Mosaic - Unsaid, Undone - Snack Records

Entirely creditable East Coast indie jazz session sometimes approaching brilliance.

Published on September 20, 2008

Mosaic - Unsaid, Undone - Snack Records 0006, 52:10 ****:

(Matt Belzer - alto & soprano sax, clarinet & bass clarinet, alto flute; Ned Judy - piano, keyboards; Larry Melton - acoustic & electric bass; Mark Merella - drums, timbales & percussion; David Font - congas, bongo & percussion)

The star here is Matt Belzer, leader, main composer, and most prominent soloist. Though he’s proficient on a variety of wind instruments, I greatly prefer him on alto sax. Check out his burning/lilting work on “Sightseeing,” the seldom-recorded Wayne Shorter tune, which is also the longest, groovin’est, and most satisfying tune on the disc. Belzer also makes a strong impression on clarinet on the title cut, “Unsaid, Undone,” the most “out” of the numbers, and also the most interesting, with its angular melody, fidgety percussion, and spooky keyboard voicings.

Ned Judy on piano and keyboards also shines. Note his harmonically rich and rhythmically sophisticated solo on “Unsaid, Undone,” the driving, weighty, almost plodding pianisms he unleashes for “Knew One,” and intelligent comping on the burner, “Speak Down.” His deft Rhodes solo on “Hikaru’s Dance” glides and capers melding Oriental and European sensibilities on this beguiling waltz, punctuated by apposite percussion courtesy of Merella and Font.

This is one of those discs where it takes a while for the band to get the kinks out and find its groove, but when it does, the payoff is huge. Unsaid, Undone also illustrates one of the great ironies of jazz: to play this music even just competently demands some serious chops and lots of woodshedding; to play it exceptionally requires something approaching genius. Yet, no matter how high the level of pure musical accomplishment, jazz seldom finds itself even on the horizon of popular culture, let alone at its center. These guys play jazz with passion and occasional brilliance. Look for great things in the future if they can manage to survive the vagaries and vicissitudes of the wild and wooly world of jazz.

TrackList:
Seconds Out
Knew One
Hikaru’s Dance
Speak Down
Under the Sun
Sightseeing
Unsaid, Undone

-- Jan Dennis

By: Edward Blanco

Playing a variety of post bop, avant-garde and Afro-Cuban rhythms, Mosaic is percussive quintet that makes their recording debut with a feverish sound on Unsaid, Undone. With the sizzling rendition of Wayne Shorter tune “Sightseeing,” being the only jazz standard on the CD, Mosaic offers a collection of six assertive originals and makes quite an impression not only with their compositions but also with their musicianship. The quintet features two players that beat the cowhide with Mark Merella on the drums and percussions and David Font on strictly percussions. The others include Matt Belzer on the reeds, Ned Judy on keyboards and Larry Melton on bass.

Save for the title track, which has that avant-garde/ world music style making it intricate and harder to follow, the rest of the music is quite engaging and full of percussive energy.
The first two pieces (“Seconds Out” and “Knew One”), both Ned Judy compositions, seem to open up the music with expressive melodies that convey the message that you’re in for a new ride in jazz music. “Hikaru’s Dance” presents Judy with one of his best solo opportunities and features Belzer on a mean alto saxophone dance of his own. Other standout numbers include “Speak Down,” and the only light jazz piece on the album, “Under the Sun.”

Saxophonist Belzer is a monster on the reeds delivering spicy solos on the alto and soprano sax, the clarinets and alto flute throughout. Judy also weighs in with his play, but it’s the percussive rhythm section that marks the album. Unsaid, Undone provides a mosaic of interesting jazz sounds collectively imparted by a new group of guys you may not have heard of but may be impressed with once you give this one a spin.

Year: 2008
Label: Snack Record

Artist Web: www.myspace.com/mosaicsnack

BEST INDIE MUSIC OUT THERE

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Mosaic - Unsaid, Undone

1 Seconds Out
2 Knew One
3 Hikaru's Dance
4 Speak Down
5 Under the Sun
6 Sightseeing
7 Unsaid, Undone

are played by

Matt Belzer, sax
Ned Judy, keys
Larry Melton, bass
Mark Merella, drums
David Font-Navarrete, percussion

and I love the sound. Chaotic accord is the only way to describe it. The title of the cd, Unsaid, Undone, is indeed apt. Instrumental, moving (we're talking spirit) jazz that seems to be the audio book version of a beatnik kid rushing to open Christmas presents, letting paper and mayhem stream every which way.

Long, juicy tracks the mind can wander down, and as another review calls it, filled with "much wit and beauty." Yes, there is somehow a humor to this music that bites and sticks the tongue out and seriously contemplates, all at once. Frank Zappa would love this stuff.

Posted by Ben Ohmart

ben@benohmart.com

http://soopahmusic.blogspot.com

Mosaic

The jazz band Mosaic is true electric jazz.

BY RICH MCCRACKEN II

MOSAIC
"Unsaid, Undone"
www.myspace.com/mosaicsnack

By Rich McCracken II


Mosaic is a jazz ensemble group with a style that blends bop, electric jazz, Afro-Cuban and the avante-garde to create its own signature sound.

