Professor Louie & The Crowmatix: Jam

[CD cover] [Woodstock Records]

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix' Jam, released in May 2001 Breeze Hill Records (available for purchase from Woodstock Records), is produced by Aaron "Louie" Hurwitz, long time co-producer and engineer for groups as The Band, Mercury Rev, Four Men & A Dog, David Nelson Band, and Rick Danko.

Garth Hudson is on many of the tracks playing synth as well as tenor sax. Tom "Bones" Malone appears on track 8 which he composed.

From the Breeze Hill records press release:

How beautiful is the concept of the Jam! For a Jam explores the very essence of human freedom and creativity. It's a difficult art form- this jamming. It's not so easy to be spontaneous and brilliant at the same time. But when it's good, it's really good. For instance, the great jazz movement known as Bebop was born in the 1940s when players in popular swing orchestras would hang out together after hours in Harlem for spontaneous jams after their regular gigs were done. At 4 am they would try new techniques, hear each other's licks, and then do back-and-forth cycles of lick and answer lick. The result was to shake the roots of music.

The Crowmatix, 2001, l-r : Gary Burke - Mike Dunn - Miss Marie - Professor Louie - Mike DeMicco

The goal in the Philosophy of Jam is to perfect those magics that only get perfected by standing together and getting inspired from the talent in the room- coming up with ideas, freezing some for repeats, rejecting others, and getting "Out there." These Jam moments can be captured now on tape with startling fidelity, so that each player can stand out in the mix, and with the traditional "muddy" quality of taped Jam sessions gone forever.

The musicians in the Crowmatix - Aaron "Professor Louie" Hurwitz, Mike Dunn, Mike DeMicco, Gary Burke and "Miss Marie" Spinosa were born for a Jam record. You can tell it by the exuberance and verve of the arrangements. Their performing is very well organized, yet they're an ensemble of many moods. They're not afraid of being "larger than life," and to seize the moment before it's gone.

A guiding spirit in all this was the impact of master-level musician Rick Danko, who was a big, big inspiration to musicians in the Hudson Valley and all over. The Crowmatix, under the inspiration of Professor Louie, otherwise known as Aaron Hurwitz, have leaped forward on their own, and are ready for a powerful future. They can really play, their tunes remain in the mind, and too use the jazz term, they really can wail!

--Ed Sanders

Tracks

1. Baby Loves To Boogie
2. Speeding Time (Danko, Hurwitz, Spinoza)
3. Bump In The Night
4. Bayou Blues
5. Mr. Luck
6. Look What You Done
7. Melting
8. Tired Of The Blues
9. Chick's Break Song
10. Sailin'
11. Rock 'n' Roll Music (Berry Jam)

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix - Jam - 2001 - Breeze Hill Records