Album Review: Passage from Bill Heller

Album:  Passage
Artist:  Bill Heller
Album:  Billunatic Music
Website:  https://www.billunaticmusic.com

Composer-keyboardist-bandleader Bill Heller fuses contemporary jazz with easy listening melodies on his latest release Passage.  The uplifting spirit of the tracks is infectious, seething with elation in each phrasing.  The sleek stride of the saxophones paired with the pulsating beats of the rhythm section and the warm aesthetics of the guitar riffs make for a pleasing experience from beginning to end.

Heller's original work "Viaggio" is a soft, simmering bossa nova melody twined in the silky glitters of Brandon Fields's alto sax, infusing a romantic glint in the soothing mood.  The recording switches to a festive ambience with the funky squiggles of Heller's keyboards braiding across "FT Shuffle," and shifting to a cheerful saunter along "Journeys End."  Following is a flowering bouquet of textures through "The Flow," gilded in the woodsy tones of Luis Mercado's cello and the ethereal hues of Jeff Kashiwa's soprano sax.

The Caribbean-induced sway of "Looking Ahead" is threaded in the buoyant flickers of Paula Atherton's flute, imbuing the track with a flighty vibe, seguing into the balmy musings of "Clair de Lune," penned by Claude Debussy.  "Last Train" projects a lively urgency in the nimble ripples of Heller's keys, laced in the sultry toots of Andy Snitzer's tenor sax.  The closing track "Leaving Orbit" moves into sci-fi terrain, injecting layers of electronica bisected by streaks of Allen Hinds's electric guitar.

Best known as the keyboard player for the legendary Grammy nominated jazz group the Rippingtons, bandleader Bill Heller provides an universal sense of contemporary jazz with his latest recording.  With the exception of "Clair de Lune," all the tracks are written and composed by Heller, giving audiences insight into his unwavering, uplifting spirit.

Musician
Bill Heller – Keyboards
Allen Hinds – Guitar
Andy Snitzer – Tenor Sax
Barry Danielian – Trumpet
Brandon Fields – Alto Sax
Brian Dunne – Drums
Chris Eminizer – Tenor Sax
Dan Levine – Trombones
Dave Anderson – Bass
Dave Karasony – Drums
Dan Levine – Trombones
Dave Mann – Woodwinds
Frank Bellucci – Drums
Jay Prince – Guitar
Jeff Kashiwa – Soprano Sax
Jens Wendelboe – Trombone
Jerry Sokolov – Trumpet
Joel Rosenblatt – Drums
John Arrucci – Steel Pan & Percussion
John Scarpulla – Tenor and Bari Sax
Jonathan Butler – Guitar
Ken Navarro – Guitar
Lee Finkelstein – Drums
Luis Mercado – Cello
Marc Antoine – Guitar
Mike Hall – Bass
Ozzie Melendez – Trombone
Paula Atherton – Flute
Rheagan Osteen – French Horns
Rico Belled – Bass
Ronnie Gutierrez – Percussion
Russ DeSalvo – Guitar
Steve Jordan – Drums
Will Lee – Bass