Gavin Templeton
Ballast
*****5 STARS***** from All About Jazz
"Listening to this disc, one gets the sense that Templeton is baring his soul, playing as if his very life depends on it. And somehow, he's lined up a band with the same attitude. This is what sets Ballast apart. There's something going on here above and beyond the high quality of Templeton's compositions and the amazing musicianship throughout this disc. This music is raw, unfettered, palpably fearless. Yet, in the midst of this swirl of amazing chops and hip jazz moves, there's vulnerability and warmth." –Dave Wayne, All About Jazz
Gavin Templeton - Alto Saxophone
Joshua White - Piano
Richard Giddens - Bass
Gene Coye - Drums
Excerpt from Carlo Wolff's liner notes:
"BALLAST, the coiled, stimulating album Los Angeles jazzman Gavin Templeton has been crafting for more than a year, was inspired by a range of thought and experience that continues to drive Templeton - and now, thanks to its febrile, probing nature, us.
"This tough, hopeful recording is uncompromisingly modern, mostly hard, but at times unexpectedly, disarmingly sweet. And while most of its source material is uneasy, joy, even jauntiness, peek out.
"'Ballast' refers to the weights seamen place in a ship's hold to keep the keel even. It's the cinder blocks people in colder climes put in their trunks to keep their cars from sliding on ice.
"We all need a ballast, particularly when life, like Templeton's, is so turbulent."
Recorded May 11, 2015 at The Bridge Recording, Glendale, CA
Produced by Gavin Templeton and Daniel Rosenboom
Recording Engineer: Rich Breen
2nd Recording Engineer: Milton Gutiérrez
Mixed by Rich Breen at Dogmatic Sound
Mastered by Dave Collins at Dave Collins Mastering
Album Art, Design, and Photography by Eron Rauch
Liner Notes by Carlo Wolff
Special thanks to Greg Curtis at The Bridge Recording for his generosity and support.
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, composed by Gavin Templeton (ASCAP)
Tracks 4, 6, 8, 10 conceived by the Gavin Templeton Quartet
All music © Gavin Templeton Music (ASCAP) 2015
www.gavintempletonmusic.com
ORENDA RECORDS 0029