Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Min Rager: Train Of Thought

Min Rager: Train Of Thought

By Dan McClenaghan
November 8, 2017
View read count

Born in Seoul, the now-Montreal-based pianist

Min Rager

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Min Rager made the move to the west to attain a jazz education, landing at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where she now teaches.

Rager has chosen the quartet—saxophone and rhythm—as her form of expression for her third CD release, Train Of Thought. It's all originals, beginning with the title tune, a spirited ride that rolls along just a bit left of center from the mainstream with an edge of modernity and a boxcar full of originality. Saxophonist

Kenji Omae

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenji Omae sounds like a cross between

Jackie McLean

saxophone, alto
1932 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">Jackie McLean and

Art Pepper

saxophone, alto
1925 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Pepper, with his searing intensity combined with a push-the-boundaries approach. Rager jumps into an extended solo early, with a crisp and distinctively personal style, ebullient and free-rolling. Then Omae blows back in, and the train hits a downgrade and picks up serious momentum. An exhilarating ride.

"Beautiful Journey" begins as a ballad then slips into a mid-tempo pensiveness. Saxophonist Omae chooses a lot of notes, very well. Rager, and bassist

Fraser Hollins

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Fraser Hollins and drummer

Dave Laing

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Laing lay down a steady and near orchestral backdrop.

Rager and Omae present a duo tune with "I Never Felt This Way," a tune that bounces with Rager's joy, and that the saxophonist tries to set on fire. "Say What You Mean" moves back to the quartet setting, on a lively romp featuring another one of Ranger's singular solos. They disc closes on a bluesy, let's-kick-back-with-a-drink, wee hours rumination, "Let's Be Cool." And that's what the quartet does: they be cool.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Train Of Thought; Beautiful Journey; I Never Felt This Way; Say What You Mean; Dedicated To You; I Wish I Was There; Moonlight Dance; Let's Be Cool.

Personnel

Min Rager

piano

Min Ranger: piano; Kenji Omae: tenor saxophone; Fraser Hollins: bass; Dave Laing: drums.

Album information

Title: Train Of Thought | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Kurrent Duo at The Bop Stop
< Previous

Live In London
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.