About

A collective of New York City’s finest young jazz musicians performing all original compositions. Recorded in the studio and live at the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan.

Notes

A Whole Nother Story is the second album from FUNDEMENTIA, a jazz collective led by Andy Parsons (saxophones) and Gene Lewin (drums). Featuring guitarists Pete McCann and Chris Tarrow, bassists John Hebert and Doug Weiss, and pianist Mike Holober, the project was captured live and in the studio. This powerful recording demonstrates the improvisational skills of the artists in both settings, and features Mr. Parsons' compositions.

The live tracks were recorded in concert on Friday, April 30th, at the Irish Arts Center Theater, 553 West 51st Street in Manhattan. Presented by Joe Traina as part of the popular and critically acclaimed Mostly Jazz Concert Series. The Irish Arts Center Theater is a beautiful venue featuring hardwood detailing and outstanding acoustics, making it a perfect place for live performance and recording, courtesy of live engineer Rob Killenberger.

Video

Reviews

"Though their experiences run the full gamut of modern jazz, here the players concentrate on a comfortable brand of music that avoids both avant-garde pretentiousness and smooth-jazz barrenness… These players work together with the oneness of a band that’s been together for decades, and the compositions (all by Parsons) are an engaging mix… There is a typical contemporary-jazz flair and polish to the tunes, although they don’t suffer from the sterile production that curses the “smooth jazz” industry. I was surprised at the number of devious turns in the music here… Parsons is the predominant voice throughout, and Lewin offers up the ideal kind of rhythmic support, dead-on-target for each musical style and twist… [The band's] sound is smoother than some presently popular types of fusion, but certainly more adventurous and inviting than much music that clutters the contemporary jazz market. These cats aren’t just in it for the cash and attention, and the live tracks here show they don’t need studio wizards to clean up after them and make the album sound presentable. Their act is all together and highly entertaining…"
— All About Jazz, January 2001

"… The music is a briskly flowing amalgam of acoustic and electric fluency… The electric segments have more of the characteristics of fusion, while the acoustic parts take an incisive, forward moving post-bop path… The two leaders kick off most songs with concise theme statements, then spring loose to allow for their driving brand of improvisation. Lewin is not an overpowering percussionist but instead sets a directional path with precision drumming filled with prodding accents and a pressing beat. Parsons often pairs with the guitarists in unison play, and they leap forward from there. The solos of Parsons, particularly those on tenor, spiral upward with seemingly casual ease. Holober's well-developed acoustic piano solos build in tension and maintain the thrust that signifies the direction of the band. Fundementia probes two definitive areas of jazz and accomplishes its goal on both of them. Whether acoustic or electric, they get down to business."
— Cadence, January 2001