The Bug – Miles Donahue

WCS 098 

The Bug

Miles Donahue

 The Re-emergence of a Genuine Talent

A prominent jazz critic has called versatile horn savant Miles Donahue “a jazz treasure and a best-kept secret, equally adept on trumpet and saxophones and a composer of grace and originality.”

Once you hear Donahue’s work, you won’t disagree with that assessment. He is a world-class player, and an adept arranger, author and educator. His new album, curiously titled The Bug, is an eclectic, glorious celebration of different jazz vernacular, from meticulously arranged funky fusion complete with searing electric guitar, to more traditional, but still exciting jazz settings, from Weather Report and Miles to Mingus and Monk. Through each track, Donahue leads the way, with different instrumentation, lending the album a nice variety, and a spectrum of harmonic sophistication, melody and intimate expression. He is a masterful musician and the genuine article. While intermittency may have prevented him from finding his way into your ears up until now, jazz fans far and wide can and should now rejoice the re-emergence of a classic talent.

Featured

Miles Donahue- alto sax, flugelhorn, trumpet

Jerry Bergonzi – tenor, soprano sax

Mike Stern – guitar

Tim Ray – piano

Tamir Shmerling – bass

Ralph Peterson – drums

Larry Finn – drums