Press - Thompson Dearth Band






	"When the Serpent Flies" The Washington Post - May 26, 2006 ---Mike Joyce With its shrewdly arranged original tunes and modern fables, the Thompson D'earth Band has something many contemporary jazz ensembles sorely lack: a personality. Despite occasional lineup changes, the Virginia-based ensemble is still turning its albums into fresh musical intrigues. "When the Serpent Flies" won't disappoint anyone familiar with the septet or searching for something out of the ordinary. Much of the credit for making the band's sound so distinctive must go to its married namesakes: singer-songwriter Dawn Thompson, who pens fanciful tales and possesses a haunting soprano, and trumpeter-flugelhornist John D'earth, a veteran player, composer, and arranger whose tastes are as diverse as blues and bop, fusion-tinged modal excursions and jazz-funk. Still, the new CD is very much an ensemble effort. Pianist Daniel Clarke contributes two pieces, including the jagged, Thelonius Monk-like opener "First of Many," and it isn't long before saxophonist J.C. Kuhl, guitarist Jamal Millner, bassist Pete Spaar and drummer Brian Caputo make a strong impression. That's particularly true on "Beyond Belief," with its sly pacing, dramatic tension, and bold contrasts. Throughout, D'earth and Kuhl make for a strong frontline, brash and soulful by turns, while Millner's tone-shifting guitar adds atmospheric touches, funk accents, and blues lyricism. Add Thompson's seductive vocals and curious musings, and you have an album that swiftly stands apart from the competition. “When the Serpent Flies” Style Weekly - August 9, 2006 ---Peter McElhinney The lineup of the Charlottesville-based Thompson D’earth Band is something of a moving target, a shrink-swell swarm of the area’s best musicians orbiting the axis of the married principals. Singer Dawn Thompson with trumpeter/husband John D’earth have been playing together since the ’70s, relocating from New York City because of area response to their band “Cosmology.” Their Thursday-night residence at Miller’s in Charlottesville, featuring anything from a quartet to a big band, is an area institution. The latest CD captures the band’s established strengths. D’earth’s brightly burnished lines and Thompson’s elliptical, evocative lyrics share a poetically balanced asymmetry. The band — bassist Pete Spaar, guitarist Jamal Millner, drummer Brian Caputo and saxophonist J.C. Kuhl — provide sympathetic support and shine in their solos. Pianist Daniel Clarke is the wild card; his tumbling lines and joyous clusters make the music sound both like a classic album of the late ’60s and blinkingly new. * “When the Serpent Flies” - The Hook ---Vijith Assar CULTURE-BUZZ BOX Live or not? John D'earth and Dawn Thompson adore the Thursday night scene at Miller's as much as anyone else in town, and not just because they get paid at the end of it. "Our band right now is the best it's ever been," says D'earth. Their newest release, When The Serpent Flies, is the third in a series of albums that celebrates the Miller's experience. Since it's already in stores, their show at Fridays After Five May 26 is as close to a "CD release pary" as you're gonna get. They were turning heads on a recent trip to California. "People were coming up to us to ask us and saying, "what is this?!" recalls D'earth. He does his best to answer: "Our band is very influenced by Miles, as kind of an homage to his rock days." "And Coltrane, too, because we really like going nutty andd free," adds Thompson, "and because John likes to have as many horns on the bandstand as possible." But that's not the esthetic they were going for this time around. "Although this is not a live record, the idea was to get a record of what the baand sounds like live," says D'earth. "We wanted to avoid producing it beyond what the band could do live. There are only two horns at any given time and Dawn didn't do any background harmonies." The sound they're all so excited about includes Pete Spaar on bass, Daniel Clarke on piano, Jamal Millner on guitar, and Brian Caputo on drums. In between solos sax player J. C. Kuhl staples himself to D'earth for confidently intertwined melodic themes. "I really like being a trumpet and tenor band," says D'earth. "J. C. and I are both steeped in that tradition so when we play together, we speak as one." Elsewhere, they let Thompson do the talking -- but they don't shut up entirely. "Dawn, as a songwriter, looks for people who play hard on her tunes, not just accompany her," says D'earth. "This band is about trying to bridge the worlds of straight-ahead jazz and songwriting, trying to get the right balance of ensemble writing and improvisation." As the band swings between the two extremes, it almost seems as though the album is breathing. From vocal to instrumental and from scripted to seat-of-the-pants, When the Serpent Flies waxes and wanes, ebbs and flows, teeters and totters over nine tracks most of which are ascribed to specific composers and one of which is described as "Free Improvisation/full band." So, "live?" Obviously not, you ninny. Haven't you been paying attention? But "alive?" No question. "Mercury" - nancies.org ---Waldo Jacquith "A certain aura of magic accompanies the duo and their work... It seems entirely possible that Mercury is simply the newest evolution of jazz and Thompson D'earth is on the leading edge." "Mercury" - 9X Magazine ---Radio Star "Very cool, very sophisticated, very fun!" "Thursday Night/Live at Miller's" - L.A. Jazz Scene ---Elizabeth Molo "...rooted in jazz traditions but cleverly infused with traces of rock, blues, world music and more...outstanding musicians, ensemble and solo work." "Thursday Night/Live at Miller's" - Washington Post** ---Mike Joyce "The opening track...quickly underscores the band's inquisitive, free whee- ling spirit. Dawn Thompson sometimes sets the mood with her sultry voice and mystical lyrics, while the arrangements are laced with colorful solos and ensemble passages that draw on a variety of jazz traditions freely and imaginatively."