This group includes saxophonist Matt Belzer, director of jazz studies at the University of Maryland, pianist Ned Judy, musical director at Second City Theatre and associate professor of music at Prince George's Community College, and Larry Melton, producer at Snack Studios and one of the most in-demand bass players in Baltimore.

Drummer Mark Merella has played at The White House and Kennedy Center. Percussionist David Font Navarette has run the independent label Elegua Records.

The song called "Seconds Out" has an Afro-Cuban beat throughout with great musicianship. The horns really stand out on this particular track. The tempo is fast and the melody fits like a tight glove.

"Speak Down" is another track with great percussion. The congas really stand out on this one, along with bass and jazz piano.

"Under the Sun" is a slower tempo tune with great flute playing throughout and stellar percussion work. Overall, Mosaics' "Unsaid, Undone" CD is recommended listening for jazz music fans.

http://www.metrospirit.com

The Run-Off Groove Review #212
August 7, 2008

The opening track, "Seconds Out", begins with a Latin vibe that might have paved the way for what to expect on Mosaic Unsaid, Undone (Snack) but instead it's a brief taste of what one can find in their musical trick bag. This quintet (Mark Merella on drums, David Font on percussion, Larry Melton on bass, Matt Belzer on winds, and Ned Judy on keyboards) pay thrilling jazz that takes on the intensity of bebop, the best qualities of smoothed out jazz from the 70's, and other derivatives of jazz and turn it into something that is very much their moniker.

Their love of worldly sounds can be heard in each of the songs, and it's nice to hear them pushing each other with and within each song, the drive is there throughout. "Knew One", "Hikaru's Dance", and "Under The Sun" are each a display of fine musicianship, and even something as laid back as "Knew One" can be a thrill to listen to as it goes on. The reason why this music sounds almost perfect is due to the countless artists each musician has played with and/or backed up over the years, there is a sense of clarity and purpose. Yet with that clarity and purpose they open the door of opportunity and let things come as they may. Don't think of something as watered down as the Yellowjackets, think more along the lines of McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter, or the late Michael Brecker. Their version of Wayne Shorter's "Sightseeing" does the song justice and even as it clocks in at close to ten minutes, it's still not enough. Everyone in Mosaic is so caught up with the song and with each other that it's obvious they were having an incredible time in the studio.

(Unsaid, Undone is available from CDBaby.)

http://therunoffgroove.blogspot.com

Improvijazzation Nation
Issue #84

Mosaic - UNSAID, UNDONE: If vibrant & upbeat is what you demand in your jazz experience, you'll want this July, 2008 debut CD for sure. Six of the seven tracks are solid originals, with all the verve & life you'd expect... Matt Belzer's sax, Ned Judy's keyboards, upright bass by, drums & percussion from Mark Merella & scorching percussion by David Font-Navarrete all combine to create one of the freshestjazz listens I've heard (yet) this year. These players are right on time, & definitely in tune with the muse... your ears will be more pleased than they have in a long time. The word that comes to mind as the short description for the band sound is "full body"... if you're a sax lover, think of "Kenny G on 21st Century steroids" (without the side effects)... the sounds that Belzer plays on "Hikaru's Dance" (my favorite on the CD) are cutting without being offensive or edgy in any way. I'm highly impressed by the broad range of talent displayed on this album, & you will be too. This gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for sure. Get more information at http://snackrecords.com/artists/mosaic/ (be sure & tell them Zzaj sent you, of course)

Rotcod Zzaj

http://zzaj.freehostia.com

Featured Artist: Mosaic


CD Title: Unsaid, Undone

Year: 2008

Record Label: Snack Records

Style: Various Jazz Styles

Musicians: Matt Belzer (sax), Ned Judy (keyboards), Larry Melton (bass), Mark Merella (drums), David Font-Navarrete (percussion)

Review: Mosaic’s stated goal is to create an original voice, performing in a range of styles; to be unique and experimental yet to remain accessible. In its first CD, Unsaid, Undone this purpose has been achieved.

Heavy on percussion, the quintet, out of Baltimore, features drummers Mark Merella and David Font who are a commanding presence on all numbers. Matt Belzer is a standout on reeds and is ably abetted by Ned Judy, keyboards, and Larry Melton bass. The selections portray a true mosaic of styles that blends bop, electric jazz, Afro-Cuban and avant-garde. All tunes are originals by group members excepting Wayne Shorters’ “Sightseeing.”

First track, "Seconds Out," stresses an Afro-Cuban beat throughout with Belzer's insinuating soprano sax riding the rhythm, intensely, to a crashing climax. An album highlight is “Speak Down,” with Belzer wildly taking off on soprano, pushed by Judy’s assertive piano solo. The saxophonist shows his Coltrane influence here.

The perky “Sightseeing” is a pleasant interlude with Belzer, here on alto, darting in and out of the traffic of Judy’s keyboard and the ever-pushing rhythm section. (Hear Melton’s hard-charging bass here.)

Although the group is always searching for new ground, the music remains always listenable. This release augers well for Mosaic.

Tracks: Seconds Out, Knew One, Hikaru's Dance, Speak Down, Under the Sun, Sightseeing, Unsaid, Undone

Artist's Website: http://www.myspace.com/mosaicsnack

Reviewed by: Larry Taylor

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