winners, hip-hop group the Roots, Corey Glover of Living Color, and legendary jazz bassist Charnett Moffett.
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