Regular Columnists

Artist: David Pedrick
Album: Time Remembered
Label: Venue
Website: http://www.davidpedrick.com/
Genre: Jazz
Sounds Like: Pat Matheny, Charlie Hayden, Jim Hill, John Abercrombie
Technical Grade: 10/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10/10
Commercial Value: 10/10
Overall Talent Level: 10/10
Songwriting Skills: 10/10
Performance Skill: 10/10
Best Songs: Bill's Vane, Lab Snivel, Vain Bell's
Weakness: None
CD Review: Guitarist David Pedrick has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for his work in a wide variety of styles. His performance credits run the gamut from jazz clubs to concert halls and he has been invited to perform for guitar societies, concert series, musical theater productions and music festivals throughout the U.S. Recent highlights include performances at The Strand-Capitol Arts Center, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Fulton Opera House, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Philadelphia Fringe Festival and the Wilmington Grand Opera House. His latest release Time Remembered was released in 2014.

The CD gently takes to flight with “Bill’s Vane” a methodical yet eccentric intro piece that flows and ebbs its way through to musical fruition. This first piece serves up impressive Nylon String Jazz guitar ambience served up against a dynamic rhythm section, and intoxicating vibe. The CD makes a great first impression and literally grabs your attention with its infectious musical personality. Track 2 “Van Libels” shifts gears a bit and keeps things moving in the same direction with more full tilt guitar melodies meshed against dynamic rhythm and hooky bass lines and melodic Saxophone accents. Track 3 “Lab Snivel” is a slamming ditty that serves up dynamic musical movement eventually lending itself to flowing rhythm, against a mesmerizing funked out vibe. The CD makes a great first impression, providing 3 solid gold standard Jazz musical experiences in a row. Musical textures reminiscent of classic Pat Matheny, Charlie Hayden, Jim Hill, John Abercrombie. Despite this it’s quite amazing how original Pedrick’s signature is and it something that goes beyond traditional pigeonholing. As the CD slowly unfolds you will notice most of the songs are very dynamic and passionate in nature, with crystal clear high end clarity and solid low end feel. The music itself goes down smooth and just fills the sonic space with what I would describe as exuberant musical meandering with all the progressive excitement of classic modern-day jazz. The musicianship though extremely conservative provides a lot of musical variety and s not to be underestimated. The dynamic musical syncopation is world class. All in all the CD has some truly impressive moments, showcasing impressive chops, dynamic grooves rich in melody and texture. What’s even more impressive is how well the guitar and piano share the sonic space equally. I was entertained the entire time and I can say this is the most unique jazz projects I’ve heard in a while. Drummer Dave Young pushes the natural accents and odd time signatures extremely well, Saxophonist Ryan Kauffman adds melodic fuel to the fire with his infectious melodies. Bassist Steve Meashey lays down the bottom end groove with several impressive bass solos to boot. Finally David Pedrick’s guitar virtuoso just makes the whole thing work as he provides the perfect balance between strong melodic delivery and sizzling jazz guitar chops. Pedrick is a master musician showcasing his amazing solo guitar skills and displays an expensive chord vocabulary. All the while displaying the A-Typical Gold Standard playing you would come to expect from a CD of this magnitude. From hypnotic "Vin’s a Bell” to jumpy “Navel’s Lib” to dynamic “Slab Niven” and “Ball Vines” to smooth as silk “Vain Bell’s” this CD pretty much has something for just about everyone. The CD ends with ”I’ll Be Van’s” the perfect finale statement for a CD of this caliber.

The song names are to say the least – odd, cryptic and mysterious to me. I’m not so sure how all of this ties into the CD title and concept.

After spending some time with David Pedrick it's hard to find any solid weaknesses worth mentioning. Instead as Time Remembered progressed I became more and more impressed with it as a whole. Make no bones about it these cats can play. What I like most about the CD is it has all the aspects of old world meets new world contemporary Jazz. Most people will agree live performances pack a powerful punch are quite dynamic. Time remembered by David Pedrick gives off that kind of spontaneous feel and is an impressive musical production from start to finish. There’s not really a weak song on this entire catalog period! The musicianship is first rate and the songs are very dynamic and passionate. Each one possessing a unique personality, flair, and signature groove. Lastly - the playing and writing abilities of David Pedrick and his group are both amazing and brilliant.