Greg Ward's Fitted Shards
CD Release

Velvet Lounge, Chicago, IL
Sept. 17, 2010

Greg Ward (JB)

Review by James Walker, Jr.,
Photos by James (JW) and John Broughton (JB) - Copyright 2010

Saxophonist Greg Ward chose the late Fred Anderson's legendary Velvet Lounge in Chicago to debut his inaugural CD, Fitted Shards: South Side Story. Not only was this a CD release party, it also was a tribute to Fred who inspired and nurtured Greg during his formative years as a very young musician. Fred even allowed Greg to host a set at the old Velvet lounge on Indiana St. for four years.

Actually, Fred inspired and encouraged so many young musicians. He was a patient "teacher" and is responsible for helping launch the careers of musicians like trumpeters Maurice Brown and Corey Wilkes, vocalist Dee Alexander, to name just a few. Greg never forget the impact Fred had on his career and he felt honored to debut his CD at Fred's place.

Joining Greg at this set standing room only set was: Jeff Greene, bass; Rob Clearfield, keyboard; and Quin Kirchner, drums.These young men often collaborate with Greg and have projects of their own.

They began with a couple of high energy numbers from the CD, "All In" and "Segway." All ensemble members were on top of their game this evening with Greg improvising in a manner that Fred would have been proud of. It was very representative of the Velvet Lounge.

Throughout this first set, Greg demonstrated passionate blowing going into overdrive above the riffing rhythm section. He's very aggressive, often producing fast, bright flourishes with his signature bold attack on each note.

Greg also leaves space for his band mates to express themselves. On several occasions, keyboardist Clearfield, primarily using his right hand, was refreshing, creative and thoughtful with his single-note facility that allowed him to respond to Wards leads. Also, bassist Jeff Greene had a nice solo lead on "Juggernaut"(not on CD) in addition to his solid background usage of both upright and electric bass.

Although Ward recently moved to New York, he's often performing in the "Windy City" with his group and complementing other leaders on their projects. For details about future Ward events, refer to his website at gregward.org.