Album Notes

“Twisted Standards” is the newest recording from Zeebop, a well-established Washington, D.C. guitar-bass-drums trio. The album features eight classic tunes from the jazz canon, each one with a different twist.

Hence the album title, "Twisted Standards." Get it?

Compositions by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny and Herbie Hancock receive respectful yet thoroughly original treatment from Zeebop. Mark Caruso's angular, playful and rich guitar lines, Gregg Ivers' precise, swinging and adventurous drumming and Justin Parrott's inventive and melodic approach to the bass combine to give such tunes as "Mr. P.C.," "Footprints," Phase Dance," “So What,” and "Solar" new life in their skilled and soulful hands. Guitarist Pablo Grabiel joins Zeebop on "Dear Old Stockholm," "Stella by Starlight" and "Cantaloupe Island."

Here are some early reactions: Caruso's comping and solos steer clear of the usual cliches, using space and taste rather than flash and dash. His standout tracks are "Mr. P.C." and "So What." Ivers stars on "Dear Old Stockholm," proving that great brushwork is alive and well. His playing on "Footprints" will remind you of nothing you have heard before -- Ivers drives this great Wayne Shorter composition from the front seat, establishing a polyrhythmic groove that follows and counters the melody in all the right places. Parrott demonstrates astonishing versatility throughout the recording, dancing around the high-register on "So What," "Phase Dance" and "Solar," and combining with Ivers to form a rocket pocket on the funk-fused "Cantaloupe Island." Guest Pablo Grabiel's single note lines and chordal voicings on "Stella by Starlight" are so sensitive and swinging that Wes Montgomery is smiling somewhere in jazz guitar heaven.

Zeebop is a band with its own voice, where the music reflects the sum of three musicians, and occasionally four, who are listening to each other and combining to make a whole that testifies to the strength of their musicianship.