Adamson's Cats

Adamson's Cats

Bruce Von Stiers

Andy Adamson has had a lengthy career in the computer world. But along the way, he also has had a lengthy career being a jazz band leader. Going through transitions over the years, Adamson fronted several quartets, the latest in 2014. In 2017 he formed his latest group, the Andy Adamson Quintet. This latest group recorded a couple of well received albums.

This year the Andy Adamson Quintet has released yet another album. This one has the unusual title of A Coincidence of Cats. It is being released on the Andros Records label.

The album has six songs and a play time of forty-two minutes.

The members of the quintet are Ross Huff, Dan Bennett, Brennan Andes, Johnathan Taylor and Andy Adamson. Huff plays with a few other groups, but brings his talents on trumpet and flugelhorn to be a part of this quintet. Bennett is a saxophonist who plays the tenor, baritone, alto and soprano saxes. My son actually plays sax, so I am a bit familiar with that lineup. A founding member of the group Macpodz, bassist Andes has toured both in the U.S. and internationally. Taylor takes up the drums and percussion for the quintet. He has performed with some of the top names in jazz and Creative Music. And I already mentioned Adamson's background. He does all of the piano for the quintet.

The album opens with the title track, A Coincidence of Cats. Anyone who's been around cats for any length of time will probably appreciate the styling of this song. It features some frantic sounds, just like a cat going a bit crazy, as they often do. Then the song settles down a bit, just like a cat being aloof and then it picks back up again, just like a cat might be doing.

Sagres by the Sea starts out with some piano and drum, along with a crashing tide sound. The song has some interesting horn and nice piano in it.

Hummingbird begins as a soft and gentle piece that features the piano backed by some decent bass and drum. Then the trumpet kicks in and then there is some fast-paced piano. And then things slow back down again. I guess the back and forth is meant to simulate the way a hummingbird goes about its day.

Lament is soft and gentle, perhaps a bit sad.

Morning Star has a moderate toe-tapping beat with cool piano and flugelhorn.

The album closes with Triplet. The song has a lot of moving parts, with drum, piano and bass being front and center.

A Coincidence of Cats was indeed an appealing album. It features each of the musician's talents at different points and provides interesting blending of instruments for a distinct sound.

A Coincidence of Cats can be found at various music outlets and streaming sites. Check out www.andyadamsonmusic.org to learn more.

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