Band Review
"In The Moment" a Jazz/Blues Group. Guitarist, Mike Armando, a relatively young man, has paid his dues several times over. And you can hear it in his playing. My one time contemporary, Charlie Bird Parker once said, “You can’t play it if you haven’t lived it.” When you listen to Mike, you’ll will know from the very first note that he lived what he plays. There’s a seasoned unfiltered quality in his phrasing that awakens our ears to his affinity for the real deal form of jazz. With Mike, its all about feeling, just as it was with all of the great players of the past, and the few greats who are on the scene today. The sounds Mike has taken in and absorbed through the years didn’t come from any music school class, but straight from his life’s experiences, and from hanging around the great jazz clubs in New York City; and being able to see some of the greats perform up close and personal. Mike has a way of drawing his listeners in and making them a personal part of what he and his group are playing. Mike has surrounded himself with some really fine jazz musicians. Electric bassist, Andy Golba, is no slouch when it comes to laying down a solid bass line. Andy Golba has a style that is his own. He knows how to lay down a bass line for the rest of the group to play off of. His sense and use of time and rhythm is most notable, and he swings hard and holds it all together. Andy is a bass soloist also. He combines many years of playing experience into his solos. His counterpoint, drummer, Gene Linefsky, likewise plays with solid time and rhythm. When he solos he means business, and most importantly, he’s not overbearing but very supportive. He sets the time and locks it in with Andy, and between the two of them, lay down a solid track of time for Mike to ride upon. Gene is a seasoned jazz drummer, and knows all the tricks to his trade on how to dress up any tune that the band throws at him. The trio format really allows these three jazz/blues musicians to stretch out and do their thing without reservation or thought. With them, it’s all from the heart. And in listening to the mix, one becomes acutely aware that these three men have an affinity for one another, and utilize their God -given gift of dynamic restraint. The three obviously think similarly, and one can clearly hear a certain amount of telepathy when they’re playing, especially in the way they react and respond to one another within the trio setting. Indeed very spontaneous! And being able to perform in a manner such as this, requires some pretty damn good musicianship on their part to pull it off. And pull it off they did! These three great musicians, Mike Armando, Andy Golba and Gene Linefsky did just that! ............Review written by Artt Frank, long time drummer for Chet Baker... ..
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