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Token Tales

Album Reviews

Mark Rapp's debut record will make a splash in more than one pool. He combines different stylistic elements in the best way possible, which is to stay true to each part of the equation, instead of watering each down. ~ Jazz Improv (NY) Magazine

He lives up to his billing as one today's exciting young trumpeters. ~ AllAboutJazz.com

A young trumpeter who sounds closer to Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan than his contemporaries. His attack is strong and favors a relatively pure tone without much inflection, an ideal match for muscular ballads like “Thank You” and the title track. Rapp broadens his sonic arsenal with didgeridoo, which ushers in “1st Minute, 1st Round,” and some electronic enhancement of his harmon-muted horn, on which he breaks out of the traditional Miles Davis model. ~ Downbeat

Braden-Rapp: The Strayhorn Project

Album Reviews

This CD project is a true successful experiment in the art of re-composing the composition. The harmonic and rhythmic deception in both 'Satin Doll' and 'Chelsea Bridge' is in a word fortuitous and striking, et al. The center of this marvelous group is the compelling magnetism Gerald Clayton brings to his piano chair. The character of his playing is strong, yet he shows us a subdued lyricism side as well. Very delightful and well worth enjoying him in his own right. That said, the combined group displays extraordinary skill in their musicianship. As you listen to their project, you will realize that Braden and Rapp both have built a suitable medium for us to imbibe as we take in the tremendous emotion expressed therein. The project comes to fruition very deliberately and impressively with exciting digressions into the world of harmony and melody. I must address as well the musical dialogue between these fine players creating an overall tonal scheme of both subtlety and imagination. Enjoy! ~ George W Carroll, The Musicians' Ombudsman

Don Braden: saxophone, flute; Mark Rapp: trumpet; Gerald Clayton: piano; Sachal Vasandani: vocals; Rene Hart: bass; Greg Gonzalez: drums