Keyboardist/composer/producer Don Grusin assembled a cast of 20 musicians to create THE HANG. Top session names, including Lee Ritenour (guitar), Patti Austin (vocals), and the project manager's famed brother Dave Grusin (keyboards), contribute to a live repertoire of varied and accessible contemporary jazz. Oftentimes THE HANG feels like a whirlwind trip through the global village, especially on the breezy African-tinged "Makossa Beat," and the salsa-charged "El Floridita." A scattering of vocal-centered tracks keeps the program fresh; the lilting "La Dama de la Ciudad," with its plaintive acoustic guitar and Joao Gilberto-influenced singing, for example, offers a nice reprieve from the sizzling jazz instrumentals elsewhere. Despite its varied influences, THE HANG is a jazz recording through and through. From the funky fusion of "Let's Not Talk About It" to the smoothly expansive "The Chaser," Grusin and company generate a melange of styles and approaches that don't skimp on compositional quality, but still allow plenty of room for all to stretch out. Unlike a lot of smooth, commercially accessible jazz, THE HANG rarely feels uniform, thanks, in part, to the technically dazzling personnel, and to the blend of pop, world, and jazz flavors in Grusin's adventurous program.


Personnel
Don Grusin (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, programming)
Don Grusin; Phil Perry, Natali Rene (vocals)
Abraham Laboriel, Sr. , Nathan East (bass instrument)
Jude Crossen, Carl Thomas (background vocals)
Frank Quintero (vocals, guitar, background vocals)
Patti Austin (vocals, background vocals)
Lee Ritenour , Ricardo Silveira (guitar)
Charlie Bisharat (violin)
Nelson Rangell (flute, piccolo, saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone)
Ernie Watts (saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone)
Sadao Watanabe (saxophone, alto saxophone)
Dave Grusin (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards)
Alex Acuña, Oscar Seaton (drums, percussion)
Harvey Mason, Sr. (drums)
Pete Escovedo (percussion)


Tracklist
01. Let's Not Talk About It [03:39]
02. Makossa Beat [05:24]
03. She Could Be Mine [05:44]
04. Wait For Me [04:52]
05. La Dama De La Ciudad [00:53]
06. El Floridita [05:35]
07. Number 8 [07:39]
08. Woman [06:04]
09. The Chaser [04:31]
10. Fresh Air [04:20]
11. Catwalk [03:22]
12. Road Town [10:47]
13. Oo-Whee The Carnival [03:10]
14. She Feels Good [06:28]