Rahsaan Barber - Everyday Magic (2011)

The release of “Everyday Magic” – Rahsaan Barber’s second CD as a leader – has fully established a national profile and following for the instrumental and compositional skills of this dynamic saxophonist and bandleader who has long been a mainstay of the music scene in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. The self-produced album features nine original compositions and debuts the band for which the album is named – Rahsaan’s quintet, “Everyday Magic,” featuring pianist Jody Nardone, guitarist Adam Agati, drummer Nioshi Jackson and bassist Jerry Navarro. The CD features as special guests Rahsaan’s twin brother Roland Barber on trombone and percussionist (and fellow El Movimeinto co-leader) Giovanni Rodriguez. Highlights of the album include the gospel-tinged “Manhattan Grace” and the closing track, “Redemption,” on which the saxophonist delivers the album’s final and most-emotional and explorative improvisation.

“Rahsaan Barber can flat-out play the saxophone. He can also flat-out compose and arrange. The proof exists on Everyday Magic, his latest release and the first on his own label, Jazz Music City. Barber delivers nine originals full of passion and abandon. What’s impressive about the whole project is that there is a sense of searching, but not at the expense of losing the beat. Every tune on Everyday Magic will have you tapping your foot and digging into sweet solo and group work from Barber and his band. New York City may be the center of the jazz universe, but don’t sleep on Nashville. It’s got a scene worthy of our attention. Rahsaan Barber is a primary example.”~Review from Downbeat Magazine’s Editor’s Picks, September 2011