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Upright: Opinion

Upright was originally founded in 1996 by Eric Martin ( bass) and Benoit Verdant ( then drums); when the two students met in college while studying, what else, music.The band produced a demo and proceeded to give a series of concerts in the Montreal area in the summer of 1996. As the fall rolled in though, the members all flew towards different horizons.

Fast forward to 2003 and Eric Martin decides to re-form Upright and pens all new material. With most members no longer available to fully commit to the project, a new band is formed. Eric then approaches his friend Antoine Fafard ( Spaced Out) who introduces him and his music to Michel St-Pere of Unicorn Records, who upon hearing the band's latest demo, decides to sign them and release Opinion ( good call). The addition of guitar and a conscientious penchant towards odd-time signatures altered the band's original sound and gave them a slightly proggier style.

Following in the footsteps of notable Quebecois bassists like Antoine Fafard (Spaced Out), Donald Fleurent ( Talisma), and Alain Caron ( Uzeb), Eric Martin continues the tradition with Upright. Although the band could draw some comparisons with all of the above mentionned groups, Opinion has it's own distinct groove going on. The foundation for the tracks is deeply entrenched in traditional jazz. Odd-metered bass lines abound and create a slightly slippery musical foundation , which all band members then build upon.Difficult to pick a standout track and impossible to find a weak one, Opinion may be Unicorn Records most solid release to date. The omni-present squonking of saxophonist Bernard Baribeau, the smooth Metheny-like fretboard caressing of Annam Nguyen, and the challenging bass lines of Eric Martin coalesce harmoniously; punctuated by the complex beats of Jerome Chamberland and sprinkled with the sparse yet efficient keyboards of Marc-Etienne Savage .

Melody is the name of the game here as there are no free explorations, just solid musicianship showcased through an octet of progressive jazz gems. Highly recommended to fans of modern sounding jazz.

  1. Nouveau Depart
  2. Opinion
  3. Le Grand
  4. Some Food
  5. Maverick
  6. Progression
  7. Stay Put
  8. Z

Added: May 30th 2004
Reviewer: Yves Dubé
Score:
Related Link: www.unicornrecords.com
Hits: 3455
Language: english

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