Reviews for "The Garden Above"

"It is time, once again, to marvel at the work being released by jazz label that could. Though we may only get a record or two per year dribbling out of Maine's jazz epicenter, each release is a treat worth savoring.

"Rise and Shine," written by Wells, comes charging out of the gate like Dixieland, with Wells's tenor sax and Gaboury's guitar in sync on an up-beat riff while Grover rides his high hat. It gets pretty different quickly, though, as Wells continues with the charging sax, but Gaboury starts picking out a somber and sedate anti-melody that's only in the right channel. It's like the ghost of a cry-in-your-beer tune haunting a hard-charging number. Then the sax falls away completely and we're left with just the guitar over Grover's nearly manic, but light as air, cymbals. The guitar picks up, but Gaboury's tone is like a mist in the early morning, hard to grasp and everywhere. Finally, the guitar leaves, too, with just Grover's drums left to fill the melody before the sax and guitar start everything all over again.

Like any good disc, every song on this album provides serious food for thought.

Cole Porter's "Do I Love You" features Wells's sax, taking the familiar lead, pristine in its delivery, but when it's Gaboury's turn, he sprawls way beyond the bounds of the melody, veering off wherever he might wish to go, only sprinkling in hints that let you know he hasn't forgotten the listener. Charlie Parker's "Big Foot" revisits Gaboury's sinister argument with Wells's bouncy joy. In the title track, the melody line is so lyrically delivered you can almost hear a spoken word piece in the deep background.

Sonny Rollins's four-part "Freedom Suite" even gets a fairly acid take, but that's mostly just this trio proving they've got sense of adventure, and it's that quality that makes this disc stand up to many repeated listens. You find something new every time." -Sam Pfiefle,The Portland Phoenix, 10/21/06

"The Garden Above" on Invisible Music Records is a fine example of interactive jazz from the trio of saxophonist David Wells, guitarist Tony Gaboury and drummer Steve Grover. With no bass, there is a nice open sound and sense of freedom, not unlike that of drummer Paul Motian's trio of the same instrumentation. All three musicians have a strong sense of time, yet don't allow themselves to get too locked in. You'll hear this on cuts like the opening original "Rise and Shine," the version of Charlie Parker's "Big Foot" and the beautifully rendered version of Cole Porter's "Do I Love You," which features Wells' warm sound and imaginative ideas interacting with Gaboury's colorfully melodic counterlines." -Alan Chase, The Wire

"This music is where their hearts are...The Garden Above is an album of real depth...[an] adventurous release by three veteran musicians who have reached a new level of individual and collective freedom."
- Up Beat, 10/06

"...the focus is on creativity...They travel jazz's mainstream through interpretations that feature cohesive interplay as well as extended soloing. Based in Maine, the trio...has a unified voice that relies heavily on deep-rooted feelings."- Cadence, 3/07

"…enlightened interplay…a band that jazz fans new and old should hear."- Steve Feeney, Good Times Magazine 7/05