Recordings

Mardi Gras at Timucua

When I read the personnel list, I saw several familiar and respected
names, like Wertz, Hagler, Bradette and Metz. After listening some more,
I realized that you really have to be some kind of musician to play this
kind of music (well,I mean), and obviously they all are! At first I was
not all that enthused. It is not all bop,by any means, there's some very
very funky stuff, especially "Dowg" which has a spectacular alto solo by
Dan Martel. I asked Lorraine what she thought. "I like it a lot" she
said , "I can almost see Ray Charles swaying along at his keyboard!"
I'm glad that I Iistened some more. My favorite cuts are "Slander" with
Rex Wertz, alto and Keith Oshiro, trombone. Lorraine knew immediately
which standard tune it's based on. Another is "Lonna Dee" (you can
probably figure that one out!).
After a couple more listens I was very impressed with the Benoit Glazer
compositions, arrangements and performance. If you need to demonstrate,
perhaps to a young player, how good drumming should sound
during a jazz piece, have him listen to Eddie Metz Jr. here!
This music is so interesting, so entertaining, and getting into it, is
so enjoyable! 
A candidate for "Years best" I would say!

-David Martin, Music Director at WUCF-FM  89.9

"Man, I love that CD (Mardi Gras at Timucua). I play it on the air all the time.
I can't believe it was recorded in Benoit's living room. Outstanding!"

-Richard Bourcier, JazzReview.com

*Here's a New Orleans "street beat" brass band direct from the
suburbs of Orlando, Florida. In itself, that's not unusual *BUT* they
play in private homes. How would you like to have a 9 or 10 piece brass
band in your living room?

The /Timucua Arts Foundation/ is the brainchild of Benoit Glazer and his
wife Elaine Corriveau. Like this writer, they are natives of Montreal
where Glazer was a faculty member of McGill University. He now acts as
musical conductor for *La Nouba* a creation of Montreal's famed *Cirque
du Soleil*. The foundation arranges monthly concerts of various musical
styles held in the Glazer home. Local visual artists are invited to
bring along their art. The whole concept is a way of bringing the arts
back home to the community.

The music is pure fun! Benoit Glazer composed, arranged, recorded,
edited and mixed the whole thing. It's his personal Louisiana gumbo with
bits of blues, bop, swing, early jazz and plenty of funk. The soup was
three years in the making and the seasoning is just right. This is some
of the happiest music you'll ever hear. The musicians are top-notch
players driven by an irresistible beat laid down by *Josh Parsons'*
sousaphone and drum star *Ed Metz Jr.*. Metz is probably the busiest
drummer in traditional jazz today. He often performs at Disney World and
records prolifically for Florida's *Arbors Records*. Benoit Glazer is a
gifted trumpet player and appears on about eighty CDs in various musical
genres.

You can listen to samples of the Timucua Brass Band on line. You won't
be able to control your feet.

*Tracks: *Jelly?s Rhythm; Mintz Balls; Lonna Dee; Monday Night; Elaku;
Le Blues Gras; Da Blues; Nice And Warm; Slander; Let The Good Times
Jelly Roll; Dowg.

*Record Label Website: *http://www.timucua.com

*Listen or Buy: *http://www.cdbaby.com/timucua

* Reviewed by: * Richard Bourcier
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