Bruce Arnold Trio Review of "A Few Dozen" @ iTunes By: Dick Metcalf ery hard to believe that Mr. Arnold grew up in South Dakota... tho' I don't know quite why I'd think that way... great jazz doesn't come from a location, it comes from the heart, eh? Well, Bruce's trio has more than just heart, they've got soul! Drums by Tony Moreno are precision personified, & Ratzo B. Harris' acoustic bass lines are silky as you could imagine throughout. The title track (which leads the album off) is my favorite, energy personified from the FIRST bar... not just ram-jam (there are some real CHANGES here), but pure & unadulterated F-U-N! Ratzo's bass seems to hold the trio firmly in jazz-land throughout, as Arnold's guitar shows tinges of his ability in the rock arena on several cuts. I also enjoyed "Broadway Y2K" - simply filled with (rhythmic) surprises. This is our first listen to Bruce Arnold... we're sure it WON'T be the last... for the fan of jazz that takes things a step or two beyond "smooth" (but doesn't freak out the finicky, either), this gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! © Dick Metcalf / Improvijazzation Nation Broadway Y2K Numbers Reflection 7th Street Dialog A Few Dozen