Rob Scheps and the TBA Band | Live at the Churchill School
(Powder Rhythm Records)
Rob Scheps often garners comparisons to Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane, but as a composer, arranger, and player, Scheps—a part-time Hudson Valley resident—has his own sound. He uses his soprano saxophone much like a trumpet one minute and a clarinet the next, issuing clarion calls that sail above the ensemble and playing emotion-packed arpeggios that hint of the Old World. And his flute playing on “Valentine” sings like a bird. His stellar outfit—featuring pianist Matt Cooper, bassist Laurent Nickel, drummer Michael Rodenkirch, and multi-instrumentalist Luke McKern—brings an inordinate dynamism and dimensionality to these eight original tracks, which occasionally touch down in reggae, funk, and Latin. Recorded live at an arts center in Eastern Oregon, Scheps’s music is both intriguing and accessible and should appeal both to jazzheads and the casual listener.
