On Summit Records
Charged Particles with Tod Dickow
Live at The Baked Potato
Featuring The Music of Michael Brecker
"Veteran Bay Area trio Charged Particles, with Tod Dickow mightily added on tenor saxophone, present eight Michael Brecker originals, and one from Don Grolnick. Smoking and intense from beginning to end, they’ve all internalized Mike and his music to an impressive degree of accuracy and moreover: feeling! I found myself pinching my arm to remind myself that Mike is sadly no longer with us. You find yourself jumping into Mike’s mindset listening to this CD, and transported to another time. Take the journey and check out this live recording. Everyone is at the top of their Mike game!"
--Randy Brecker
“Staggering in its authenticity … the sheer force of Tod Dickow’s lines lift the entire band, while his passionate intensity and Breckerian authority immediately command our attention. Truly, he is a talent worthy of wider recognition.”
--Bill Milkowski, author of “Ode to a Tenor Titan”, the biography of Michael Brecker
Album of the week chosen for 18-24 October. A rare case of a tribute band win. You are in safe hands from the very first beat of this live recording made at the Los Angeles jazz club the Baked Potato two-and-a-half-years ago. But what a challenge. Because few saxophonists since John Coltrane are held in as high esteem as Michael Brecker (1949-2007) still. Perhaps only Chris Potter can be properly named as following in the footsteps of Brecker in terms of impact and approximately the same style (although that comparison is not as easily made since The Sirens when Potter's sound entered a new phase). West Coast sax player Tod Dickow is clearly up to the task. As you wheel through the tracks you know there is no bias anywhere to allow direction to teeter off towards the kerb or hit the central reservation. The material includes versions of 'Peep' and 'The Mean Time'. Dickow is with bustling drummer Jon Krosnick, pianist Murray Low, and agile bassist Aaron Germain. I'd have liked even more from Tales of the Hudson in addition to 'Slings and Arrows' and 'African Skies'. Listening I'm trying to collect up and recall my feelings hearing the ur-source Brecker himself over the years, first of all with his brother Randy in the Brecker Brothers at an outdoors festival gig Jazz on a Summer's Day held in the grounds of Alexandra Palace in the 1990s; with Herbie Hancock in The New Standard band at the Royal Festival Hall again that decade; with Brecker's cerebral quindectet playing rocket science charts at London's Barbican; and most movingly playing solo at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival not long before he died. All were very different occasions but the power and glory of Brecker's genius shone out each time. Dickow does the incredible inspirational sound of Brecker justice because there is a spirit and energy to what he and his bandmates provide and great musicianship to boot without which even the best intentions would be rendered folly. As a live recording the album feels ''live'' and whether you are a Brecker worshipper or not you will get something tangible from spending quality, considerable, time here. SG
marlbank.com“Tod Dickow has captured the magic and brilliance of Brecker and saturates the group with power and purpose. All three rhythm section members bring excitement and creativity to the bandstand. This is a joyful listen, full of spark and spunk, but also incorporating the creativity and integrity of these four master musicians.”
--LA Jazz Scene
“This is a highly energetic date, enjoyable both on its own merits and for the opportunity for listeners to revisit Michael Brecker’s glorious catalog.”
--Glide Magazine
“Modern grooves and sizzling post bop as the Brecker torch burned brightly. Dickow’s tenor is intense.”
--Jazz Weekly
“It's just brilliant. They captured the spirit of Michael without question. Aaron laying down some tight grooves. Murray always great, in any setting. Jon's drumming described in the liner notes as "simmering" - I can't say it any better than that. And Tod's tenor playing respectfully honors Mr. Brecker's compositions. Just an outstanding job by all, super tight, beautifully done. Bravo!”
--Bradley Stone, Programmer of The Creative Source
“Dickow and the band dig into the tunes with gusto. All four musicians revel in the music, supporting and clearly enjoying one another. Dickow is all over the horn in fine form. Outstanding playing – enticing, enjoyable contemporary jazz.”
--Something else!
The success of the group’s mission to honor Michael is due in no small part to the contributions of veteran San Francisco tenor saxophonist Tod Dickow, whose sheer force and fluent execution of some typically unconventional Breckerian lines seem to lift the entire band throughout this March 17, 2019, performance at the intimate Baked Potato in Los Angeles’ quaint Studio City neighborhood. “I certainly listened to enough of Mike’s music that it’s going to come out in my playing,” said Dickow, who delivers with passionate intensity on classic Brecker tunes like the hard-charging “Peep” (from Brecker’s third Impulse! album, 1990’s Now You See It…(Now You Don’t), “Arc of the Pendulum” (from 1999’s Time Is Of the Essence) and a chops-busting “The Mean Time” (from Michael’s 2007 swan song, Pilgrimage). “But it’s not really like I’ve ever outright tried to imitate him. I just know that some of the devices that he used have become a part of my playing. He’s a model of perfection, and I’ve always looked at his playing as something to strive for,” added Dickow. The core trio of drummer and founder Jon Krosnick, pianist Murray Low, and bassist Aaron Germain began working together around the Bay Area in 2011. After doing nearly a thousand gigs together as a trio, Krosnick floated the idea of adding a tenor saxophonist in order to do a full-fledged Michael Brecker tribute. “I’m always looking for new projects - something to change things up for us and our listeners, to keep our performances interesting,” said Krosnick. Keyboardist Low knew exactly who to recruit to stand in front of the band for this adventure: “There’s only one guy: Tod,” he said. “Tod has had a passion for getting it right and capturing the Brecker sound. In rehearsals, he guided us through ‘the Michael vision’ – he’s absorbed so much from his listening over the years. It’s really helped us with authenticity,” said Low. While Dickow’s muscular tenor prowess is a formidable presence throughout Live at the Baked Potato!, kudos must also be given to inventive keyboardist Low, whose nimble segueing from piano to organ to sampled sounds and assorted synths during the set (courtesy of some complicated splits on his keyboard allowing him to cover multiple parts at once) helped capture the richness of the original studio recordings by Brecker’s various bands. Germain’s seamless doubling from electric to upright bass provided the band with much-needed versatility to cover this wide swath of Brecker music. And special commendation goes to Charged Particles drummer Krosnick, who has been the driving force behind this band for nearly 30 years ago. “Mike’s music has been the soundtrack of my life,” he said. “This album is my way of saying thanks to him for so much happiness and inspiration over the years,” says Krosnick.
For more information on Charged Particles, please visit: ChargedParticles.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
