Chad McCullough - Dark Wood, Dark Water

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Chad McCullough , “Dark Wood, Dark Water”
Origin 82535

“...cleverly captures the sound of jazz today...this is The Real Deal!!! A must have CD.”
- Ray Vega

Seattle trumpeter Chad McCullough joins the long-line of creative trumpet players from the NW, including Thomas Marriott, Jay Thomas & Cuong Vu, with his own dynamic debut release. Featuring a set of original music composed for his 'dream team' of musicians, they explore compositions ranging from the seductive "Bock's Car," to the pensive "Lock Down," and the uptempo, spiraling "Nightmare's Dance." The all-star sextet features talents from Chicago and Seattle including saxophonists Geof Bradfield and Mark Taylor, and the rhythm section of Bill Anschell, Jeff Johnson and John Bishop, performing a wide-ranging set of arrangements which spotlight each player's diverse strengths in a comprehensive ensemble sound of the highest caliber.

Read the interview with All About Jazz.com HERE

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TRACKS:

1 THREE PILLARS 6:04
2 BLACKBIRD 7:38
3 NIGHTMARE’S DANCE 3:34
4 LOCK DOWN 9:03
5 HOME 8:28
6 BOCK’S CAR 8:47
7 ANATOMY OF CONSCIENCE 3:14
8 DREAMSCAPE 6:46
9 THE ORACLE 8:54

PRODUCTION:

Produced by Chad McCullough
Recorded by Don Gunn, November 24-25th, 2008
at Two Sticks Audio, Seattle, WA
Additional recording and mixing by Don Gunn
at The Office, Seattle
Studio assistants: Jackson Long & Michael Lerner
Mastered by John McCaig at panicStudios, Seattle
Photography by Steve Korn
Cover art and design by John Bishop

PERFORMERS:

CHAD McCULLOUGH trumpet / flugelhorn
MARK TAYLOR alto & soprano saxophones
GEOF BRADFIELD tenor & soprano saxophones
BILL ANSCHELL piano
JEFF JOHNSON bass
JOHN BISHOP drums

REVIEWS:

All About Jazz.com (John Barron)
Seattle trumpeter/composer Chad McCullough makes his recording debut as a leader with Dark Wood, Dark Water, a diverse sextet outing featuring eight original compositions and a fresh take on the Lennon/McCartney classic "Blackbird." Along with the all-star rhythm section of pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and Drummer John Bishop,...

100 Greatest Jazz Albums Blog (Ken Watkins)
Debut albums as leader don't come more accomplished or more highly recommendable than "Dark Wood, Dark Water". Trumpeter Chad McCullough has assembled a three horn front-line backed by an accomplished rhythm trio that allows the full range of his writing and arrangement talents to emerge. The sextet - Chad McCullough (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ma...

All Music Guide (Ken Dryden)
Like many artists who lead dates on Origin, Chad McCullough makes his recording debut for the label, joined by veterans like saxophonists Mark Taylor and Geof Bradfield, pianist Bill Anschell (whose career has flourished since relocating to the Pacific Northwest), bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer John Bishop. McCullough's rich re-harmonized treatm...

JazzTimes (Bill Milkowski)
Seattle-based trumpeter-composer Chad McCullough offers some fresh, thoughtful originals on his fine debut, along with a radically re-harmonized balladic arrangement of the Beatles' "Blackbird." He turns in some warm, lyrical flugelhorn work on the affecting opener, "Three Pillars," which also features an outstanding deep-toned upright solo from ba...

All About Jazz.com (Dan McClenaghan)
Seattle-based trumpeter Chad McCullough has assembled a North-West all-star line-up for his debut release, Dark Wood, Dark Water, mixing it up with Origin Records regulars on an inspired, modern-leaning post-bop outing. On "Three Pillars," a silky three-horn harmony blows in like a brisk wind in the embrace of the top-tier rhythm team of ...

Oregon Jazz Scene (Kyle O'Brien)
Seattle has produced some really good trumpet talent, and McCullough joins the ranks with his debut release. Aside from being a talented player, McCullough is a composer of some weight. His “Three Pillars” is a journey jazz piece, venturing into an interesting chordal world that gives soloists -- such as himself, bassist Jeff Johnson and alto saxop...

Cadence (Jerome Wilson)
The leader of Dark Wood, Dark Water, Chad McCullough, is a trumpeter who wrote all his disc's original material which is mostly at slow to moderate tempos. He comes up with lovely insinuating melodies. The slowly pulsing "Lock Down" and the woozy "Bock's Car" demonstrate the blowzy, lyrical beauty of McCullough's playing as well as the quick-silv...

All About Jazz (Elliott Simon)
As illuminating as new views of familiar landscapes can be, a vibrant jazz scene is best measured by its ability to foster young artists creating new music. Dark Wood, Dark Water's compositions employ advanced harmonics and are all originals, save for the band's lovely and unique take on Lennon-McCartney's "Blackbird." Joining Chad McCullough and J...

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