The music perpetrated by Jack Walrath & The Masters of Suspense is not easy to describe (with his usual left-of-center humor, Jack would whole-heartedly approve of the verb "perpetrated"). One could say that it is a mix of such disparate elements as classical, jazz, funk, neo-post-bop, world beat, heavy metal & more. The simple fact is that Jack & the Masters' music is one of those all too rare art forms that is substantially more than the sum of it's parts. Modern? To be sure. You won't be hearing any of these tracks on a "Jazz For A Sunny Afternoon" compilation. But all of Jack's music stimulates thought and, most importantly, communicates.

When you think of hard-driving swing, daring expression, sophistication and elegance in artistry, formidable technique and a thunderous sound, there are only a very small handful of contemporary pianists you think of and two of them are on this recording! Eric Reed and Cyrus Chestnut have played with a virtual Who's Who of jazz including Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard and others. Captured live in the rarely-encountered two-piano format, they offer enough jazz adorned with uninhibited improvisations, flashes of pop & bop, whimsy and wit to please the most discriminating of jazz aficionados.

DOUBLE EXPOSURE

PUT ON A HAPPY FACE

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT YOU I DON'T KNOW

BIG SHOT

PLAYING FOR KEEPS

DESERT HEAT

JUMPIN

OUTLAW

DA GIRL

MAN-TI-YA

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE TO GROOVE

IN PRIVATE

The Freemans have been the First Family of Chicago jazz for half of the 20th century, and here they move into the 21st Century with an offering from guitarist George & his brother Von on saxophone, surrounded by other Chicago stalwarts, including vocalist Rene Marie on a swingin' version of "Surrey With The Fringe On Top," as well as an appearance from Kurt Elling