"The Return of Slide Huxtable” contains nine tracks, five of which are original compositions. “The Juggla” is a hard-hitting straight ahead jazz number by Anthony Cox’s former drummer Ralph Peterson. It was originally featured on Cox’s “Factor of Faces” CD that was much admired by the members of Slide. Miller’s “Salt of the Earth” is an odd metered folksy tune that features Bergmann’s soulful acoustic guitar playing and a simplistic mantra like melody. “For J.J.”, also by Miller, is a mournful ballad in tribute to the late great trombone master J.J. Johnson. Then the album takes a more electric turn with a reggae version of the old Broadway hit “Whatever Lola Wants Lola Gets”. “The Chicken” follows as a straight up funk number, which was penned by James Brown’s tenor man Pee Wee Ellis and made popular by Jaco Pastorius. Bassist Chris Bates contributes “Warren Ashtabula”, another odd metered groover with Bergmann again taking the lead. Miller’s next ballad “Let” starts with a pseudo-classical melody showcasing Chris Bates’ beautiful arco bow work. It also features younger brother J.T. Bates on a rare ballad solo for drumset. “Bop Slop” is exactly as it sounds: sloppy bebop, but on purpose, demonstrating Miller’s wild, humorous trombone style. The final track is a Dave Holland tribute to Charles Mingus entitled “Blues for C.M.” It is a slow blues that has that ‘end of the evening’ feeling that makes you want to order one more for the road and hit the hay.
CD REVIEWS:
The Motion Poets' ace trombonist, Mark Miller, returns from his New York City digs to reassemble his other band, Slide Huxtable, for a CD Release Party. The appropriately named "The Return Of Slide Huxtable" album co-stars underrated guitarist Bill Bergmann, and the omnipresent Bates brothers, Chris (bass) and J.T. (drums). The CD is intriguing, with stellar original chart writing (check out Miller's beautifully mournful "For J.J.," in honor of all-time trombone hero, J.J. Johnson), abundant first-rate solos, and enviable group cohesion. Toss in some off-the-beaten-track cover choices -- "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets" done up in reggae for example -- and Slide Huxtable's return proves welcome. -- Tom Surowicz, Minneapolis Star Tribune
With a moniker borrowed from the trombone-wielding father of Bill Cosby's character on The Cosby Show, this mostly Minnesota jazz quartet plays with an authority that outstrips the superficiality of sitcoms, but would likely please jazz aficionado Cosby. The slide in question here is manned by Mark Miller, an erstwhile Minneapolitan who gigged with such locals as the Motion Poets and Happy Apple before departing for New York and regular employment with Broadway musicals. The band was launched almost a decade ago as an offshoot of the Motion Poets, with Miller (who was then still in town), guitarist Bill Bergmann, bassist Chris Bates, and drummer J.T. Bates, the last three with dozens of local and national credits on their stuffed musical résumés. This gig marks the release of the sporadic band's debut album, The Return of Slide Huxtable, a fine mix of originals and covers running the gamut from straight-ahead stuff to slithery funk, a reggae lurch through the old Broadway standard "Whatever Lola Wants Lola Gets," and odd-metered ethereal excursions. Throughout, Miller's trombone sparks the sound with its gritty muscularity, while Bergmann infuses the pieces with an elegant array of ever-shifting vibes, and the two Bates conspire on rambunctious rhythmic variations. — Rick Mason, City Pages
Not only are today's local jazz groups often ignored by our young music bloggers, but the artists who stray outside bebop's boundaries are generally neglected by the older fans as well. Creative musicians can't win, but listeners can't lose with this enjoyably innovative quartet. Slide Huxtable is the brainchild of trombonist Mark Miller, with rhythm support from JT and Chris Bates. All three were members of vaunted '90s bop sextet Motion Poets. With the addition of pan-global guitar artist Bill Bergmann, they create a spacious, sensual bounce mixed with peaceful contemplations reminiscent of Miles Davis' In a Silent Way. This disc is beyond easy categorization, but never beyond comprehension.
