Featured Album this Week (6/21/10): “A Child is Born” by Mark Meadows
For this week’s album, I went a bit out of my element here, and listened to this jazz-tastic piece of awesomeness. My friend Justin (@showmeyourdoobs) absolutely insisted that I listen to his buddy from Baltimore, Mark G. Meadows’ latest album, saying that it would be a great change of pace from the stuff I usually listen to. And man, was he right….
“A Child is Born” is nearly everything I’d ever want out of a great jazz album. Mark and his band are not afraid to jam out, and there are several songs on the album without any vocals. The first few tracks are really heavy on the jam sessions, which is sometimes a risky move for an album, but pull it off nicely, without overdoing it. They actually remind me of the theme music of the earlier versions of that computer game, The Sims (but in a good way).
My favorite song on the album, “In the Moment,” is one of these instrumental-only tracks. The saxophone melody in that song is so powerful, there is no need for a vocal part. It carries the tune strongly, and has me mesmerized from start to finish.
Mark G. Meadow hails from Baltimore, MD, and has been surrounded by jazz music since age 3. He has won numerous accolades for his musical ability, and studied under some incredible music teachers (like Julie Bank, who was Norah Jones’ piano teacher). He’s got some serious musical chops.
If you like what you hear, you can purchase a physical copy of the album straight off his official website by clicking here. Do it.
