quot;Ryan Kauffman plays fluid, sure-footed lines on his saxes with a fine tone on each. The rhythm section is also solid, with pianist Matt Hochmiller revealing an interesting mainstream modern phraseology of his own. Drummer Chris Loser provides bright, crisp accompaniment while bassist Steve Meashey anchors the proceedings with a strong sound and a firm beat.quot; -- Cadence Magazine Ryan Kauffman saxophone Matt Hochmiller piano Steve Meashey bass Chris Loser drums Three Little Words turned up recently when I was at the piano re-working a classic Cole Porter tune. Warm Air Rises is an older tune of mine that I revised for this session. I was going for an open, clear feeling on this one. Shenandoah is a tune I've always enjoyed singing. This is a simple arrangement that features beautiful playing from Steve, Matt and Chris. Dedicated to C. Yes Bossa is one of the first tunes I ever wrote. As I recall, I was fooling around on my father's guitar and listening to a lot of Joe Henderson, particularly the album Double Rainbow. Hoosier Daddy started out as an exercise that I wrote over the changes to the standard Indiana. Overlapping major triads combined with knotty lines create the effect of harmony that seems to slip and slide over the d minor vamp. To Ask is for an old friend. La Camba is loosely based on Antonio Carlos Jobim's Triste. Dedicado a Licet con mucho cariño. I would like to thank Matt, Steve, Chris and Marty for their heartfelt contributions to this project and for their dedication to the music.
