Dave Spadaro Group has come out of the gates in 2015 with a great record, blending together jazz, funk, blues and rock. With this self-titled debut, they have let the world know they are here to make beautiful music.
“Pushin” starts the record off strong with a great guitar groove from Dave Spadaro, that is accompanied by wonderful saxophone work by Brian Patneaude. Patneaude takes the song over with wonderful melodies dancing over the great rhythms by Stephen Orsini on bass, Andrew Costa on keyboards and Brandon Isles on drums. The play between Costa and Spadaro in the middle of the song in a call-and-response before Patneaude takes back over is a truly beautiful music moment. Like many songs throughout the album, if you close your eyes you can picture the band directly in front of you coaxing those extra notes out of one another to push the limits of the songs.
Funk and psychedelia take over in the latter part of “The Upside”, pushing the band into new territory and getting more of how the band sounds live onto the album. Although the jam in this song was most likely thought out clearly, the fact that it sounds like a live jam is a testament to how great the musicianship on the album is. “It’s Alright” gives the album its “single” with Josh Farrell on vocals. This is the most radio-friendly tune on the album, which isn’t a bad thing, because the more chance people have to hear this band the better.
“As She Moves” brings the album to a slow groove with help from Jeff Nania on sax and flute. Careful guitar interplay by Spadaro lets Nania highlight the song. “They Said” and “Fat Tony” bring the album to a close, with “Fat Tony” putting a great cap to the album with beautiful solos by Spadaro, taking over the song completely, yet not overshadowing the rest of the band.
Spanning so many genres, this seven-song album moves along too quickly. In its 42-minutes, it goes and leaves you wanting more. But, for a debut record, this is exactly what you want from a band. Music lovers should have no problem getting cozy with this album through the remainder of the cold winter months, staying warm with the wonderful grooves that the Dave Spadaro Group lays down. The album is available now on their Soundcloud page.
Bryan Lasky is one of our music correspondents who also writes for NYSmusic.com.
