Album Notes

Described as "jazz for the resilient," Urban Survival, an all male baby boomer jazz quartet,debuts its second album, Storry Hill. Urban Survival oscillates fluidly between jazz, classical, and rock influences, creating what many call a new genre of jazz music. Renowned bassist/composer Jim Donica, pianist/composer Eric Olsen, Drummer Chris Bowman, and sax player John Isley, combine their varying musical backgrounds and talents to create an Urban Survival kit of intense improvisations,beautiful ballads, eclectic spirituals, imaginative arrangments of known melodies, and stylistic, original compositions.

Living,composing, performing and teaching in New York City, each member of Urban Survival represents one of the most exciting developments in contemporary jazz music. Committed to translating the urban lifestyle and experience into the genre of jazz music, Urban Survival composes works that reference the culture of Manhattan through the influence of jazz greats such as Kieth Jarrett, Charlie Hayden, and Ornette Coleman. According to the Jazz Review, Urban Survival will appeal to those who enjoy free jazz and avante-garde with a blend of contemporary jazz motifs added to the brew. According to 40 year old Donics, "despite the fact that we've been playing together for over 7 years , it's the unpredictable nature of our music that makes us such an intense and diverse jazz band."