Weinstein's October Surprise
Jay Freeman | New York City | 10/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Fans of Josh Weinstein's earlier CDs and NYC club appearances will be startled to find his straightforward blues-funk transplanted into a fascinating concept album. "Brooklyn Is Sinking" plays like a series of movies -- compelling, cross-referential episodes, each with its own soundscape and bag of musical tricks. As on previous efforts, the ensemble playing is brilliant, but here the lineup of strings, horns and keyboards is embellished with street scenes, sidewalk evangelists, media cross-talk and barroom palaver, all setting the scene for Weinstein's troubled characters to work out their demons in a "world gone crazy." It's challenging, dense, multilayered, and, of all things, a hell of a lot of fun."
Josh Weinstein- Brooklyn Is Sinking
Larry Sakin | Tucson, AZ | 05/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"About fifteen years ago, my wife and were in a Greenwich Village eatery when she let it slip that I was in the music business. The waiter, awaiting his big break in a dreamy career as a jazz singer, secured the other patrons in his station with his fellow servers, and proceeded to audition for me in front of God and everybody in the restaurant.
Had that waiter been half as talented as Josh Weinstein, I'd have signed him on the spot. Sadly, the gifted among us are few and far between, which is why the warbling waiter of Bleecker St. is probably still slinging hash and Weinstein has produced a richly rewarding album.
Brooklyn Is Sinking is Weinstein's second solo album. On it, he takes his patented blues-funk style, and creates a magnificent, multi-tiered soundtrack filled with electrifying emotion mixed with imaginative compositions that broaden the boundaries of jazz. Much to Weinstein's credit, he avoids channeling the uber-slick Harry Connick, Jr. and myriad lessers, soulfully presenting imagistic songs which fit together in a story line reminiscent of the great filmmaker Godard.
Weinstein is ably assisted on this album by Marco Oppedisano on guitar, Bruce heron on saxophone and melodica, John Carlson on trumpet and flugelhorn, Oliver Van Essen on organ, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Sunny Jain on drums and percussion. Most notable are the string section, featuring Sarah Schwartz and John Kass on violins, Arthur Dibble on viola and Adam Grabois on cello. The band sways lithely through Weinstein's staccato pieces, some of which start with a tremendous bang, scuttle to a whisper during the bridge and then end with an orchestral flourish that may bring avant-garde composer Steve Reich to mind. Throughout the pieces, Diamond and Zhana Saunders add elegiac backing vocals in support of Weinstein's lush tones.
What separates Brooklyn Is Sinking from Weinstein's first solo effort is his use of sampling, capturing street scenes, media cross-talk, and bar room boasts to give the project a seedy, character-driven feel. It's an experiment that pays off, as Weinstein breathes life into the troubled, possessed spirits that inhabit our "world gone crazy".
As good as the music is, what really shines on this album are Weinstein's lyrics, which at times flow with the hard-boiled excitement of a Mickey Spillane novel, and at other times have the philosophical tone of a poem by Ezra Pound. Weinstein writes from deep within himself, committing blood, grit, and sensitivity to paper, creating a highly original masterwork filled with remarkable warmth and craftsmanship.
I don't know if the singing waiter ever got his big break or not. But if he hasn't, he might want to pick up a copy of Brooklyn Is Sinking to learn how to become a sensation. And you should pick up a copy of Brooklyn Is Sinking simply because it's sensational.
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Track Listings (12) - Disc #1