Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mike Lorenz: Of The Woods

Mike Lorenz: Of The Woods

By Wade Luquet
May 30, 2012
View read count

On his debut, Of The Woods, Philadelphia guitarist Mike Lorenz shows not only his guitar skills, but his gifted compositional talents as well. With an innovative sound combining modern, free, and bebop jazz styles, Of the Woods is an easy listen while, at the same time, pushing new boundaries of jazz. It is obvious, throughout this work, that this 27 year-old guitar virtuoso is pleased to share the time on his compositions with his very talented quintet including alto saxophonist

Mike Cemprola

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Cemprola, who is featured on several tunes, and tonally beautiful pianist

Matt Mitchell

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Mitchell.

Lorenz goes note-for-note with Cemprola on "Between Signals" demonstrating both his guitar skills and ear for music. All members of the band contribute on this tune, with outstanding free form rhythms from drummer

Matt Scarano

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Scarano. "North/South" is a standout tune, with its lyrical and wistful melody; Mitchell plays beautifully here, with a striking double bass solo from

Brian Howell

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Howell and brush stroke drumming by Scarano. The tune builds for a moment, when all the band members play together, but then ends quietly with a soft guitar and sax duet. This is one well thought-out jazz tune, compelling for its beauty and power; actually, beauty and power may well describe this well-produced CD overall.

Lorenz is a young Philadelphia talent with a great future ahead. If Of the Woods is any indication of his future work, jazz indeed has something to look forward to in the years to come.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Another Day; Between Signals; North/South; I Know Of No Such Thing; Were You Thinking Of Me?; Routine Five; 3 Step

Personnel

Mike Lorenz

guitar

Mike Lorenz: guitar, Mike Cemprola: alto saxophone, Matt Mitchell: piano, Brian Howell: bass, Matt Scarano, drums

Album information

Title: Of The Woods | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Mike Lorenz Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Two Strangers On A Train, Me and Ano...
< Previous

New Deli
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.