[yasr_overall_rating]
If you’re looking to melt your troubles away after an especially long day, I highly recommend you put on Prime of Life by jazz drummer Pete Zimmer.
Zimmer has always marched to the beat of his own drum (no pun intended…well, maybe just a little). Born in Wisconsin, he made the bold cross-country move to New York in 2001, and has kept busy ever since. Not only is he a composer and educator, but he also dabbles in entrepreneurship since he established his own record label, Tippin’ Records, and produces all of his albums.
Prime of Life is Zimmer’s fifth recording as a bandleader. Together with guitarist Peter Bernstein, tenor saxophonist George Garzone and bassist Peter Slavov, the quartet pulls off a soulful and cohesive sound. It’s simply incredible how well they mesh together – it’s almost as if they’ve been playing together for years. Furthermore, no one musician overpowers the other. Instead, they each have their moments throughout the album where they positively shine, so the CD is not heavily skewed toward any instrument in particular, one of my biggest pet peeves.
Prime of Life features a range of styles, from upbeat and energetic jams to old-fashioned ballads and soothing, carefree tunes. More than once while listening, I felt as if I was walking through a painting, one of those jazz abstracts that depict a musician playing a song as the musical notes float above him and form a completely different scene. Hopefully I didn’t lose all of you with that, but it’s really the only accurate way I can describe how the music left me feeling.
All in all, a solid effort from Zimmer and company that even those who are not jazz enthusiasts will enjoy!
For more information on Prime of Life, please visit Pete Zimmer’s website.