New Release: For the Record from Pete Mills

 

For the Record from Pete Mills
Label:  Mighty Ernie Records
Release Date:  Street Date: September 5, 2025
Website:  https://petemills.com

Tenor saxophonist Pete Mills explores the alchemy that arises when the sax is united with the Hammond B3 Organ, performed by Jon Eshelman on his 2025 offering For the Record.  Joining the pair are Tom Davis on electric guitar and Zach Compston on drums.  There is a feature that is native, innately tribal and spirited in their combination, even homelike, that emerges at the start of the recording with the title track.  Engaged in the moment, the musicians are guided by a stream of conscientiousness radar, navigating by intuition through the melodic progressions, looking to one another to build from, and being each other's catalyst.  The musicians cruise comfortably through the arrangements, making space for the impromptu jaunts steered by the sax and B3 organ.  Keeled by traditional bebop stock, the band ventures into individualized improvisations sampled in "Bird Lives", and the head-bopping, feet tapping "Kenny, Ken," a tribute to guitarist Kenny Burrell.  Their mixture of blues, soul, swing, and bebop allow their individual personalities to come through, imprinting the music with their animated strokes.  Gracefully converging and melding into a cohesive tableau that makes a distinctive impression on the listener.  The recording bursts with entertaining conversations among the musicians from the blazing flusters of "Step On It" to the silky riffs of "Baby Simon".  Whether they are communicating a message to listeners or intimating private sentiment, the collection keeps the audience engulfed in the sonic experience.