Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet - Jersey (2017) [Official Digital Download]

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Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet - Jersey (2017) [Official Digital Download]

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When it comes to the boundary-stretching spirit that has become so widespread among many of today's leading jazz musicians, drummer Mark Guiliana deserves credit for being one of the most enthusiastic embodiments of this attitude. He has a longstanding passion for electronic music, as heard especially on the releases on his own Beat Music label (2014's My Life Starts Now and Beat Music: The Los Angeles Improvisations).

But his genuine love of rock must also be added to the equation: he was a crucial component of the musical synergy that galvanized David Bowie's Blackstar project, and he's not been shy about putting Nirvana/Foo Fighters drummer Dave Grohl on an equal plane with Tony Williams when identifying his most formative influences. And then of course there's Guiliana's prowess as a jazz drummer, revealed through his work with Donny McCaslin, Avishai Cohen, and Gretchen Parlato, not to mention his own recordings with the Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet: 2015's Family First, as well as his current release, Jersey. Utilizing a standard, acoustic instrumental lineup, this group is as close as Guiliana gets to "conventional" jazz music. But it still bears the traces of his many other influences, allowing for an enticing amalgam to emerge organically and compellingly.