Title - Songs for Stuffed Animals
Artist - Richard Guba
For those unaware, Songs for Stuffed Animals is the debut album from saxophonist Richard Guba and features an eight-piece band with four horns.
Richard is based in Annapolis, Maryland where he plays in jazz big bands and combos. He plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones and this is his much-anticipated debut album.
Included within the eight tracks are four original tunes: The Gospel according to Lewis, Playing in Traffic, Tributaries, and Nicholas Carico’s composition Simply Do Not. The other four tunes being covers, including Morning Dance, Black Narcissus, Search for Peace, and To Wisdom the Prize.
1.
Morning Dance (Jay Beckenstein) (3:59)
2.
The Gospel According to Lewis (4:41)
3.
Playing in Traffic (4:57)
4.
To Wisdom the Prize (Larry Willis) (6:42)
5.
Simply Do Not (6:19)
6.
Black Narcissus (Joe Henderson) (4:30)
7.
Tributaries (4:14)
8.
Search for Peace (McCoy Tyner) (5:10)
The perky and flyright Morning Dance opens this expansively delightful new recording and is backed by the low slung, funk-grooved The Gospel According to Lewis, the languishing Playing in Traffic, and then comes the euphorically-charged To Wisdom the Prize.
Along next is the mood-enhanced Simply Do Not and the soaring Black Narcissus and they are in turn followed seamlessly by the ornately-adorned Tributaries, the album closing on the delicately-hued Search for Peace.
Musicians:
Ken Zimmerman. Acoustic piano and Ensoniq ESQ 1 digital wave synthesizer (on “Playing in Traffic” and the intro to “Morning Dance”)
David Mueller. Electric Bass
James Burcky. Drummer and arranger of “The Gospel According to Lewis”
Nicholas Carico, guitarist, composer of “Simply Do Not”, and arranger of “Playing in Traffic”
Joel McCord. Trumpet and flugelhorn
Jim Tavener. Tenor trombone
Rodney Laster. Alto saxophone and flute
Richard Guba. Alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones. Composer “The Gospel According to Lewis”, “Tributaries”, and co-writer of “Playing in Traffic”
Official Purchase Link
Richard Guba @ Bandcamp