Music According To Lafayette Gilchrist

I stumbled across this talent due to my affinity for the HBO series, "The Wire." Having now gotten a greater exposure than a quick trip through a TV show's soundtrack affords, through this CD, I have to say the show's producers had/have great taste.Gilchrist is a definte original. You've heard snatches and snippets of this amalgamized style elsewhere, but never quite assembled like this. And did I mention that the man's piano playing is genius? Time will put him up there with Monk, Peterson, Jarrett, and the like.

The first track on this CD, "Assume The Position", is sooooo good, the same produers who first used it in "The Wire" have now adopted it as the permanent music for the closing credits of their new series, "The Deuce", on HBO. However, while "The Wire" OST had this track, it was edited/cut by nearly half: This CD has the original seven-minute AWESOME version of this song.Absolutely incredible composition and performance, it must be amazing to be seen played live. The rest of the CD is no slouch, either. Highly recommended!

Heard him on The Wire soundtrack. A good blend of new and old school jazz.

A few years ago I wandered into The Ottobar in Baltimore at about 10 O'Clock on a Tuesday night, where, For a number of weeks, every Tuesday, Lafayette Gilchrist and New Volcanos had been laying down a new brand of Jazz.I had not idea what I was in for that night. What I found literally blew my mind. Lafayette was seated at the Piano,wearing what I have come to learn is a trademark hat, playing virtuouso lines of melody up and down the scale, conjuring up images of Monk and Ellington. The drummer was pounding out a strong modern beat, no brushes here! This was the most muscular drummiong I had ever heard in a jazz setting. The bass was thumping in lock step with the drummer and out front - four howns. FOUR horns, Sax, Trombone, Trumpet and a Bigger Sax. All this in a local bar with no cover charge - upstairs on a Tuesday night. Unheard of, and these guys were wailing for about 25-30 people in the place. I was seated at the bar next to a man who turned out to be a music professor from Morgan State University and I expressed my surprise and joy and what we were hearing. He just smiled and said "oh yeah, he is somethign special..."I came back a couple of months later when they played the main stage downstairs and had a CD release party for this CD, The Music According to Lafayette Gilchrist, in part, just to make sure I was not dreaming on that random Tuesday night.No, I was not dreaming, this was the future of Jazz. Steeped in tradition yet powered by the beats of 21st century Baltimore streets.I am looking forward to his next CD "Three" his first in the trio format. It comes out later this spring (2007) Check this guy ouit, you too will be amazed.

just heard the first cut 'assume the position', blew me away.great beat, modern sound while maintaining classic licks.check it out!

I had the opportunity to see Mr Gilchrist perform live when I lived in Philadelphia.I love his music -- he is an extremely talented musician who makes jazz music lively, fun, and entertaining