Nick Moran Trio - The Messenger

“The Messenger”, the debut CD from Jazz Guitarist Nick Moran is a first-rate collection of nine original tunes that showcases Moran’s gifts as an exciting guitarist and an eclectic composer. Utilizing the organ trio format, Moran’s compositions take full flight as he teams up with the electrifying Ed Worthington on Organ and the always swinging Andy Watson on Drums. All concerned tear up the charts with lots of great playing and musical interaction, making “The Messenger” an exciting album to check out.

The first tune, “Papa George” is a funky tune with a cool bop-ish head that is accentuated by Morans’ use of an octaver. Moran, Worthington and Watson give fine performances on the solo sections, presenting the listener with an excellent sense of what’s to come. Needless to say, the listener is not disappointed.

The next eight tunes follow suit as Moran et al swing there way through straight-ahead jazz, funk, a bit of soul and even a smattering of progressive rock. The title tune shows off Moran’s melodic side as he tastefully skirts his way through the changes. Worthington enthralls us with a nice display of improvisational skills, as does Watson.

One of my favorite tunes off the CD is “Sensory Awakening”, an up-tempo number that swings hard from the first bar to the last. Moran gets to show off his noteworthy set of chops on this tune while not being too flashy. Worthington and Watson provide swinging accompaniment and great playing per usual.

And just when you think you have Moran figured out as a composer he throws “The Secret Life” at you. A Tango ala “Hernando's Hideaway” with an almost “eerie circus” melody that could fit in nicely in any Danny Elfman score! But wait, the fun is not over as the song makes its way to a Burt Bacharach-ish style bridge, before heading back to the A section. An interesting and fun tune indeed!

The funk continues with “The Greasy Stuff”, giving Andy Watson some room to shine as he lays down a nice groove for his band mates to play over before getting some solo space where he “takes care of business”. Moran lays down some nice Jimmy Nolan type rhythms leading Worthington into a solo section where he stretches the harmony a tad, getting into some dissonant note choices before bringing it back to the tonal center. Moran also pulls off a nice solo on this fun tune.

There is a more sensitive side to Moran and the boys on the tunes “Indigo City”, “The Black Rose” and the Latin tinged “Perfect Moment” with Moran exhibiting a sweet melodic sensibility both in his improvisations and composition.

The last tune on the CD, “Shorter Steps” has a definite progressive rock head that reminded me of early King Crimson. Moran also steps on the distortion for this tune during the A sections and his solo section while keeping it clean during the bridge. Moran also keeps the distortion on during his comping for Worthington, making for an interesting cluster sound at times. A great tune.

Having listened to “The Messenger” a number of times, I have found this CD to be quite enjoyable and I really like the fact that Moran has strived for his own voice in both his playing and composing. His sound is clear and finds a nice balance between a bright and dark tone, not going for the typical Jazz box sound. Moran’s improvisational exploits are solid, well crafted and thoughtful, maintaining a melodic sensibility throughout as he goes for substance rather than flash, fitting in nicely with his compositional traits.

I would definitely recommend this CD for anyone into original music that leans a tad left of center and for those just into hip Jazz playing. I look forward to hearing more from the Nick Moran Trio and I think you will too.

Go to www.nickmoranmusic.com to see what else Nick Moran has to offer.

Lyle Robinson