STRAIGHT AHEAD REVIEWS
Out
of Detroit's lively jazz scene, which has produced some of the best
musicians in the world, comes the ground breaking all female jazz group,
Straight Ahead. A group of strong, inventive instrumentalists and
vocalists, they have shown themselves to be powerful and imaginative
composers and arrangers.
Widely
recognized for their eclectic and soulful approach to creating music,
the Straight Ahead sound ranges comfortably from mainstream jazz,
R&B ballads, Latin to acid jazz. Their live performances are a
dynamic celebration of power and joy. They delight in changing textures,
moods and tempos.
Introduced as a
product of their hometown's lively jazz scene, Straight Ahead was a
finalist in the "Sony Innovators" national talent competition.
They received their first international exposure when they were invited
to open for the legendary Nina Simone at the Montreux-Switzerland Jazz
Festival.
The
group recorded their first album for Atlantic Jazz, in 1991, "Look
Straight Ahead", which made the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart
"Top 20". They followed that up with "Body and
Soul." and in 1995 with their third album "Dance Of The Forest
Rain," which received rave reviews that include Branford Marsalis,
who called the group "a monster outfit that truly swings!"
Their recent release "City Cuts" has won critical acclaim as
" contemporary jazz at its very finest".
These
Grammy-nominated Atlantic Jazz recording artists have traveled
extensively in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe, garnering
rave reviews. Recent appearances include a concert at the prestigious
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. where Ms.
Sorab Modi wrote ". . .of all the groups, Straight Ahead was
particularly impressive." (Jazziz, August, 1997)
Staff
writer for the Kansas City Star says, "This tight, dynamic, outfit
stole the show with its high-energy tour-de-force of musical
styles." They were nominated to the Motor City Music Awards HALL OF
FAME, in 1999, and voted “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” by
Downbeat Magazine.
Joy,
Power, Love, Wisdom.......Magic! This is the sound of what is to come.
This
is Straight Ahead! MORE
REVIEWS
"Straight
Ahead has few if any musical boundaries: it's just as likely to take a
John Coltrane composition into the realm of heavy funk as it is to turn
a Stevie Wonder tune into a hard-bop blow-out. With bright costuming,
highly engaging on-stage personalities and a spirit that is both feisty
and friendly, the band has done more than most to get the jazz message
out to an entirely new group of listeners, while holding on to
dyed-in-the-wool purists." (Birmingham Observer & Eccentric)
"Straight
Ahead took the stage at Walter's and for about an hour had the packed
house, which braved a persistent drizzle, soaking up every phrase and
every beat." (Gleaner,
Kingston, Jamaica, W.I.)
"With
consummate musicianship, carefully structured and passionately played
arrangements and compositions, as well as a variety of rhythmic bags
from which to draw." (The
Grand Rapids Press)
"Each
piece revealed a different facet of the ensemble's considerable jazz and
pop appeal and the instrumental, vocal and compositional gifts of its
members. Arrangements of
Monk's "I Mean You" and Coltrane's "Impressions",
for example, were at once familiar and fresh, for they not only
colorfully evoked the classic themes but also incorporated an unusual
array of rhythmic, harmonic and vocal twists and nuances."
(Washington Post)
"Straight
Ahead swings, creates original compositions and puts a fresh spin on
some of the standards. Their eclectic sound runs the gamut from straight
jazz to infectious pop, with world music thrown in. Word is, you can't
sit still during one of their concerts."
(Ms. Magazine)
"At
the recent Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival organized by the
Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. the Detroit-based group Straight
Ahead was particularly impressive." (Jazziz)
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