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Ralph Bowen: Ralph Bowen: Dedicated
Ralph BowenDedicated
Posi-Tone Records
2009
Tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen's Dedicated is a project that was nurtured and produced by Posi-tone Records' founder Marc Free, who felt that Bowen was under-appreciated by the jazz public at large. Bowen has influenced hundreds of players through his teaching position at Rutgers, and many top jazz players know how skilled he is. Having heard him live several times, Free has long admired Bowen's sound and technical ability on his horn, and wanted people to really hear how good he was.
This goal was accomplished by starting with the concept of basing the supporting ensemble around guitar, since Bowen's previous recordings were often accompanied by organ or piano. Free and Bowen discussed several names before agreeing that 
Adam Rogers
guitarb.1965
John Patitucci
bassb.1959
Antonio Sanchez
drumsb.1971
Chris Potter
saxophone, tenorb.1971
The musicians rehearsed together for 2 weeks in the making of this recording, and it was mixed for another 2 weeks, which is rare in the world of all-star jazz recordings.
The well-matched timbre of the group's sound reveals that the time and care put into this project paid off. Bowen has a mastery of his instrument not unlike Michael Brecker, cites John Coltrane as his main influence, but plays with more nuance and reserve than either. He travels through the music and chooses to become part of the fiber of the group-sound, except on "E.R.," which is a solo piece that let's him weave his own song, from long drawn out tones to 32nd-note runs, syncopated triplets and reflection.
That's why the choice of sidemen on this recording is so important. The slightly reserved modern cool that each player is able to bring to the studio matches up with Bowen's playing style, and Posi-Tone's Free as producer and engineer Nick O'Toole serve as kind of sixth and seventh men on this project.
Sanchez, for example, has demonstrated in his career with the 
Pat Metheny
guitar
b.1954
Elvin Jones
drums
1927 - 2004
Rogers' tone on guitar is also something that blends into the collective sound. His reserved style is modern, and full of potential sparks, leaving listeners keen to hear where he will go next. But he supports the songs, and is able to soar into several important solos that would only work if they were on par with Bowen's tenor sax riffs, and they very much are.
John Patitucci is able fully to support the band by playing with a style that could be described as dark, full and round. He's like a prominent tree trunk that allows the rest of the players to branch out and ascend.
Sean Jones
trumpet
b.1978
Dedicated consists of just six songs with a total recorded time of 42 minutes, a throwback to the days of Blue Note discs that tended to run short, but made up for it with quality. Each tune is dedicated to one of Bowen's mentors (Keith Blackley, 
Pat La Barbera
saxophone
b.1944
David Baker
trombone
1931 - 2016
"The recent passing of a close friend and mentor left me with the distinct awareness of my personal need to acknowledge several of my contemporaries for their support and influence on my own musical development. Dedicated is a musical message of gratitude to my mentors for their time, patience, wisdom, knowledge and friendship." (Ralph Bowen)
"One way or another we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life and dedicate ourselves to that." (Joseph Campbell)
Tracks: Canary Drums; Pat; Qaiyam; Mr. Bebop; Prof.; E.R.
Personnel: Ralph Bowen: tenor saxophone; Sean Jones: trumpet; Adam Rogers: guitar; John Patitucci: bass; Antonio Sanchez: drums.
">Personnel
Ralph Bowen
saxophoneAlbum information
Title: Ralph Bowen: Dedicated | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Posi-Tone Records
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