Reviews
If you listen to Straight Up, all the way through, you will know why you want to hear it again.
Of these nine post bop 60's inspired tunes Stacie composed and leads from the piano,
the first three are up-tempo mainstream jazz tunes orchestrated for the horns to create a big
band sound that sometimes take me back to Kenton and Ellington.
This is not a bad thing. But it's not until track 4, "Art's Place",
with its Latin rhythm, and the
gorgeous slow dancing "Goodie's Dilemma", with
Chris Mitchell on soulful tenor,that the album
as a whole begins to stretch its wings and show its stuff. By the time we get to track 9,
"Very Late", we've listened to ballads and blues, boogie and free jazz
all held together
by Stacie's rich Oscar Peterson (pace Horace Silver) type piano and her very solid
arrangements. This young lady has corralled and handles a team of heavy players including
Archie Alleyne, Kevin Turcotte, Steve Wallace who shares bass duties with the
delightful Brandi Disterheft and Michael Stuart. Strong performances, clean mix, good listening.
-Stanley Fefferman (The Live Music Report)
A wonderful, and delightful quintet with a strong and cohesive sound.
Reminiscent of the golden days of Blue Note (Lee Morgan et al...)
- Sammy Goulbourne (New Style Radio - 98.7fm, Birmingham,UK)
The pianist/leader, who has emerged from the ranks to bandleader status, composes nine tunes
for her debut CD that are clearly inspired by the post-bop music of the 1960's. In fact,
they're almost like alternate takes to the vast catalogue that defined the future of jazz to a
generation and still influences many players today. Tunes like "Uncle B" and "Top
Cat"
are fine vehicles for the likes of particularly inspired trumpeter Kevin Turcotte. Also
heard to effect are saxmen Chris Mitchell and Michael Stuart, drummer Archie Alleyne and
either Steve Wallace or Brandi Disterheft on bass.
...Overall this is a pleasing CD
and (McGregor) shows with "Very Late" that
she's capable of
ringing the changes decisively. The best piece is "Goodie's
Dilemma"
- Geoff Chapman (Toronto Star)
Canadian Stacie is a young gal with a wise old head. She delves into the immediate post-bop
period to unearth a remarkable sound and set of compositions that bear the imprimatur of a young
Horace Silver. For an artist who appears to be typecast as a world
music pianist, "Straight Up" is a
launch pad into serious jazz credibility. She demonstrates a technical mastery of the 88 keys and is
accompanied by such masters as Archie Alleyne on drums and Kevin Turcotte on trumpet.
- John Stevenson (eJazzNews.com)
An Excellent jazz outing for Stacie, and her compositions are right in the mainstream of the post-bop
masters such as Cannonball, Blakey and yes, Horace Silver.
- Ron Gaskin (jazz critic)