“YAZZ Band,” the recently released compact disc from Greg Yasinitsky, the School of Music Regent’s Professor, has received significant national attention, including a feature in Down Beat magazine — the “Jazz Bible” — and on the Public Radio International show “Jazz After Hours.”
The disc also features WSU School of Music faculty members Sarah Miller, Brian Ward and David Jarvis, along with WSU alumni Patrick Sheng and PJ Kelley, and WSU Professor Emerita Ann Marie Yasinitsky. “YAZZ Band” was recorded in the WSU Recording Studio by WSU Recording Engineer David Bjur.
As of late January, “YAZZ Band” has appeared for 14 weeks on national radio play lists including the North American College and Community Top 30, and Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Jazz Album charts, and the Jazzweek top 50. “YAZZ Band ” was listed as one of the “CDs of the Year – Big Bands” by Bebop Spoken Here in the United Kingdom and the CD has received a number of enthusiastic reviews internationally.
It has also been the focus of numerous positive jazz reviews.
-
Jack Bowers with All About Jazz:
“Yasinitsky is known as a superb composer and arranger, a talent that is indispensable here, as all the YAZZ Band’s songs and charts are his.”
-
Chris Spector of Midwest Record:
“Hard charging, high octane stuff that never lets you down, or even comes up for air, this is a must for big band fans and a smoking lure to bring newbies into the tent. Killer stuff.”
-
George W. Harris of Jazz Weekly:
“The material is fresh…with excellent work of the various horn sections with just enough room for succinct solos.”
-
Joseph Lang of Jersey Jazz:
“Yasinitsky has created a nine‑track collection that swings, excites, and illustrates contemporary big band sounds.”
-
Lance Liddle with Bebop Spoken Here:
“On the ballad Missing You his [Yasinitsky’s] melodic side comes to the fore although not without a midway blast! The closing cadenza and the final few bars by the sax section are truly beautiful.”
-
Marc Phillips of the Vinyl Anachronist:
Yasinitsky “does have a classic style that melds a nostalgic feel from the post‑war era with a big, dynamic sound that’s suited for modern big band audiences. Yasinitsky leads the band much of the way while he’s blowing his sax, and he has a sultry delivery that reinforces that old‑fashioned yet sexy mood.”
-
Paul Wilson of Audiophile News:
“Greg Yasinitsky…is one of the more accomplished jazz musicians I have ever come across… If you like big band and horn driven jazz mixed up together, check out the ‘YAZZ Band.’”
The CD has been listed by iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and is streamed on Apple Music and Spotify and other online sites including gregyasinitsky.com.
People can listen to and download tracks.
