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Recent Reviews of the Midnight Rhapsody CD...
A review of the Midnight Rhapsody CD - Jazziz Magazine, March 2002
In the liner notes to his beautifully crafted, romantically inclined debut "Midnight Rhapsody" (Omnibus Records), Chicago-based pianist/ composer Bradley Young offers an encyclopedic list of straight-ahead jazz influences. Yet in the midst of the Oscar Petersons and Art Tatums, he mentions Alex Bugnon. And there's no doubt that his light, playful elegance, bluesy funk and intensely melodic ways were also inspired by young contemporary, pop-driven masters like Brian Culbertson and Joe McBride. What he achieves with all this is a swinging smooth jazz work that bebop purists will also find hard to resist. To ingratiate himself to new listeners who only know the bigger names, Young includes two familiar R&B covers which he has fun twisting according to his unique "part jazz, part smooth" agenda. "We're In This Love Together" begins close-to-the-vest, his Joe McBride-like lush melody sprawling over a mid-tempo groove amidst a restrained choir of backing vocalists. Then, he branches into an increasingly wild solo territory, improvising and jamming as the tune builds momentum; the mini-choir repeats the lyric, but Young is on his own wonderful journey. On "Where Is The Love", he again eases us into a pleasant straightforward cover for the first two minutes. Then, Geoffrey Lowe's bass and Rick Vitek's high hat swing into high gear and Young turns the tune into a temporary straight-ahead date, before snapping back to light funk. His originals offer a solid variety of moods, from the tender dream states of the title track and the contemplative new age piano solo "Lullaby For A Lost Cherub," to the bouncy, Yellowjackets-flavored "Journey of the Spirits," on which Young takes an early supporting role to lead melody sections played by Lowe and saxman Steve Cole. Young also pays homage to fusion pioneers like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea with the adventurous "Reaux Peaux Shuffle," blending synth lines with Pat Fleming's scorching electric guitar and going off again to frenetic ivory tangents as the brooding atmosphere builds and the drums pound.
-- Jonathan Widran
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