DAVE LISIK QUINTET
BONO IN THE TEMPLE
© 2007 GCR (837101354486)
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A modern jazz group from Memphis, the quintet is a collection of unique and dynamic personalities and some of Memphis’ favorite jazz musicians. The group performs challenging compositions with a focus on creative, interactive improvisation.
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John Barron, AllAboutJazz.Com
On Bono in the Temple, Memphis-based trumpeter/composer Dave Lisik and his quintet of like-minded musicians deliver an enthralling set of original mainstream jazz; delightfully intricate compositions mixed with spirited, high-caliber improvising. Lisik, saxophonist Tom Link, pianist Amy Rempel, bassist Sam Shoup and drummer James Sexton are a tireless crew, creating a wash of abundant energy.
Throughout the session, Lisik solos with commanding energy. The confident leader offers rapid-fire lines and emotive wailing on the funky opener “Q School,” tightly-woven bop lines on “Norman Park,” and carefully developed ideas on the swinging “Toronto Transit Commission.”
Link is an impressive soloist with a commanding scope on both soprano and tenor saxophone. His breathy soprano weaves delicate lines over “Au Chien Qui Fume” and his super-sized tenor tone bites through the title track with vigor.
Rempel, Shoup and Sexton are a fiery and dynamic rhythm section, meeting the challenges presented by Lisik’s compositions head-on. Rempel’s linear, Chick Corea-inspired approach is dazzling, especially on “Dinner at Phil’s” and the Hoagy Carmichael classic “Georgia on My Mind.” Shoup is an exceptionally supportive bassist, switching effortlessly from upright to fretless electric. Sexton drives the session with smoldering intensity and dynamic intuitiveness.
The title of the disc refers to the famed U2 vocalist making an appearance at a Memphis mega-church. The music, however, bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Irish rocker. Lisik possesses an imaginative musical vision, connecting the essence of past innovations with contemporary sensibilities.
THE PLAYERS:
TOM LINK (saxophones) Tom Link has degrees from Northern Illinois University and the University of Memphis and is a fixture on the Memphis music scene, in demand as a saxophonist in small and large jazz groups, R&B bands and Broadway musicals. An instructor at the Stax Academy in Memphis, Tom is also music director at St. Benedict at Auburndale where his students were recently awarded the Best Blues/R&B Group in the 2007 Downbeat Student Music Awards.
AMY REMPEL (piano) Amy Rempel is a graduate student and jazz teaching assistant at Indiana University, Bloomington. Winner of a Downbeat Magazine Student Music Award, the Indiana University Jacobs Scholarship, two Manitoba Women of Note jazz soloist competitions, and the Jimmy King Memorial and Asper jazz scholarships, Amy has been invited to the Ravinia Festival Jazz Program in Chicago. Amy has performed with the national tours of several Broadway musicals including Little Shop of Horrors and The King and I and completed her degree in Jazz Piano Performance at the University of Memphis. www.amyrempel.com
SAM SHOUP (bass) A two time winner of NARAS's premier bassist award, Sam Shoup was born and raised in Memphis. He has also received the Best Bassist Award at the Montreux Jazz Festival's Band Competition. Sam completed a degree in Composition at the University of Memphis and spent ten years working for Media General Broadcast Services, where he received several awards for his work. He was a founding member of the band "Dog Police," which won MTV's Basement Tapes Competition. Sam also specializes in Orchestral and Big Band arranging and is currently arranger for world renowned soprano Kallen Esperian. www.samshoup.com
JAMES SEXTON (drums) One of the busiest drummers in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, James Sexton has performed with prominant musicians such as Donald Brown, James Williams, Kirk Whalum and Allen Toussant. James attended the University of Memphis and was a member of the UM jazz Orchestra for five years. James is also an instructor at the world famous Memphis Drum Shop. His current performance groups include Ole Soul, The New Memphis Underground, The Strictly Jazz Quartet, and The New Orleans Jazz Ramblers and James is also the drummer for Peace Baptist Church.
DAVE LISIK (trumpet) Composer and trumpeter, Dave Lisik is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis. Dave completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition with a Jazz Emphasis at the University of Memphis and Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy at the University of Northern Iowa. Dave has written over 175 works for jazz orchestra, small jazz groups, wind ensemble, orchestra, electro-acoustic combinations, various chamber groups, and instrumental and vocal soloists. His music has been performed and/or recorded by Marvin Stamm, Luis Bonilla, Bill Mays, Carl Allen, Kirk Whalum, Paul Hanson, Rick Culver, Gary Valente, Max Seigel, the Ron Paley Big Band, the Memphis Jazz Orchestra, University of Memphis Faculty Jazz Quintet, David Spencer, Winnipeg Brass Quintet, UNI Faculty Brass Quintet, University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One and the University of Memphis Jazz Orchestra. www.davelisik.com
THE TUNES:
The opening track, Q SCHOOL is a reference to the grueling qualifying tournament that many PGA Tour professionals try to complete at the end of the season in order to keep their jobs for another year. Canada's Mike Weir was the 1998 champion.
A popular spot to visit in beautiful Kenora, Ontario, NORMAN PARK was written for a friend and colleague, Mel King, former horn player with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, who worked and vacations there.
