ELIAS HASLANGER & MIKE SAILORS

ELIAS HASLANGER MEETS MIKE SAILORS

Bandstand Presents

Elias Haslanger, tenor saxophone/composer/producer; Mike Sailors, trumpet/arranger/producer; Andy Langham & Ross Margitza, piano; Ryan Hagler, bass; Daniel Dufour, drums; Eddy Hobizal, mastering/mixing/piano; Jerry Sailors, co-producer; Charlie Kramsky, studio engineer.

This is Straight-ahead, powerhouse jazz played just the way I like it.  Elias Haslanger and trumpeter Mike Sailors burst onto the scene performing track #1 titled, “One Hand Clap.” That unusual title was inspired by a Herbie Hancock tune titled “One Finger Snap.” This is bebop to the bone, played at an energetic, up-tempo pace.

Haslanger and Sailors are old and close friends who have shared Austin, Texas stages for the past decade. They’ve been friends for nearly twice as long. The two musicians clearly appreciate the jazz tradition as they interact soulfully with each other. You can feel their camaraderie and hear their smooth connections. These men seem to know each other’s hearts.

“We definitely have something going on. People tell us that all the time. It’s more than the music.  The two of us have a similar outlook on life,” Haslanger explains in his press package.

This recording sounds more like an East Village, live, jazz, jam session in NYC than a planned recording session. However, this took place far from the East coast. They were comfortable at Estuary Recording Studio in Austin, Texas. Haslanger was born and raised in Austin, while Sailors is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. The trumpeter is a master arranger, not only in the jazz genre but also in the pop music realm. He has worked with Lady Gaga and in the next breath, performed with Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra. Kenny Dorham and the late, great Clifford Brown have greatly influenced Mike Sailors as an artist. Also, he admires New Orleans legend, Leroy Jones.  You can hear that influence when Sailors plays on Haslanger’s tune, “That One Time,” that’s a swinging shuffle blues.

Haslanger too is rooted in the blues and feels a spiritual connection to John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. He was once lead tenor sax man in the Maynard Ferguson Big Band. That’s when he was a youthful musician in New York.  He and Sailors have composed all the music on this album except for the Clifford Jordon tune they covered called “Down Through the Years.”

An original composition by Haslanger called “History Book” is a swinging, melodic tune.  This is followed by Mike Sailor’s original song, “El Marinero.” It’s Latin jazz that dances off my cd player with a burst of joy. The quintet settles down to a smokin’ sultry groove when Haslanger enters on his tenor saxophone. Andy Langham takes an extraordinary piano solo.

Sailors has also contributed a lovely ballad called, “For Nicole.”  Every tune on this album is amazing, both in its presentation, and as a well-written composition featuring the talents of Haslanger and Sailors. This music will be released to the public on August 16, 2024.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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