DANNY G – DANNY G FELIX PROJECT
The calibre of the musicians in this country is often underestimated. Up until the relatively recent revolution in digital media, the only foreign records to make it all the way to the colony were those worth exporting. For a long time Aussie musos have only had the best of the U.S., U.K. and Europe to compare themselves to, and it shows. Danny Goodacre, at the ripe old age of 27, is one of Sydney’s busiest pianists and a regular fixture in any number of jazz, latin and soul gigs around the city. He has called on his ample artillery of friends for this debut album, and the result is superb. The opening Transformations is a tight, classy play between big band swing and dark, synthy hip hop, reminiscent of Andre 3000’s efforts on his side of OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The intricately produced Classy Dream, a kind of futuristic Police/Beatles romp, stands out as the catchiest tune, while the ferocious salsa/timba number Tu Sabes is a perfect opportunity for Goodacre to show off his latin chops – and so he should! The broken and groovy 135th and Lennox stamps out the Roy Hargrove undertones that are carried throughout the record, in part due to Goodacre’s own trumpet playing, which is by no means amateur. While it feels at times like he could do with settling for just one style of music, the arrangements and performances are always joyous and masterful. A fine record by some world class local talent.
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