Four Star Review of The Lucas Sader Project's "Apollo" by the Winnipeg Free Press

The Lucas Sader Project - Apollo: Tribute to the Miles Davis Quintet (Lucas Sader Music)

Winnipeg drummer Lucas Sader has taken on a tough task by recording a tribute to Miles Davis's second great quintet, one of the most formidable bands in jazz history.

Sader put together a good band of young local musicians -- bassist Karl Kohut, pianist Paul De Gurse, saxophonist Paul Balcain -- and veteran trumpeter Derrick Gardner, one of the drummer's instructors in the U of M jazz studies program. They capture the essence of the Miles quintet while keeping tunes such as Stella by Starlight, Blue in Green and The Sorcerer current. De Gurse and Gardner especially stand out on Stella.

Sader's composition Apollo is very good and fits seamlessly into the Miles theme. His Moonrise and Blues for Wynton Kelly, the theme played three times, are engaging tunes. Gardner's sense of Miles is a key to the recording, as is Sader's sometimes understated, often eloquent drumming. 

Four Stars

DOWNLOAD THIS: Apollo, The Sorcerer

-- Chris Smith, Winnipeg Free Press

Follow this link to check out the review on the Winnipeg Free Press website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/new-music-180477911.html