Jim Meyer, Minnesota Monthly
ABOUT THE MUSICIANS:
Mark Miller, trombone
Mark grew up in Racine, Wisconsin and attended the University of Minnesota where he studied with Tom Ashworth. An ever-present sound on the Minneapolis music scene in the 1990s, he was a founding member of the Motion Poets and played with Happy Apple, Latin Sounds, Salsa Del Soul, and the Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble. Mark also counts among his credits performances with such legends as Billy Joel, Doc Severinsen, Ernie Watts, Frank Foster, Cy Coleman, Gloria Gaynor, and the Jason Lindner Big Band. Mark recently completed a three year run on the road with the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp Tony award winning hit Broadway musical “Movin’ Out”. His first Broadway tour was with “Swing!” in 2002/03. A featured soloist at the London, San Jose, and the Discover Jazz Festivals, Mark has toured extensively in 46 states and 17 countries. He currently resides in New York City.
Bill Bergmann, guitar
Guitarist Bill Bergmann has been lending his unique sound to groups in the Twin Cities for years. Attending Berkeley College of Music in Boston enabled him to branch out and discover many different types of world music. Now Bill is well versed in rock, pop, blues, R&B, jazz, reggae, ska, soukous, high-life, cha-cha, and calypso to name a few.
He has played with Fred Wesley, Billy McLaughlin, Ipso Facto, Shangoya, La Kaboomba and currently plays with the West African singer/multi-instrumentalist Yawo. Bill is also the resident guitarist for the Guthrie Theatre and the Children’s Theatre Company. With a strong interest in the evolution of world music, Bill easily blends western style licks with the rhythms and harmonies from the tropics.
Chris Bates, bass
Originally from Hopkins, MN, Chris Bates grew up studying bass with James Clute and Anthony Cox. He has played with many great musicians including Lee Konitz, Mose Allison, Joe Lovano, Eric Alexander, Bill Carrothers, Claudia Schmidt, Osmo Vanska, Charles Lazarus, Ira Sullivan, Greg Skaff, Ernie Watts, Dean Magraw, Helene Labarrie, Tony Hymas, Pablo Cueco, Regis Huby, Marcus Wise, Chris Cunningham, Dean Granros, Lucia Newell, Laura Caviani, and Prudence Johnson. Chris maintains a long-standing relationship with drummer Jay Epstein and performs in the groups Red Planet, Tanner Taylor Trio and Framework with him. Other groups Chris currently leads / follows are - Enormous, Improvised Explosive Device, How Birds Work, Tampered Seals, Volcano Insurance, Slide Huxtable, Sambo Makti, Klezmerica and Low Blows. Chris has recorded albums with Kelly Rossum, Klezmerica, Rhonda Laurie, Red Planet, Peg Carrothers, Motion Poets, Low Blows, Willie August Project and Craig Schumacher.
J.T. Bates, drums
Since the early nineties J.T. has been one of the hardest working musicians in the Twin Cities. He has performed with many nationally and internationally renown artists including: Anthony Cox, Airto, Tony Malaby, Craig Taborn, Michael Formanek, Robert Skoro, Beniot Delbecq, Jim Anton, Dean Magraw, Wessell Anderson, Rodney Whitaker, Dick Oatts, David Freidman, Evan Parker, Carbon Carousel, and Dosh. With the collective trio, Fat Kid Wednesdays (with Mike Lewis - Saxophone, Adam Linz - Bass), he has performed at many international jazz festivals in the U.S., France and Spain. Some of these include the San Jose Jazz Festival, the Heineken Jazz Fest (Spain), Son D’Hiver (Paris), Europe Jazz (Le Mans), Festival Dancing in Your Head (Walker Art Center), Minnesota Sur Seine, and the Iowa City Jazz Festival. J.T. regularly performs around the Twin Cities with many bands including Alpha Consumer, These Modern Socks, Dubsack and the Regional Jazz Trio. J.T.'s unique and instantly recognizable style, coupled with his ability to play such a wide range of musical styles without so much as a blink, makes him a master at the art of improvising and an extremely powerful element on stage and in the studio. This is pretty much common knowledge among those in the know, which is why he has been the first choice session drummer for recordings with Michel Portal (Universal Jazz France), John Gorka (Red House Records), Tony Hymas (Hope Street), and singer/songwriter Alex Ward (Mary Ellen). Whether playing jazz, rock, dub, electronica inspired beats, or the off kilter, at times explosively violent fills, J.T. has enough soul to break your heart, enough angst to break a stick, and enough "Fuck You!" to break your face.
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