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Artist: Daniel Carter
Album: Gregg Keplinger- Reuben Radding - Language
CD Review: They need a collective title, don’t they? That’s the longest artist name I’ve ever had to write for a title above the review. But then, they all deserve an extra credit. Hell, looks like they even had to go by alphabetical order to be fair. Cause ya see, with just 3 guys playing, everyone’s important.

Daniel Carter – sax
Reuben Radding – bass
Gregg Keplinger – drums

But I must warn you, night time owls, these three are not after smoothness in their jazz. The opener ‘Speak Glow’ sounds like waiting for a train wreck in deepest Africa. Gregg thumps and pounds while the sax honks like a constricted animal in pain. Reuben may go by his own rules, but they all come together like an intense collage of freestyle jazz in its warmest, most bubbly state.

The 5 track cd clocks in at 52 minutes and is labeled as ‘inspired improvisations’ from their fall 2001 tour. Inspired it is. If smooth jazz is supposed to excite the sleepy part of the brain, Language talks caffeine to the limbs and keeps you interested past all club hours. It’ll spook the truck drivers at night, but it Will also keep them up so they don’t slam their tankers into You.

To be honest, this isn’t the style of jazz that I grab for most readily (but the 4th track, ‘Never 3 Saturday’ has its long moments, oh yes), but it contains some magical momentum of recklessness that would be a shame to miss at any opportunity.

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