Review: Motor City Jazz Octet's latest album melds jazz, pop seamlessly
SECRET MESSAGE
Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet. Circle 9 Records.
The intersection of jazz and pop music isn’t new. Yet there’s something fresh about Secret Message, the latest album by the Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet, which is based in Detroit.
“Bye, Bye Blackbird,” a classic that dates back to 1926, “People Make the World Go Round,” from 1972, a Latin flair given to Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing,” and the Leon Russell song that jazz guitarist George Benson made into his trademark international hit in the late 1970s, “This Masquerade,” are among the songs given a jazzy groove.
The group does exceptionally well with its reinterpretation of The Beatles’ hit, “Here, There and Everywhere,” as well as the rumba treatment it gives to Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.”
To its credit, it doesn’t attempt to duplicate Benson’s guitar-driven version of “This Masquerade,” but puts its own stamp on this and other songs with its horns and woodwinds, punctuated by Syrian’s rhythms as the drummer and bandleader.
Special guests include Kenny Washington on vocals and Joe Locke on vibraphone on “People Make the World Go Round.”
This disc is more for lovers of easygoing swing and soft jazz, yet it’s not too soft and not too easygoing. The arrangements keep your interest, somewhat mellow but also creative and ambitious without being overly aggressive.
“Popular music resonates with people and works for many audiences,” Syrian says. “We just take that and mold it to our unique framework.”
The Motor City Jazz Octet has had nearly 30 musicians rotate in and out of eight spots over the years. But the core musicians used for this recording session was a matter of “just everybody standing on everybody else’s shoulders,” Syrian said.
First Published February 6, 2025, 6:45 a.m.
JOE SYRIAN MOTOR CITY JAZZ OCTET
SEPTEMBER 20,2025
Secret Message
Circle 9, 2024
9/10
The drummer Joe Syrian is joined by a large cast for these 8 creative interpretations that span legends as diverse as the Beatles and Stevie Wonder.
“Bye Bye Blackbird” opens the listen with Tim Ries’ animated tenor sax and Nick Marchionne’s lively trumpet that complement the rich rhythm section and Syrian’s agile drumming, and “Star Eyes” follows with Adam Birnbaum’s precise keys amid the frisky drums and Lorin Cohen’s playful bass.
Further along, “People Make The World Go Round” welcomes Kenny Washington’s inimitable pipes and Luisito Quintero’s worldly percussion, while “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” recruits plenty of Big Band ideas via the colorful brass and Carl Maraghi’s sax prowess.
“Night And Day” and “I Should Care” exit the listen. The former makes great use of Dave Riekendberg’s smooth tenor sax and Doug Beaver’s strategic trombone, and the latter is textured, meticulous and timeless jazz that is so well done, it alone is worth the price of admission.
A record where each track brings new ideas to the table, Syrian and crew put a fresh coat of paint on already great songs that sure do resonate well there.
Travels well with: Randy Weistein- Harmonimonk; Jake Hertzog- Longing To Meet You