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Muzik Review:

Reno, Nevada native, Brian Landrus has developed quite a reputation for himself within the Jazz community. He has recorded and performed with an array of artists; won awards, earned a Bachelor's degree and two Master's degrees in Music and now has his own record label, BlueLand Records. The man's drive could fuel a car running on empty from Reno to Brooklyn. Oddly enough, Landrus now resides in Kings County, New York.

Traverse is the first of two albums to be launched on BlueLand Records. The album is a collaborative effort between Landrus (Baritone Saxophone), Michael Cain (Piano), Lonnie Plaxico (Acoustic Bass), and Billy Hart (Drums). The group describes themselves as playing "jazz based in the tradition that's heartfelt and modern."

The album begins with the title track, kicked off by Landrus on saxophone, Hart's light drums and Cain's piano making sporadic appearances throughout. And while it's Landrus' sax that dominates the track, Plaxico's bass is the heartbeat that might go unnoticed to the untrained ear. The smooth sailing continues on "Gnosis," in which Cain and Plaxico demonstrate their talents a little more than halfway into the track.

Cain's heartfelt keys on "Lone" set up the track exquisitely as does the charming performance Landrus delivers on the saxophone. It reminds me of a soundtrack created for a snowy winter evening one might spend pondering life. The energy picks up a little on "Lydian 4" with Hart having some fun and picking up the tempo on drums. On "Soul & Body," a solo by Landrus, he showcases how easily he can manipulate a saxophone's range.

The eight track album ends with the melancholy "Soundwave," appearing as sort of a last call before everyone heads home. At a little over 42 minutes, Traverse does what its definition intended. It passed across from traditional jazz into a modern era. The album does not sound dated when sticking to the basics and it doesn't stray too far to where jazz purists will be displeased. The Brian Landrus Quartet delivers pleasurable music that leaves you yearning for more.

Key Tracks – Lone, Body & Soul, Soundwave
Enrique Grijalva - MuzikReviews.com Contributor

April 10, 2011

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Lucid Culture Review:

The Brian Landrus Quartet's new album Traverse is fun even before it starts spinning, or whatever it does on your ipod besides run down the battery. The big-sky surrealism of the cover art, and the photo collage inside the cd cover are priceless – imagine Horizon's 1975 album Breathless Sigh and you'd be on the right track. But the music here sounds nothing like that. A terrifically tuneful, entertaining collection which could well be the baritone saxophonist's breakout album, he's got an especially inspired band here: Lonnie Plaxico on bass, Michael Cain on piano and Billy Hart on drums. Landrus uses every bit of his range, far more than most baritone players – he's sort of an update on Gerry Mulligan – with upper-register melodies outnumbering the lows many times over. That's also how he writes. His background also extends beyond jazz to reggae (he's played with current-day roots stars Groundation) and even doo-wop, so there are simple, catchy hooks all over the place. Consider this a creeper contender for the year's best jazz album.

It opens counterintuitively with a jazz waltz. Hart is at the peak of his game from the first of innumerable, devious cymbal fills – in a lot of ways, he owns this album. As he swipes around, feeling for a comfortable place to hang, Landrus goes off exploring from the highs to the lows and back and forth, followed by Cain who does the same. The second track, Gnosis, is basically a two-chord jam over a suspenseful latin groove, Plaxico holding it together as Landrus' bass clarinet paints moody ambience, Cain following a trajectory from loungey to minimalist to incisively jabbing with rewarding results. He goes deep into lyrical territory with a long, solo first verse on the beautiful piano-and-sax ballad Lone, basically a setup for the album's high point, Lydian #4. Its modalities driven by Plaxico's funky bass – and an all-too-brief, majestic solo toward the end – Landrus' bright explorations soar over terse, rhythmic piano and yet more sly cymbal splashing by Hart.

If you think you've heard enough versions of Body and Soul for one lifetime or maybe more, Landrus' will change your mind. He sets it up with a long, expansive solo passage, then he and the band turn it into a slowly unfolding contest for who can come the closest without actually touching it. The fun continues on the swinging Creeper, with its irresistible faux-noirisms, Cain's vaudevillian piano rhythms and finally a chance for Hart to cut loose – and yet when he gets the chance, he doesn't take it over the top, instead turning it something approximating the tunnel in the Halloween House. The album ends with Soundwave (titles are not Landrus' forte), a gentle, attractive solo sax sketch. Watch for this on our best albums of 2011 list at the end of the year if we're all still here to see it.

In case you were wondering, the 1975 album Breathless Sigh by Horizon doesn't really exist – at least we hope not.

Os Review (Favorite Album of 2011!):

TraverseO's Notes: Landrus plays baritone sax and bass clarinet and leads a quartet with Lonnie Plaxico (b), Michael Cain (p) and drummer Billy Hart. This is a fine unit that fuses warm mellow ballads like "Lone" with swinging upbeat modern jazz as on "Creeper". Brian shares the stage with the band and brings his horn to the spotlight in grand fashion on nine tunes like "Soul and Body", a solo effort preceding the line cover "Body and Soul".

Category: Bebop
Label: Cadence
Producer: Landrus, Brian & Michael Cain
Instrumenta:l Saxophone
Release Dat:e 04-15-2011

O's Notes: Landrus plays baritone sax and bass clarinet and leads a quartet with Lonnie Plaxico (b), Michael Cain (p) and drummer Billy Hart. This is a fine unit that fuses warm mellow ballads like "Lone" with swinging upbeat modern jazz as on "Creeper". Brian shares the stage with the band and brings his horn to the spotlight in grand fashion on nine tunes like "Soul and Body", a solo effort preceding the line cover "Body and Soul".

Jazz and Bossa Review:

Jazz fans often cite Gerry Mulligan as the most recognized baritone saxophonist in jazz, but for most, the list stops there. Why the baritone saxophone is not a more popular instrument in jazz is uncertain; in the right hands, the instrument has a warmth and tonal beauty unlike any other.
Baritone saxophonist Brian Landrus is a rising star, with two Masters degrees in jazz composition and performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston, He is also a winner of Downbeat Magazine's 2010 International Critics Poll.

In Traverse, one of two albums recorded for his own label Blue Land Records, Landrus delivers a collection of outstanding compositions and jazz standard, played with technical and emotional intensity. Whether on swinging tracks like "Traverse" and "Creeper," or ballads like "Lone" and "Soundwave," Landrus displays a strong, beautiful tone, and a sublime sound, played over the strong rhythm section of bassist Lonnie Plaxico and drummer Billy Hart.

Landrus' ability to convey many emotions can be fully appreciated on "Soul and Body," a solo intro to his beautiful rendition of the jazz standard, "Body and Soul," while pianist Michael Cain adds some sensitive and flawless improvisations on "Gnosis" and "Lydian 4"

Hopefully Landrus' brilliant playing will inspire more young people to play this wonderful instrument.

Track Listing: Traverse; Gnosis; Lone; Lydian 4; Soul And Body; Body And Soul; Creeper; Soundwave.

Personnel: Brian Landrus: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Lonnie Plaxico: bass; Michael Cain: piano; Billy Hart: drums.