The Cool Jazz Trio went to the Audio Daddio Studios and out came this intense yet lyrical and highly creative recording of nine of Mark Lewis’ favorites from his compositions. Real jazz. The good stuff.

Mark Lewis has a remarkably perceptive — and indeed spiritual — personal agenda of creativity. There is no way to safely place this music in the

The Cool Jazz Trio went to the Audio Daddio Studios and out came this intense yet lyrical and highly creative recording of nine of Mark Lewis’ favorites from his compositions. Real jazz. The good stuff.

Mark Lewis has a remarkably perceptive — and indeed spiritual — personal agenda of creativity. There is no way to safely place this music in the background. It will seize and open you. It is a total experience. The music will stay in your mind long after you hear it on this CD. In this reverberating performance by Mark Lewis and his self-challenging associates, ordinary time stops and you enter a new sonic world. The value of the time and intensity that Mark Lewis and his colleagues have put into this endeavor is manifold.

An authentic and invigorating creator is among us. Dive into the sonic now with Mark Lewis’ recently released album. The vibrant alto sound intones long lean lines that build with dramatic tension over the arc of the album. Told in an unpretentious dialect, his stories manifest in fragmented images, notes, tones and shapes, a sonic lunch for your ears. What a great band, this music deserves to be heard on all the jazz radio stations, internet stations and more! The repertoire is excellent, this music is all about melody and harmony, and attempting to musically be oneself through the composer’s language.

Ok, the thought that arises after listening is "why isn't this guy winning polls?" That's no spur-of-the-moment impression; Mark Lewis is as sharp and perceptive as anyone you'd care to name. Pay heed, for example, to his dazzling stories as he plays his alto saxophone with the highest integrity. Improvisation doesn't get much better than this. What a pleasure to hear this timeless music, and the musicians whose singular talents made this superlative recording possible. It is powerfully, passionately alive.

Liner notes by ..............Tim Price ......www.timpricejazz.com.....