Press Release for: Rob Garcia - "Place of Resonance" For most of the past decade, drummer Rob Garcia has brought his superb skills and subtly dynamic rhythmic sense to an eclectic assortment of musical ensembles. Spanning the full spectrum of jazz, from Woody Allen's New Orleans band to the avant-garde explorations of such innovative artists as reedman Joseph Jarman and pianist Myra Melford, Rob also has regularly brought his talents to genre-crossing groups like Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, The Flying Neutrinos and Mr. Kite, a quartet for which he functions as leader and primary arranger of progressive interpretations of Beatles tunes. Those fine arranging skills are on prominent display on his first album as leader, "Place of Resonance" on the Consolidated Artists Productions label. But even more striking are his extraordinary compositions, deftly blending gentle lyricism with buoyant rhythms and providing ideal launching points for the fine soloing of flautist Michel Gentile, tenor saxophonist Matt Renzi, pianist Dave Kikoski and violinist Miri Ben-Ari. The stellar bass playing of Mike Formanek provides heartbeat and pulse. With Duke Ellington's beautiful and exotic "Fleurette African" as the only other composition on the CD, the nine Garcia originals included are a labor of love and commitment best explained by the composer himself. "The songs on this CD are personally meaningful. They represent inner experiences, events, and a spiritual longing, during a certain period of my journey toward consciousness and freedom." The power of these songs and their strong sense of identity allow Rob to shift the instrumental make-up from piece to piece, without loss of continuity or thematic intent. With Gentile's fluid and full-bodied flute gracing every track, the pure-toned tenor of Renzi provides a delightfully blended texture on seven tracks, with Ben-Ari's soulful and resonant violin offering a different, but equally effective complement on the other three. The piano is absent on four tracks, relying on the yeoman strength of Formanek, whose interplay with Garcia throughout the album is simply telepathic. Like three other drummer/leaders, Max Roach, Elvin Jones and Jack DeJohnette - all cited by Rob as major influences - Garcia prefers to lead without an excess of soloing, offering only a few short solos, on "REM," "Hop-a-Long," the pulsing "Quicksand," and a sensitive, evocative turn on the lovely "Dibs," which also includes an excellent solo by Ben-Ari. She also shines on the smoker, "REM," as does Kikoski, whose fire and passion have gained him a reputation as one of jazz' most important young pianists, further exemplified by his work on the driving "Resonance, "and the beautiful ballad "Somewhere Along the Path." Renzi's muscular tenor is highlighted on "Quicksand," "Resonance" and on the sinuous, 7/4-time "BlackCabbage" in an improvisational duet with Gentile, who displays his fluent and lyrical style on the jaunty "Chick Peas," the easy swinging "Hop-a-Long" and another lovely ballad, "My Cats Are Gone." At 32 years old, Garcia, like many of his contemporaries, has been influenced by a wide range of ethnic musical styles, with elements of Spanish and Middle Eastern forms especially present on this outstanding debut as a leader. In addition to his regular work with his own ensembles and those artists mentioned earlier, Rob has performed in most of the New York clubs and has toured nationally and overseas, working with many tops artists including Jerome Richardson, Sonny Fortune, Chris Potter, Bob Berg, Ed Howard, Santi Debriano, Ted Nash, Howard Johnson and Michael Ray & the Cosmic Crew. He is also heavily involved in the study and practice of holistic healing as well as the exploration of the healing powers of music.