AU CHIEN QUI FUME is a great restaurant in Paris, a poster from which hangs in another popular eatery in Winnipeg, Canada. This tune is a simple cycle which tries to disguise the fact that it presents a melody in two different keys.
DINNER AT PHIL’S is named for a mysterious establishment in Banff National Park that may or may not be owned by Phil Collins while TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION (TTC), is a tribute to the daily struggle of musician commuters on TO subway trains.
Since hearing the elegant Michael Brecker solo on an unnamed pop singer’s version of this tune, GEORGIA ON MY MIND has been one of my favorite standards. This reharmonization involves keeping the melody in F and assigning new qualities to the chord roots transposed to E-flat.
TABLE 51 was named for my friend and former graduate school classmate, saxophonist Eric Allen, and our almost daily pilgrimage to a local restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The title DR. PEPPER BELT BUCKLE is from a routine performed by the late Mitch Hedberg, brilliantly original and one of my favorite comedians.
BONO IN THE TEMPLE In 2004, U2’s Bono was presented the Freedom Award, for his humanitarian efforts, by the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. During the ceremony, held in a Memphis megachurch, Bono joked about his fear of divine retaliation for being a rock star in a building called the Temple of Deliverance.
All compositions on this recording are available by contacting the composer at: www.davelisik.com or www.myspace.com/davelisikquintet
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reviews
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Music Director, WUMR Jazz Radio
author: Malvin Massey Jr.We have been playing "Bono In The Temple" now for as long as we have had it and it has done well with us. It has now been in the top 20 at U92 for about three months and is just now about to go recurrent. Everybody has gotten a kick out of not only playing it, but also informing the audience that it is by you and all the U of M amd Memphis musicians. It is well produced, the songs are masterfully arranged and the musicianship is outstanding. Congratulations on an exceptional music project. It will last for a long time. Thanks for letting us be involved in introducing it to the world. Malvin Massey Jr.
Intelligently written music that swings!
author: Dean JonassonBONO IN THE TEMPLE is a collection of fine jazz performances by the Dave Lisik Quintet. From the first propulsive riff of "O School" to the intricately constructed title cut, this album is both thoughtful and playful. Highlights include the studied interplay between the brass and reeds as well as a solid, flexible rhythm section. Within these generous compositions, players are allowed to explore and soar. The quintet's not-so-secret weapon is in the hands of keyboard player Amy Rempel. Her fluid solos take the pieces into unexpected territory. Lisik is a confident leader who allows his players ample room to shine. Outstanding pieces include "Dinner at Phil's", "Norman Park" and a cover of "Georgia on My Mind" where Lisik's trumpet also has the chance to run. There is joie de vivre in his interplay with Tom Link, a muscular and inventive reedman. Intelligently written and arranged, these performances swing!
"Bono" is a great listen!
author: Bob Yugleur, recording engineer/producerThis new quintet, a collection of like-minded jazz musicians from Memphis, Tennessee, effectively navigates a challenging set of great tunes and offers some highly creative and interactive improvisations. Saxophonist Tom Link and pianist Amy Rempel create some especially memorable moments while drummer Sexton is particularly strong throughout, both as soloist and rhythm section collaborator with bassist Sam Shoup. Shoup is a musical chameleon and one of the most visible members of Memphis’ fertile musical scene. The album, comprised of eight original compositions by trumpeter/leader Dave Lisik (who sounds most outstanding when playing flugelhorn on multiple cuts) and a cleverly reharmonized take on Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia On My Mind," flows smoothly from front to back, offering a distinct sound and compositional style. The title track, named after U2 frontman Bono, adds a subtle palette of electronic media which does a great job of complimenting the live elements. Bono in the Temple is an unusually fine musical project which will prompt many repeated listenings!
The album Bono in the Temple sounds great!
author: Don Patterson, jazz drummer, Cleveland, OhioWow. The album Bono in the Temple sounds great! The recording is very clean... nice mix. Good performances by all the musicians and Amy is really sounding superb. Dave, great writing as usual and you sound great too. I really miss playing with you and hanging out. (The rhythm section) Sam, Amy and James all sound fantastic together. I am glad that you finally got this recorded. Congratulations on a fine piece of work.
Modern acoustic based jazz. Has a contemporary East Coast esthetic.
author: TAXI - The World's Leading Independent A&R CompanyHey Dave- Thanks for the opportunity to hear your music. Really dug the overall vibe and direction here. Very contemporary, up to date sounding. Would have thought you and your musicians were on the East Coast. On Q School, your line caught my ear. I like the group interplay and the execution of the written material. The solos are also at a high bar level. Good dynamic build and length of the solos as well. The packaging is really nice too; in the Blue Note tradition but has its own imprint/style as well. Congrats on your CD and best of luck!!
This is now my favorite Jazz record!
author: Clyde WellingtonDave Lisik has developed into a prolific and inventive composer.
author: Dr. Jack Cooper, composer/arrangerDave Lisik has developed into a prolific and inventive composer for the contemporary jazz small group; his tunes are interesting and cover a range of styles within the idiom and he has grown into achieving his own voice compositionally. Tracks that stand out are Norman Park, Dinner At Phil’s, and Bono At the Temple; they show a diversity of style but there is an apparent thread of Dave’s compositional voice continuously coming through. An enjoyable listen!