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Spin Cycle

Spin Cycle co-leaders Scott Neumann and Tom Christensen had some doubts about including the punk rock-like composition, “Smart Aleck,” on the self-titled debut album of their New York-based quartet. They were concerned that with its bellicose guitar opening and other aggressive effects, the song stood out too much.

But when you’ve got brilliant band members like Pete McCann on guitar and Phil Palombi on bass, why not go for broke, stylistically? And when you want to avoid being tagged as yet another self-possessed mainstream jazz unit, why not emphasize your exceptional range?

Drummer Neumann and tenor saxophonist Christensen, who have known and played with each other for many years but never co-led a band before, ended up putting “Smart Aleck” in the middle of Spin Cycle, a great place to highlight their flexibility and reach—and their capacity for surprise. On any given song of theirs, you might encounter the modal influence of John Coltrane, the second-line funk of New Orleans, and/or the edgy experimentation of free jazz.

There is, to be sure, plenty of musical comfort food on Spin Cycle, which boasts six compositions by Christensen, a consummate multi-instrumentalist who mostly plays tenor saxophone here, and four by Neumann. Having performed in all kinds of settings including the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz Mandolin Project, the Gil Evans Project, Madeleine Peyroux’s touring group, Broadway pit bands—and Cheap Trick—the co-leaders know how to dig deep, swing hard, and put a shine on a ballad.

But their piano-less quartet departs the norm with its unusual blend of airy textures and bounding energy. “Guitar chords are more sparse than piano chords, they’re more open sounding,” says Christensen, explaining the decision to reach out to McCann. “This lineup gives us a lot of room to try out different things.”

Christensen and Neumann first played together in 1989 at a jam session at Neumann’s apartment in Astoria, Queens, shortly after Christensen’s arrival in New York. They were soon playing together at such hallowed clubs as Birdland, Visiones, and Augie’s. Two years ago, what might have seemed an obvious move to their followers—forming a band together—became obvious to Neumann.

Says the drummer, “I had finished a CD of my own with Michael Blake and Mark Helias [the Neu3 Trio’s Blessed, released in 2013] and got the thought of collaborating on an ongoing basis with musicians I liked and respected—with friends who would get along sharing business responsibilities as well as creative ones.

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Album Review

Spin Cycle: Spin Cycle III

Read "Spin Cycle III" reviewed by Mark Corroto


The quartet we know as Spin Cycle delivers III, the band's follow up to Assorted Colors (Sound Footing Records, 2018). Here, the compositional partners Scott Neumann and Tom Christensen exercise their omnivorous tastes on a broad --ranging spectrum of sound. Like their previous two albums, the pair employ guitarist Pete McCann and bassist Phil Palombi, two über sidemen to accomplish their insatiable need to explore multiple genres and eras. There is something here for everyone. The opening track ...

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Recording

Spin Cycle Further Refines Its Adventuresome Sound On Sophomore Album "Assorted Colors," Set For Release April 6 On Sound Footing Records

Spin Cycle Further Refines Its Adventuresome Sound On Sophomore Album "Assorted Colors," Set For Release April 6 On Sound Footing Records

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

One of the freshest sounding bands to emerge on the jazz scene in this or any decade, Spin Cycle follows up its critically acclaimed eponymous debut from 2016 with the release on April 6 of Assorted Colors (Sound Footing Records). The new recording, coming after two years of intensive touring that further refined their distinctive take on jazz, sustains the praise bestowed by DownBeat’s Ed Enright in his rave review of their first album that hailed the band as “a ...

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Recording

Spin Cycle, Co-Led By Drummer Scott Neumann & Saxophonist Tom Christensen, Releases Self-Titled Debut CD on May 6

Spin Cycle, Co-Led By Drummer Scott Neumann & Saxophonist Tom Christensen, Releases Self-Titled Debut CD on May 6

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

With its strong melodies, tight rhythms, intriguing textures, and sophisticated interplay, Spin Cycle has got everything covered. What makes the band special is how everything fits together—or, by intention, doesn’t. For listeners and band members alike, every tune is an adventure. Spin Cycle is the new quartet co-led by drummer Scott Neumann and tenor saxophonist Tom Christensen—and also featuring fellow veterans of the New York jazz scene Pete McCann on guitar and bassist Phil Palombi—whose self- titled debut CD will ...

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