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Reviews
of Shifting Sands - Savant Records SCD 2077
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Zan
Stewart,
Top Ten Jazz
CDs 2006 Star Ledger
This
is modern-minded yet rooty stuff, built around DeVos' deceptively complex
yet easy-on-the-ear originals. A storyteller with a warm, penetrating
tone, the guitarist says something on anything from a flowing blues
variant like "Three Four Miss C" to the romping "Track and
Field." Kostelnik and Johns are aces, too, as is guest tenorman Eric
Alexander.
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Rick
Holland, Jazz Radio 247 Spring 2007
Bob DeVos
has released a gem on the Savant Label entitled Shifting Sands.
DeVos, a very modernistic and forward Jazz guitarist, demonstrates his
expertise with the B-3 organ trio in a swinging and modern take on this
genre. DeVos
concept of sound captured me from
the very first track… DeVos plays with beautiful musical phrasing. Very
hip!! On But Beautiful, DeVos plays a harmonization upfront
(Solo-guitar) that is simply beautiful. He then champions the melody in a
Wes Montgomery style that Wes surely would have dug!! This is a wonderful
disc, played by sensitive and thoughtful musicians. Highly Recommend
Thumbs way up Bob!! Congrads and thank-you for your musical take on this
great genre!!
(ENTIRE
REVIEW)
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Tony
Augarde, UK 2007
Bob
DeVos is a splendidly gifted American who can swing at any tempo. He
concentrates on single-note lines rather than chords, giving a clear
structure to his solos. This clarity is evident right from the first track
– a funky number with echoes of Wes Montgomery. This is one of six
originals on the album written by the guitarist and encompassing a wide
range of styles, including the jazz-waltz Three/Four Miss C, the
brooding title track, the up-tempo Track and Field and the grooving
A Different Dozen. His unaccompanied intro and sensitive solo on But
Beautiful are…well, beautiful.
The
star is undoubtedly Bob DeVos.
(ENTIRE
REVIEW)
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Dave Good, San Diego Reader, June
2007
DeVos
seems less a guitarist than a horn player. His solos breathe like loopy
bebop horn patterns, and he comps (plays rhythm while the organ takes a
solo) along the lines of a pianist. When mated to DeVos' Zen-like
fretboard interplay, the textures of the Hammond define an instant sense
of culture. If there is a B-3 organ trio revival about to happen, this is
it.
(ENTIRE
REVIEW) |
Andrew
Gilbert, The San Diego-Union Tribune,
May 31, 2007
Steeped in the blues, DeVos has honed a clean,
round
sound. He can get down and dirty, but he's
as likely to explore spacious
modal landscapes on
his own gigs, playing long, lithe, single-note lines.
(ENTIRE INTERVIEW/REVIEW)
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Glenn
Astarita EJAZZNEWS, March 2007
DeVos
morphs the classic jazz-organ combo ideology into a grooving and airy
sequence of events, assisted by tenor sax hero Eric Alexander performing
on three tracks.
DeVos interleaves fluid chops with a potpourri of up-tempo vibes, fused
into a few burners where he trades zinging fours with Alexander and
organist Dan Kostelnik. The guitarist’s meticulously designed phrasings
generate a capacious sound as Kostelnik comps and renders sleek B-3 lines
on the piece titled “Mojave.” DeVos reengineers melody lines via his
medium-toned licks, where he intermittently sprinkles a calming effect
atop his band’s buoyant underpinnings. He doesn’t reinvent the wheel
here. More importantly, DeVos uses depth, space and gusto as vehicles for
casting a lyrically rich musical climate, topped off with the soloists’
jubilant exchanges and conspicuous intimation of good cheer.
Paul
Sakion, Jazz Improv Magazine, Dec. 2006
A
Superb CD that showcases DeVos’ modern compositional abilities and his
ability to execute them.
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Elliott
Simon, AllAboutJazz-New
York, Nov. 2006
On
Shifting Sands: “Inventive explorations…soulfully
satisfying… a delight. DeVos meshes his teeming tone with the chordal
subtleties of organist Dan Kostelnik and the wide open feeling of drummer
Steve Johns. Intriguing improvisation is front and center. There is
potency to DeVos’ style with its broad sound, bluesy feel, and
expressive single-note runs.”
Steve
Garmhausen, Star Ledger, December 2006
Guitarist
DeVos has got it all: technique, chops and a great tone. Backed by a
soulful ensemble that's powered along by the Hammond B-3 organ of Dan
Kostelnik, DeVos spins catchy, blues-laden hooks such as those that
underpin his "Lost and Found." DeVos ladles out warm helpings
of soulful, single-line improvisation on the title track. "Track and
Field" features a nifty doubling of the melody with tenor saxophonist
Eric Alexander, who adds an inspired solo. It's polished, gritty,
high-quality mainstream jazz. "Shifting Sands"
shows there's a reason DeVos has played with aces such as Charles Earland,
Richard "Groove" Holmes, and Ron McClure.
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