Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Pedicin: Why Stop Now/Ubuntu

Michael Pedicin: Why Stop Now/Ubuntu

By Dan Bilawsky
September 24, 2013
View read count

Michael Pedicin, like many a tenor saxophonist, bows at the altar of

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane. Pedicin's work in the past has frequently referenced that iconic figure through theme, spirit, sound and/or song selection, and he continues along a similar path on Why Stop Now/Ubuntu.

For his twelfth outing as a leader, Pedicin crafted a program that speaks in different musical tongues but aims to deliver a single message. Ubuntu, as a term and philosophy, is all about humanity, peace, kindness and compassion; these are the qualities that Pedicin aimed to tap into during these performances.

Funk, free-roaming thoughts, probing proclamations, peaceful notions and more mix and mingle here. Pedicin uses his working quintet to flesh out his ideas, and everybody involved seems comfortable living in each one of those stylistic skins. The album opens with "Why Stop Now," a number that starts and ends with some drive and eases into a more comfortable swing feeling in between. Next on the program is Coltrane's "Tunji," which serves as a study in solo contrasts. Pedicin taps into the spiritual intensity of the composer's work, pianist

Rick Germanson

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Rick Germanson takes a more straightforward-and-bluesy path, and bassist

Andy Lalasis

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Andy Lalasis brings a mellower quality to the fore during his searching solo.

As each number finishes, something fresh and different tends to come along. "Downtown Found" finds Pedicin and company in exploratory mode, "Then I Saw You" spotlights the sensitive musical relationship between Pedicin and his frequent collaborator, guitarist

Johnnie Valentino

guitar
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnnie Valentino, and "Trane Stop" is a (post)modern piece with rhythmic contrast; drummer

Vic Stevens

drums
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Vic Stevens shifts back and forth between a driving groove and a variant on the Purdie shuffle on that last number. "27 Up" isn't a Coltrane tune, but it sounds just like one, and "Newtown" is a peaceful threnody for the victims of that town's horrific school shooting.

The album closes with a funky re-write of Coltrane's "Song Of The Underground Railroad" followed by a contemplative solo saxophone improvisation that's, appropriately enough, called "Ubuntu." Pedicin ultimately finds his way here by following a number of paths that all lead to one place: hope.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Why Stop Now; Tunji; Downtown Found; Then I Saw You; Trane Stop; 27 Up; Newtown; Song Of The Underground Railroad; Ubuntu

Personnel

Michael Pedicin

saxophone, tenor

Michael Pedicin: tenor saxophone; Johnnie Valentino: guitar; Andy Lalasis: acoustic bass; Rick Germanson: piano, Fender Rhodes (3, 4, 8); Vic Stevens: drums.

Album information

Title: Why Stop Now/Ubuntu | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Art Tatum: Solo Masterpieces, Volume...
< Previous

Signs
Next >

Michael Pedicin Concerts

Oct 16 Thu

Michael Pedicin Quartet

Gregory's Restaurant & Bar
Somers Point, NJ

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.